Head of International Strategy and Partnerships

Job Reference

785_24_DIR_DIR_HISP

Position

Head of International Strategy and Partnerships

Closing Date

Friday, 22 November, 2024



About BSC


The Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is the leading supercomputing center in Spain. It houses MareNostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, was a founding and hosting member of the former European HPC infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now hosting entity for EuroHPC JU, the Joint Undertaking that leads large-scale investments and HPC provision in Europe. The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies in order to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R&D into both computer and computational science (life, earth and engineering sciences) under one roof, and currently has over 1000 staff from 60 countries. We are particularly interested for this role in the strengths and lived experiences of women and underrepresented groups to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights in science and IT research. In instances of equal merit, the incorporation of the under-represented sex will be favoured. We promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, fostering an environment where each and every one of us is appreciated for who we are, regardless of our differences. If you consider that you do not meet all the requirements, we encourage you to continue applying for the job offer. We value diversity of experiences and skills, and you could bring unique perspectives to our team.



Context And Mission


As a senior member of the Directors’ Office at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), the Head of International Strategy and Partnerships will play a pivotal role in defining and executing BSC’s medium- and long-term strategy for international scientific and industrial collaborations. This position is responsible for supporting the BSC Director and leadership team in fostering strategic partnerships that drive BSC's mission forward on the global stage. The role involves actively engaging with BSC’s Scientific Advisory Board and contributing to strategic decisions on international alliances. The Head will be tasked with preparing and delivering official presentations to the European Commission and representing BSC in a variety of high-profile international settings. As an extension of BSC's strategic vision, the role may include serving as Principal Investigator (PI) for select international projects, such as the Hanami and Ganana projects, in collaboration with BSC’s administrative and project management teams. In addition to strategic and advisory responsibilities, the Head will also oversee the organization of impactful events, including international conferences, summer schools, and other educational and collaborative gatherings that underscore BSC's position as a leader in supercomputing and innovation. This role is integral to establishing BSC’s reputation and relationships across Europe and beyond, with a strong emphasis on fostering high-impact, enduring international partnerships.



Key Duties


Strategic Leadership: Define and support BSC’s international strategy in scientific collaboration and industry engagement.
Project Coordination and Representation: Lead BSC’s involvement in key international initiatives, including EuroHPC and TPC, and represent BSC at flagship events such as the ACM Summer School, TPC conference, and EuroHPC summits.
Partnership Development: Cultivate and manage strategic partnerships with public and private organizations worldwide, facilitating MoUs and collaborative agreements.
Program and Event Management: Organize and manage high-impact events, including the TPC conference in June 2024, ACM summer school, and EuroHPC summit.
Supervision of Project Activities: Oversee the Hanami and Ganana projects, as well as the EU-LAC Foundation.
Draft, prepare, and deliver policy and strategy documents, as for instance in the context of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking.


Requirements


Education

Doctoral degree in computer science or other related subject.

Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience

Several years in international leading positions both in industry and in science, well proven international visibility and reputation.
Long experience in negotiating with the European Commission and other national and international funding agencies.
Experience as expert and reviewer for the European Commission and other funding agencies in Europe and elsewhere.
Proven ability to supervise and manage technical and administrative staff.
Recognized ability in public speaking with a history in keynote speeches.

Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience

Excellent level of English in written and spoken form, knowledge of other European languages will be valued.

Competences

Proven ability as an international leader with competences on scientific policy strategy.
Ability to work in a very dynamic environment with the need for a high level of flexibility to adapt to a changing environment.
Ability to work independently and in a team, with flexible time tables and often requirement to travel at short notice.
Capacity to interact and build solid relations with different international stakeholders.



Conditions


The position will be located at BSC within the Directors Department.
We offer a full-time contract (37.5h/week), a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, restaurant tickets, private health insurance, support to the relocation procedures.
Duration: Open-ended contract due to technical and scientific activities linked to the project and budget duration.
Holidays: 23 paid vacation days plus 24th and 31st of December per our collective agreement.
Salary: we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona.
Starting date: asap.


Applications procedure and process


All applications must be made through BSC website and contain:

A full CV in English including contact details.
A Cover Letter with a statement of interest in English, including two contacts for further references - Applications without this document will not be considered.

In accordance with the OTM-R principles, a gender-balanced recruitment panel is formed for every vacancy at the beginning of the process. After reviewing the content of the applications, the panel will start the interviews, with at least one technical and one administrative interview. A profile questionnaire as well as a technical exercise may be required during the process. The panel will make a final decision and all candidates who had contacts with them will receive feedback with details on the acceptance or rejection of their profile.
At BSC we are seeking continuous improvement in our recruitment processes, for any suggestions or feedback/complaints about our Recruitment Processes, please contact recruitment (at) bsc (dot) es.


Deadline


The vacancy will remain open until a suitable candidate has been hired. Applications will be regularly reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted.


OTM-R principles for selection processes


BSC-CNS is committed to the principles of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers of the European Commission and the Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment principles (OTM-R). This is applied for any potential candidate in all our processes, for example by creating gender-balanced recruitment panels and recognizing career breaks etc. BSC-CNS is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by applicable state or local law.


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