Head of Grants Management

Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) is a public sector institution, located in Barcelona (Spain) that promotes and develops innovative biomedical research at the University Hospital Vall d'Hebron. VHIR is oriented towards finding solutions to the health problems of the citizens and has the will to contribute to the scientific, educational, social and economic development within its area of competence.

The Competitive Research Directorate will support the scientific community at Vall d’Hebron throughout the full lifecycle of competitive projects. This Directorate encourages and supports researchers in the pursuit of competitive funding for research, detecting opportunities and contributing to the development of quality proposals, and the successful implementation of granted projects.

Under the leadership of the Competitive Projects Directorate, the Grants Management (Post-Award) Unit provides financial follow-up, guidance on regulations compliance, and post-award management of grant-funded projects for the best research outcomes. The aim of the Unit is to ensure grant-management efficiency and financial sustainability, while maximizing the impact of grant-funded research.

**Education and qualifications**:
**Required**:

- Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree.
- Specific training in management of competitive research grants. Fluency in Catalan, Spanish, English (business level).

**Desired**:

- University degree in Economy, Administration, Business Management or related
- A Master Degree in Management and Business Administration or similar.
- Project Management training.

**Experience and knowledge**:
**Required**:

- Minimum 3 years of work experience in management of research projects funded by the European Commission, the MICIU (ISCiii and AIE) and other national and international funders.
- Proven deep understanding of national and international research funding programmes.
- Experience in the biomedical sector required, preferably in healthcare research.
- Well-organized person, with analytical thinking, team work ability, capable of working autonomously across the organization, attention to detail and good communication skills.Commitment and willingness to support the Institution’s strategic objectives.

**Desired**:

- Experience in Grants Management at any ISCiii-accredited Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (or similar University-Hospital-linked Research Institution).
- Experience in team management.
- Strong leadership and team-building skills.
- Excellent organization.
- Capacity to work with a large project portfolio and elevated budgets, responding to tight deadlines.
- Commitment and willingness to support the Institution’s strategic objectives.
- Proactive attitude.
- Experience with the use of Project Management tools.

**Main responsibilities and duties**:

- Plan the strategy of the Grants Management (Post-Award) Unit and define its objectives, under the supervision and coordination of the Competitive Projects Director.
- Implement operational and impactful initiatives to accomplish Unit goals, aligning activities with broader organizational objectives.
- Plan the activities of the Unit and distribute tasks among team members and collaborators.
- Analyze the volume and nature of work to establish the appropriate profiles of collaborators and coordinate interdependence relationships among tasks.
- Lead the refinement of internal processes to establish standard work procedures, promote the interdependencies with other units, especially the Pre-Award Unit, Legal Unit, Finance and Accounting, Human Resources, Innovation Unit, and others.
- Promote the creation and/or improvement of common work tools.
- Promote collaborations and actions to boost VHIR’s research and contribute to its expansion and internationalization. Build upon ongoing projects to search and identify new competitive funding opportunities.
- Promote best practices in the management of competitive research projects in terms of planning, coordination, control, anticipation, change management, communication and dissemination.
- Ensure the correct justification and/or auditing of grant-funded projects to the corresponding funding agencies in the appropriate format for each case.
- Promote the knowledge and compliance with the regulations and requirements of funding agencies both by researchers and at the institutional level.
- Contribute to the design and implementation of institutional policies related to the implementation of grant-funded projects.
- Manage the Unit’s team members, stimulating their growth and the development of their knowledge and skills.
- Conduct periodic performance evaluations and jointly design action plans to address areas for improvement.

**Labour conditions**:

- Full-time position: 40h/week.
- Starting date: immediate.
- Gross annual salary: 45.000-55.000€(Remuneration will depend on experience and skills. Salary ranges are consistent with our Collective Agreement pay scale).
- Contract**: Permanent