Open Data Officer at the Belgian Biodiversity Platform (m/f/x)
Natural Sciences
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Job summary
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences seeks an Open Biodiversity Data Officer to publish biodiversity data and support data mobilisation. This full-time 1-year contract is based in Brussels, with duties across national and international initiatives and collaboration with RBINS-related collections and infrastructures.
The role requires a MSc in biodiversity or equivalent and at least two years of biodiversity data management experience, plus English fluency and Dutch language ability.
Qualifications
- Proven minimum 2 years of professional biodiversity data management experience.
- Experience with data mobilisation and biodiversity informatics is required.
- University degree in biodiversity-related field.
Responsibilities
- Coordinate data publication with RBINS, RMCA, Meise Botanic Garden and GBIF.
- Liaise with European biodiversity infrastructures (DiSSCo, CETAF, LifeWatch, ELIXIR).
- Assist in consolidating and cleaning an inventory of federal biodiversity collections.
- Contribute to long-term data mobilisation strategies and metadata quality.
- Support scientific meetings, workshops and events.
Skills
Education
Job description
The Belgian Biodiversity Platform is seeking an Open Biodiversity Data Officer / Science Officer (m/f/x) to support biodiversity data publication activities.
The position is a full-time, 1-year contract, based at the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences (RBINS), Brussels.
The Belgian Biodiversity Platform (BBPF) is a science–policy interface funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) and supported by a Cooperation Agreement between the federal and relevant federated authorities. Within the field of biodiversity, the Platform acts as a broker between policy, science and practice.
As Science officer, you will:
- Liaise with biodiversity collection holders, particularly holders of the federal collections (RBINS, RMCA, Meise Botanic Garden), to facilitate data publication through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) with the support of the Belgian GBIF node;
- Liaise with Belgian and European biodiversity‑related research infrastructures such as DiSSCo, CETAF, LifeWatch, ELIXIR, and others;
- Assist in establishing, consolidating and cleaning an inventory of federal biodiversity collections, in collaboration with international initiatives such as DiSSCo and CETAF;
- Assist in the development of long‑term strategies for data mobilisation and improvement of collections data and metadata quality;
- Support the organisation and facilitation of scientific meetings, workshops and events;
- Advise the Platform team on new networking and collaboration opportunities;
- Support the work of the Platform in selected national and international biodiversity initiatives, as appropriate.
There is 1 position open in the Belgian Biodiversity Platform, 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
Federal scientific institution recruiter (in bold): 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.
- Integrate Information: Establish connections between diverse data, develop alternatives, and draw appropriate conclusions.
- Decide: Make decisions based on (in)complete information and initiate targeted actions to implement those decisions.
- Support: Guide others, serve as a role model, and support them in their daily work.
- Work as a Team: Create and enhance team spirit by sharing opinions and ideas and contributing to conflict resolution among colleagues.
- Advise: Provide guidance to stakeholders and develop a relationship of trust based on expertise.
- Demonstrate reliability: Act with integrity, in accordance with the organization's expectations, respect confidentiality and commitments, and avoid any form of bias.
- Develop independently: Actively plan and manage one's own development based on one's abilities, interests, and ambitions, critically examining one's own performance and continuously enriching oneself with new ideas, approaches, skills, and knowledge.
- Achieve objectives: Be committed and demonstrate the drive and ambition to generate results and take responsibility for the quality of actions undertaken.
- Proficiency in tools and standards in biodiversity computing and data management, with a broader knowledge of information technologies.
- Excellent mastery of English, both spoken and written
- Fluent in Dutch
- Hold a university degree (MSc or equivalent) in any field related to biodiversity;
/! 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.
Do you wish to apply but your diploma is not written in French?
We invite you to contact the person listed in the 'Contacts' section (selection procedure) to find out if you need to take a language test: Article 7 - Level 1/A.
In this case, obtaining the language certificate is a prerequisite for selection. For this purpose, the selection committee is responsible for verifying the diploma. Therefore, please register for the language test as soon as possible.
- Proven minium 2 years of professional experience in biodiversity data management, scientific data mobilisation, or biodiversity informatics.
Applicant recruited as category SW1
You will be hired under a fixed‑term contract as an assistant on the SW11 salary scale.
Minimum pay: 57.143,04 EUR (SW11) (gross annual salary, at the current index, legal benefits not factored in).
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
- 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
- Work from home/office allowance
- Possibility of receiving a bicycle allowance for travel via bicycle
- Benefits and offers via the Benefits@Work card
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
- 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
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.
The interview will take place at Royal Belgian institute of Natural Sciences, Rue Vautier 29, 1000 Bruxelles. 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The short‑list of selected applicants will be valid for 3 months, will be created.
Your application documents must include:
- An updated CV
- A cover letter
- A copy (or copies) of the degree certificates with all associated annexes if any of these documents are not written in French, Dutch, German or English, a translation must also be provided
- 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
- Any evidence demonstrating the skills and competences described above
The closing date for sending your application is 27/11/2026 (inclusive).
Applications that do not follow the indicated procedure will not be considered.
Concerning the position:
For more information about the position, please contact:
For more information about the selection procedure, please contact:
If you want to request a reasonable accommodation for the selection procedure or access to facilities for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, please also contact this person.
Applications should be sent to Maxime Coupremanne mcoupremanne@naturalsciences.be (subject: Biodiversity Data Officer) with a CV, cover letter and any evidence demonstrating the skills and competences described above.
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