ELIXIR Governance and Institutional Affairs Officer

6000 Elixir; Hinxton; Hybrid; GBP 39,000 - 43,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Private medical insurance

30 days annual leave

Relocation package

Visa exemption for international staff

Job summary

ELIXIR is seeking a Governance and Institutional Affairs Officer to support the governance and institutional development of our European research infrastructure. You will coordinate ELIXIR’s governance bodies and work with Chairs, members and senior leadership across Europe.

Reporting to the General Counsel and collaborating with Legal Services, Operations and External Relations, you will help ensure smooth, transparent decision‑making, strengthen governance processes and drive modernisation

Qualifications

• Experience in governance, board or committee support, institutional affairs, public administration or comparable environment.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage complex activities involving multiple stakeholders and deadlines.
• Strong written communication with clear, professional documentation.
• Diplomacy, discretion and confidence when engaging with senior colleagues and international stakeholders.
• Analytical thinking, sound judgement and ability to navigate complex information and processes.
• Proactive approach to improving systems, workflows and ways of working.
• Familiarity with governance frameworks or compliance processes in international organisations is valuable.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the work of ELIXIR's governance bodies including the Board and advisory committees.
• Prepare agendas, briefings, reports, minutes and decision records with high quality.
• Strengthen governance documentation, appointments and membership processes.
• Act as a central point for governance engagement with Member States and advisory bodies.
• Identify opportunities to modernise governance procedures and enable AI-enabled tools.
• Support data protection and other compliance activities in collaboration with Legal Services.

Job description

ELIXIR is looking for a Governance and Institutional Affairs Officer to play a central role in supporting the governance and institutional development of our European research infrastructure. ELIXIR brings together leading life science organisations across Europe to coordinate and sustain the data resources, tools and services that enable scientific discovery. Effective governance is fundamental to this mission, ensuring that our international partners can collaborate, make informed decisions and deliver on shared priorities.

Your role

This is a varied and influential coordination role offering the opportunity to work closely with senior leaders, national representatives, scientific advisers and institutional stakeholders from across Europe. Reporting to the General Counsel and working across Legal Services, Operations and External Relations , you will work closely with the Heads of Operations and External Relations and their teams on activities within their respective areas of responsibility. You will help ensure that ELIXIR's governance bodies and institutional processes operate smoothly, transparently and effectively. You will be involved in everything from coordinating high-level international meetings and supporting institutional decision‑making to improving governance frameworks, strengthening processes and helping the organisation adapt as it develops. This is more than a traditional committee‑support role. We are looking for someone who combines outstanding organisational skills and attention to detail with analytical thinking, sound judgement and a genuine interest in how international organisations operate.

Key responsibilities

• Supporting governance at the highest level: Coordinate the work of ELIXIR's Board, Heads of Nodes Committee, Scientific Advisory Board and Industry Advisory Committee, working closely with Chairs, members and senior leadership.
• Enabling effective decisions: Prepare high-quality agendas, briefings, reports, minutes and decision records, ensuring that decisions are documented and actions are followed through.
• Strengthening institutional processes: Support governance frameworks, appointments, membership processes, institutional agreements and the maintenance of key governance documentation.
• Connecting people across Europe: Act as a central coordination point for governance‑related engagement with Member States, Heads of Nodes, advisory bodies and colleagues across the ELIXIR community.
• Driving continuous improvement: Identify opportunities to modernise governance procedures, streamline workflows and make better use of digital and AI‑enabled tools.
• Supporting responsible operations: Help coordinate data protection and other defined Legal Services compliance activities, working alongside specialist colleagues.

Candidate profile

You have You will be a confident, resourceful and highly organised professional who can balance meticulous operational delivery with a broader understanding of institutional priorities. You'll bring relevant experience in governance, Board or committee support, institutional affairs, public administration, executive coordination or a comparable environment. We are particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate:

• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage complex activities involving multiple stakeholders and competing deadlines.
• Strong written communication skills, with experience producing clear, accurate and professional documentation.
• Diplomacy, discretion and confidence when engaging with senior colleagues and international stakeholders.
• Analytical thinking, good judgement and the ability to navigate complex information and processes.
• A proactive approach to improving systems, workflows and ways of working.
• Confidence using modern digital collaboration, document‑management and AI‑enabled tools appropriately.
• Experience in an international organisation, research infrastructure, university, public sector or membership‑based environment would be particularly valuable, as would familiarity with governance frameworks or compliance processes.

You don't need to be a lawyer. This is a governance and institutional coordination role, with specialist legal interpretation and advice provided by ELIXIR's Legal Services team. You may also have Familiarity with European research policy and international scientific collaboration. Experience supporting formal governance and decision‑making processes.

Contract length

Project limited for 3 years.

Salary

Grade 5 or 6, monthly salary from £3,452.05 or £3,861.91 after tax, plus generous benefits and financial allowances based on individual circumstances. Excluding 12.99% personal pension and insurance contributions.

About ELIXIR

Do something meaningful ELIXIR unites Europe’s leading life science organisations in managing and safeguarding the increasing volume of data being generated by publicly funded research. It coordinates, integrates and sustains bioinformatics resources across its member states and enables users in academia and industry to access services that are vital for their research.

Values

The ELIXIR Hub has a strong organisational culture which is defined by our core values. To ensure a good fit with our team, we look to recruit candidates who share our five values:

• We work to benefit everyone
• We are trusted
• We work with a spirit of openness
• We strive for excellence
• We work in an environment of respect

Benefits

• Financial incentives: Monthly family, child and non‑resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long‑term care, accident‑at‑work and unemployment insurances
• Flexible working arrangements including hybrid working patterns
• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)
• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to eight bank holidays
• Relocation package including installation grant (if required. Conditions apply)
• Campus life: Free shuttle bus to and from work, on‑site library, subsidised on‑site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)
• Family benefits: On‑site nursery, 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity & parental leave, holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances
• Benefits for non‑UK residents: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non‑resident allowance.

International applicants

We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions.

Diversity and inclusion

At ELIXIR, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.