Context
VIB (Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie) is an entrepreneurial non-profit research institute, with a clear focus on ground-breaking strategic basic research in life sciences and operates in close partnership with the five universities in Flanders.
The VIB Data Core is a new initiative that will offer hardware, software, and data-related services for non-sensitive and sensitive data to scientists of the Research Centers. More specifically, the Core strives to increase the quality, standardisation, reproducibility, and efficiency across the data life cycle - from project planning and data acquisition to knowledge generation, and publication and archiving of the research data according to FAIR principles.
The VIB Data Core works closely together with experts from the ELIXIR consortium, a European research infrastructure that unites Europe’s leading life-science organisations. The core team of the Belgian ELIXIR Node, which is embedded in the Core, has been active in providing platforms and guidance for research data management and reproducible data analysis.
We are looking for a result-driven Team lead Data management to further develop, monitor and supervise the data management activities of the VIB Data Core.
Role
The Team lead Data Management will be responsible for streamlining the research data flows in VIB, across the Research Centers and Core Facilities. You will lead a team that supports VIB researchers with guidelines, best practices, and platforms to perform Open and FAIR science. You will also be the contact person for research data management at VIB and work closely with peers in the ELIXIR community. The Team lead Data Management will report to the Head of the VIB Data Core.
More concretely, this entails the implementation of a (meta)data platform, enabling the application of data policies based on (inter)national (meta)data standards that will allow data sharing and publishing according to the community's best practices. The Team lead Data Management will also oversee the deployment of an Electronic Notebook platform for all VIB researchers. You will coordinate community building of data stewards across the VIB Research Centers and Core Facilities and collaborate with the VIB Technology Training Unit to develop a training portfolio for research data management.
Responsibilities
As Team lead Data Management you will:
- Manage the day-to-day activities of the data management team
- Develop and implement a roadmap to achieve the goals, in collaboration with the Head of the VIB Data Core and other VIB entities
- Ensure alignment of the activities with the institutional policies and objectives
- Coordinate the activities and strategy with major regional, national, and international stakeholders
- Manage projects, both internal as obtained through competitive grants, and delegate tasks to the team members
- Establish strong working relations with national key stakeholders and relevant international efforts
- Empower team members with skills to improve their knowledge and perform at their optimum
Requirements
- Master or Ph.D. degree in life sciences or equivalent through experience
- Proven experience with the principles of FAIR and Open data
- Experience in research data management, proficiency in international data models and standards for life-science data
- Demonstrated ability to lead, organise and manage delivery within a collaborative team environment
- Demonstrated ability to plan and successfully lead multi-stakeholder projects
- Highly developed analytical, problem-solving, strategic planning, and decision-making ability
- Experience in working in an academic environment is an asset
- Excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing in English
We offer
- An open-ended contract
- Competitive package based on experience and expertise, and benefits
- An innovative, challenging, and international working environment in the large life-sciences network of VIB and the ELIXIR infrastructure across Europe
- Contribute to the kickstart of a future-proof, researcher-oriented ecosystem for data management open to all researchers in a stimulating international context
- Opportunities for personal development
- Workplace is located at the Tech Lane Ghent Science Park, a vibrant ecosystem of international corporate R&D centers. Possibility of homeworking, with a balance between working from a remote location and from the office
How to apply?
If you are interested in this challenging and rewarding opportunity, please submit your application online, including your CV and letter of motivation.
