Research Group Officers

Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST); Castelldefels; Presencial; EUR 26.000 - 36.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

ICFO (Institute of Photonic Sciences) in Barcelona seeks an organized Administrative Coordinator to support multiple Research Groups, ensuring compliance with institutional policies and deadlines. You will collaborate with Group Leaders, coordinate with Operational Teams, and contribute to digital transformation and process improvement across the institute.

Ideal candidates have a university degree, strong written and oral communication, and fluency in Catalan, Spanish and English; experience in

Formación

• University degree or equivalent professional qualification.
• Strong organizational and digital skills.
• Clear written and oral communication skills.
• Professional command of Catalan and Spanish.
• Working professional knowledge of English.

Responsabilidades

• Provide structured administrative support to assigned Research Groups.
• Help Group Leaders and researchers navigate ICFO’s policies, procedures and institutional requirements.
• Prepare, organize and follow up on requests, documentation and recurring administrative processes.
• Anticipate requirements, deadlines and approvals.
• Maintain visibility over pending matters and support their timely completion.
• Coordinate administrative interactions between Research Groups and the relevant institutional teams.
• Structure and channel requests to the appropriate Operational Teams.
• Help ensure that information is complete, coherent and submitted through the appropriate processes.
• Monitor actions involving several teams and elevate unresolved issues when required.
• Support compliance with institutional policies, procedures and deadlines.
• Contribute to the administrative and organizational preparation of activities involving Research Groups.
• Support processes related to visitors, meetings, events, logistics, onboarding, personnel matters, training, travel, purchasing, access and other recurring institutional activities.
• Coordinate with the teams responsible for each process and work according to their procedures and guidance.
• Prepare briefings, supporting documentation and practical arrangements where required.
• Contribute to the review, simplification and standardization of administrative processes affecting Research Groups.
• Participate in digital-transformation initiatives led by the relevant Operational Teams.
• Support the implementation and adoption of new tools, workflows and ways of working.
• Identify recurring inefficiencies, gaps, duplication and opportunities for improvement.
• Provide structured feedback based on day‑to‑day interaction with Research Groups and institutional teams.
• Research Group Officers will be hierarchically assigned to the RGO coordination function.

Conocimientos

Organization

Digital skills

Communication skills

English proficiency

Catalan and Spanish

Educación

University degree or equivalent professional qualification

Herramientas

Enterprise management systems

Workflow tools

Institutional databases

Descripción del empleo

ICFO (Institute of Photonic Sciences) is a globally recognized research center in Barcelona dedicated to advancing photonics and light-based technologies. With around 500 employees from over 70 nationalities, ICFO combines research, education, innovation, and technology transfer to create scientific and societal impact.

Main Responsibilities

Administrative and Organizational Support:

• Provide structured administrative support to assigned Research Groups.
• Help Group Leaders and researchers navigate ICFO’s policies, procedures and institutional requirements.
• Prepare, organize and follow up on requests, documentation and recurring administrative processes.
• Anticipate requirements, deadlines and approvals.
• Maintain visibility over pending matters and support their timely completion.

Institutional Coordination:

• Coordinate administrative interactions between Research Groups and the relevant institutional teams.
• Structure and channel requests to the appropriate Operational Teams.
• Help ensure that information is complete, coherent and submitted through the appropriate processes.
• Monitor actions involving several teams and elevate unresolved issues when required.
• Support compliance with institutional policies, procedures and deadlines.

Support to Research Activity:

• Contribute to the administrative and organizational preparation of activities involving Research Groups.
• Support processes related to visitors, meetings, events, logistics, onboarding, personnel matters, training, travel, purchasing, access and other recurring institutional activities.
• Coordinate with the teams responsible for each process and work according to their procedures and guidance.
• Prepare briefings, supporting documentation and practical arrangements where required.

Process Improvement and Digital Transformation:

• Contribute to the review, simplification and standardization of administrative processes affecting Research Groups.
• Participate in digital-transformation initiatives led by the relevant Operational Teams.
• Support the implementation and adoption of new tools, workflows and ways of working.
• Identify recurring inefficiencies, gaps, duplication and opportunities for improvement.
• Provide structured feedback based on day‑to‑day interaction with Research Groups and institutional teams.

Positioning and Working Relationships:

Research Group Officers will be hierarchically assigned to the RGO coordination function.

Functionally, they will work closely with their assigned Group Leaders and research teams, while maintaining an institution‑wide perspective and operating within common processes, priorities and standards.

RGOs will also work regularly with the RGO Coordinator and other Research Group Officers; and Operational Teams and Scientific Development services.

The effectiveness of the role will depend on close coordination, regular information exchange and shared ways of working across Research Groups and institutional teams.

Requirements & Conditions

Candidate Profile

We seek highly organized, responsible and service-oriented professionals with experience in administrative coordination within complex organizations.

Successful candidates will be capable of managing several matters simultaneously, organizing information from different sources and maintaining reliable follow-up across multiple stakeholders.

They will take ownership of assigned responsibilities, work proactively and ensure that administrative requirements and deadlines are properly addressed. They will combine responsiveness to Research Groups with consistency, institutional judgement and alignment with common procedures.

Essential Qualifications

• University degree or equivalent professional qualification.
• Relevant experience in administrative coordination, executive support, project support, research administration or a comparable role.
• Experience working in a complex organization involving multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to organize documentation, processes, deadlines and follow-up actions.
• Ability to manage several priorities simultaneously and maintain oversight of pending matters.
• Strong organizational and digital skills.
• Clear written and oral communication skills.
• Professional command of Catalan and Spanish.
• Working professional knowledge of English.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in a university, research center, hospital or comparable knowledge-intensive environment.
• Experience supporting research teams, senior professionals or multidisciplinary groups.
• Familiarity with administrative processes related to personnel, onboarding, travel, purchasing, visitors, events or training.
• Experience with enterprise management systems, workflow tools or institutional databases.
• Experience contributing to process improvement, standardization or digitalization.
• Familiarity with the Catalan research and innovation ecosystem.

Personal Competencies

• ownership and accountability;
• reliability and consistent follow-through;
• strong organizational and prioritization skills;
• attention to policies, requirements and deadlines;
• a proactive and practical approach;
• sound judgement and discretion;
• the ability to work autonomously within a common institutional framework;
• clear and constructive communication;
• the ability to coordinate stakeholders without hierarchical authority;
• flexibility and responsiveness to changing needs;
• commitment to institutional processes and continuous improvement.

What ICFO Offers

At ICFO, we offer the opportunity to contribute to the development of a new institutional support model designed to improve the working environment of Research Groups and strengthen administrative coordination across the Institute.

The position provides:

• a highly stimulating and international research environment;
• direct interaction with Research Groups and institutional professionals;
• a transversal role with broad exposure across ICFO;
• meaningful responsibility and autonomy;
• structured training and close collaboration with specialist teams;
• the opportunity to contribute to new processes, tools and ways of working;
• professional development within a complex scientific institution;
• competitive conditions commensurate with experience and qualifications;
• a unique location in Barcelona, one of Europe’s leading scientific, cultural and innovation hubs.