Director of Administration

THE INSTITUTE:

The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF): https://www.esrf.fr/home.html is a world-leading international scientific research infrastructure supported by nineteen countries with the common interest to enable frontier synchrotron radiation-based science and to improve cooperation across disciplinary and national boundaries. It is established as a “Société Civile” Company under French law and it is located in Grenoble, at the heart of the French Alps.

Since the 1990s, the ESRF operates a storage-ring based synchrotron radiation X-ray source and state-of-the-art experimental beamlines. In 2020, the ESRF resumed operation after a major upgrade programme and is now exploiting the Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS), a new and revolutionary low-emittance storage ring with
X-ray beam performance increased by a factor of 100 in terms of beam brilliance and coherence: https://www.esrf.fr/about/upgrade. The ESRF-EBS is identified as a landmark in the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) and provides its users with unique scientific opportunities.

The ESRF welcomes close to 6000 scientists every year for experiments in fields such as biology, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, cultural heritage, materials science, medical imaging, and physics. The ESRF’s access policy is centred on scientific excellence, and the research carried out at its facilities results in more than 1500 peer-reviewed scientific publications every year, among which more than 600 are in highly ranked journals. The ESRF is currently involved in more than 10 ERC grants: https://erc.europa.eu/homepage and in numerous EC and internationally funded grants.

Openness and scientific and technical interdisciplinarity are key to the ESRF’s success. Recruiting skilled and passionate staff who are motivated to contribute, whether directly or indirectly, to the advancement of science, is crucial for the future of the ESRF as a centre of scientific excellence. The ESRF is committed to sharing scientific progress and technology with the younger generations and offers various educational programmes for students and training for the next generation of scientists, engineers and technical and administrative staff. It also dedicates significant resources to training its staff to fully develop their potential. At the ESRF, the synergies that emerge between people of different fields, cultures and backgrounds are an extraordinary source of creativity and innovation. Diversity is part of the ESRF’s identity and is promoted at all levels. The ESRF is an equal opportunity employer; it employs close to 700 international staff who come from nearly 40 countries. To fulfil its mission, the ESRF operates with an annual budget of over 120 M€.

The ESRF Council appoints the five ESRF Directors: the Director General, who leads the Directorate, the Director of Administration Division, the Director of Accelerator and Source Division, the Director of Research for Chemistry, Life and Medical Sciences and Soft Matter Science, and the Director of Research for Condensed Matter and Physical and Material Sciences, who together lead the Experiments Division.
See https://www.esrf.fr/about/organisation/organisation-chart for an overview.

THE FUNCTION:

The Director of Administration (DoA) is responsible for the planning, deployment and implementation of the administrative, human resources, financial and procurement activities required for the efficient operation of the ESRF Company.

The DoA plays a central role in guaranteeing that the ESRF’s resources are used efficiently to ensure the optimal operation of the ESRF’s facilities and the implementation of its R&D programmes and upgrades.

The DoA is part of the ESRF Senior Management, along with the other Directors and with the Heads of the Technical Infrastructure (TID) and of the Instrument Support and Development (ISDD) divisions.

The DoA reports to the Director General and provides professional and insightful advice and support to the latter and to the other Senior Management members on administrative, human resources, financial, procedural, procurement and legal matters.

The successful candidate will lead the Administration Division (50 staff) and will be responsible for the:

• Development of financial, human resources and procurement strategies to address the needs of the ESRF’s ongoing and future projects. This includes:
  • the preparation of the annual budget and updating of medium- and long-term financial estimates in accordance with the facility’s scientific objectives;
  •  identifying opportunities and needs, and devising strategies and solutions to help the ESRF achieve its strategic objectives and operate effectively and efficiently
  • identifying, managing and mitigating risks;
  • translating strategy into actionable deliverables to meet administrative and strategic goals ensuring that the activities of the Administration Division align with and support effectively the ESRF’s overall scientific and operating goals;
• Management of relations and negotiations with a wide range of internal and external bodies, including the Administrative and Finance Committee and the Council, the External Auditors, the Unions and elected staff representatives, external companies, institutes from ESRF member and associate countries, etc.
• Implementation of and compliance with French and relevant applicable laws, regulations and internal policies, namely the ESRF Financial Rules and Internal Financial Regulations.

The DoA is presently assisted by a secretariat, three Division Service Heads (Finance, Procurement & Contracts and Human Resources Management), two Unit Heads (Payroll & Time Management and Reception & Travel Office), an IT project management expert and a Legal Adviser expert in French labour law. Whenever relevant, the DoA is provided with technical assistance by the ISDD and TID.