Job description

Purpose of the position

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is a world-class research institute with more than 250 scientists and scientific collaborators covering a wide range of disciplines from biology to geology, oceanography to taxonomy, and paleontology to ecology. Research at RBINS is used to support national and international decision-makers, which enables our researchers to have a direct impact on society. The Ecosystems data processing and modelling unit (ECOMOD) within the Operational Directorate Natural Environment (OD Nature) (https://odnature.naturalsciences.be) is specialized in hydrodynamic and biogeochemical modelling, with a strong focus on coastal environments.

Fjord systems are of regional and global importance. They harbor highly productive and diverse food webs, which support rich fishing grounds and fuel carbon burial hotspots. Especially fjords with glaciers terminating in the sea (marine terminating glaciers, MTG) are highly productive due to glacier-induced upwelling. Fjords fed by rivers which derive from land-terminating glaciers (LTG) are much less productive. Through the accelerated melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet, global warming will lead to the retreat of glaciers, turning MTGs into LTGs. At present, the potential changes in carbon transfer within food webs because of the shift of MTG to LTG and the eventual impact on the carbon sink function, is poorly understood. Consequently, the impacts of further warming on the provisioning of ecosystem services by Arctic fjords (e.g. fisheries, carbon sink) remains unknown.

Outcome areas

We seek a candidate with a background in biology, biogeochemistry, or physical oceanography to develop and apply a coupled physical-biogeochemical model to different fjords systems in Greenland. The candidate is expected to work closely with Prof. dr. Karline Soetaert in the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research (NIOZ, Yerseke, The Netherlands) and Prof. dr. Ulrike Braeckman (Ghent University and Institute of Natural Sciences, Marine Ecology and Management Team, Belgium).

Employer

There is 1 position open in the Marine Ecology and Management, at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (address: rue Vautier 29 – 1000 Brussels, Belgium).

The activity group for the position is: I. Scientific research and experimental development

The Ecosystems data processing and modelling unit (ECOMOD) within the Operational Directorate Natural Environment (OD Nature) (https://odnature.naturalsciences.be) is specialized in hydrodynamic and biogeochemical modelling, with a strong focus on coastal environments.

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is one of the ten federal scientific establishments that are governed by the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo). It is involved in important scientific research activities and carries out public service missions. It is open to everyone through the Museum of Natural Sciences.

"To provide the scientific community, public authorities and civil society with relevant, high-quality science, useful advice and an attractive discovery of nature, its long history and its sustainable management".

This commits us to: 

• producing high-quality, relevant science: complex issues require well-founded, up-to-date knowledge;
• maintaining, enriching and making accessible our research infrastructures, such as collections, databases and models: reliable forecasts require certified long-term data;
• Linking research to action and governance as much as possible: increasing the impact of scientific results requires relevant and targeted communication, capable of providing independent advice at the appropriate level;
• to increase the knowledge and understanding of citizens, particularly through the Museum, so that they can make informed choices about their lives and their future.

Skills

Behavioural skills

• You can communicate effectively to the different stakeholders and project partners
• You are creative, possess excellent organizational skills, and have a cooperative mindset;
• You are an excellent team player, and able to collaborate with different personalities.

Technical skills

• You have experience with biogeochemical or physical modelling;
• You have experience with marine research;
• You have experience developing code in R.

Assets

• Strong communication skills in English;
• Willingness to travel between institutes and spend several days in NIOZ or Ghent;
• Strong skills in presenting research, either to peers or the broader community.

Conditions for consideration

Your profile

• You have a doctoral degree (PhD) - or are expected to have one before the starting date of the position - in marine science or a related discipline in the Natural Sciences.

Degree must have been conferred by the closing date for applications

The following requirements must be included in the job profile, along with any other requirements:

• At least four years of experience in science, with this experience being eligible for science length of service benefits as per the relevant statute (Article 7, §2).
• For a position in activity group I: Hold a doctorate degree that included a public viva on the subject of a thesis linked with the position being applied for.

/!\ Applicants who have a degree or certificate from a foreign institution who apply for a scientific position for which the tasks are not related to the permanent missions of the institution are exempt from the need for an academic equivalence evaluation.

Experience required

• You have experience with biogeochemical or physical modelling;
• You have experience with marine research;
• You have experience developing code in R.

Job offer

Contract and category

Applicant recruited as category SW2

You will be hired under a fixed-term contract (1 year) as a science officer with the job title of senior assistant (SW2), on the SW21 salary scale.

Minimum pay: 66.332,72 EUR (SW21) (gross annual salary, at the current index, legal benefits not factored in).

Benefits

We offer you an interesting job with a social impact, which comes with a number of benefits:

• A good work-life balance
  • flexible working hours of 38 or 40 hours (with compensatory adjustment) per week
  • offices closed between Christmas and New Year's Day
  • possibility of working from home
  • 26 days of paid leave (for a year of full time employment)
  • easy commuting using public transport
• numerous opportunities for self-growth
  • numerous opportunities for training and apprenticeship (during working hours)
• Financial benefits
  • holiday and end-of-year bonus
  • laptop provided
  • possibility of receiving a bilingualism bonus
  • hospitalisation insurance provided
  • supplementary pension (occupational pension)
  • free use of public transport for commuting between your home and the place of work
  • meal vouchers (€6 per day)
  • work from home/office allowance
  • possibility of receiving a bicycle allowance for travel via bicycle
  • Benefits and offers via the Benefits@Work card
  • a range of fringe benefits (subject to conditions)
  • free entry to the RBINS and other federal scientific institutions with the Belspo card (Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Planetarium, etc.)
  • 10% discount at the Museum shop and Dino Café
  • Attractions & Tourism pass (subject to conditions)

Conditions for employment

If you are selected through this procedure, you must – in order to be hired – fulfil the following requirements on the date of selection:

• Enjoy full civil and political rights
• Have fulfilled military service requirements (only for people with Belgian nationality)
• Behave in a manner fitting of the requirements of the position
• Hold the necessary degree(s)
• Have the necessary skills and fulfil the requirements listed in the job profile

Procedure

Step 1 – Verification of the participation conditions

You will be considered in the selection procedure if you fulfil all of the required conditions. Verification will be carried out by the selection board on the basis of the application documents you have submitted. The board will decide whether the qualifications, awards and experiences you have submitted meet the requirements of the position. If they do, you will be invited to continue to the next step of the procedure.

Depending on the number of applications received, the selection board reserves the right to limit the number of applicants eligible for the next step by selecting those applicants it deems most suitable for the position.

Step 2– Interview

The interview will take place at the Institute of Natural Sciences or via video call. Further details will be sent to you by one of our employees via email.

The selection board assesses whether the qualifications, awards and experience you included in your application documents meet the requirements for the position.

If you fail to attend

If you fail to attend the additional evaluation and/or interview, you will be automatically excluded from the remainder of the selection procedure unless you provide evidence, within three days, that your absence was justified for one of the following reasons:

• illness
• emergency relating to a member of your household (= anyone who lives with the applicant) or family (= spouse or legal cohabitant of the applicant, parents or grandparents of the applicant)
• mandatory presence at your workplace
• disruption or delay to public transport of at least 30 minutes
• force majeure

If applicable, you may request, within 10 days of the interview date, to be interviewed by the board. A new date will then be offered to you.

Notification

If you are not selected in a step, the procedure will end and you will not be invited to any subsequent evaluations in the same selection procedure.

For each step, you will receive a notification of the result.

Equal opportunities and reasonable accommodations

The Federal Administration has an active diversity policy.

Do you live with a disability, with learning difficulties or an illness? If so, you can request accommodations for the selection procedure. Please contact the individual listed under the “Contact persons” section.

Facilities provided for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding

Are you pregnant or breastfeeding your child? If so, you can request access to the relevant facilities. Please contact the individual listed under the “Contact persons” section.

Final result

What happens if you are selected?

Following the selection procedure, an unranked group of applicants will be placed on a short-list. These applicants will be those deemed most suitable to fill the open position in accordance with the conditions for consideration.

How long will this list remain valid?

The short-list of selected applicants will be valid for 3 months, will be created.

Apply

Do you want to apply?  Send your application documents by email to Ulrike.Braeckman@UGent.be, including the selection reference in the subject line.

Your application documents must include:

• an updated CV
• a cover letter
• a copy (or copies) of the degree certificates with all associated annexes
• any other document proving relevant experience, such as:
  • academic activities carried out with attestations as supporting documents (attestations issued by employers, authorities that provided grants, etc.)
  • a list of any scientific papers published

The closing date for sending your application is 15 January 2025 (inclusive).

Applications that do not follow the indicated procedure will not be considered.

Contact persons

Concerning the position:

For more information about the position, please contact:

BRAECKMAN Ulrike – FEDtWIN researcher RBINS & UGent – Ulrike.Braeckman@UGent.be

Concerning the selection procedure:

For more information about the selection procedure, please contact:

RICHARD Alexis – HR department manager – +32 2 627 42 56 – arichard@naturalsciences.be