Junior project assistant

The VIB International Plant Biotechnology Outreach (VIB-IPBO) is an outreach cell of the VIB, a world-leading life sciences research institute based in Flanders (Belgium). Our mission is to accelerate the bilateral EU-Africa scientific cooperation on agro-biotechnology by fostering the use, exchange, and development of scientific knowledge and technologies for sustainable agriculture.

Within this context, we are looking for a dynamic, creative, proactive, and self-driven project assistant (he/she/they). The selected candidate will support us in the daily tasks related to the implementation and visibility of two running projects, the Open Doors Fellowship Program from 2023 to 2025 and the Plant B+B project (2020-2025).

The Open Doors Fellowship Program for women researchers in Africa is a holistic program that targets women researchers in Africa to help them acquire the necessary hard and soft skills to strengthen their placements within their hosting institutions and, ultimately, avoid dropping out before their consolidation stage.  We shall support 16 fellows over the next three years. We are working hard to ensure that through our outreach efforts, and fruitful partnerships with several African organizations and Belgian institutions, the Open Doors program shall grow, expand and contribute to the empowerment of many more women scientists in Africa. More information about the project can be found here .

The Plant B+B (Plant Biotechnology and breeding) project is an international network established to foster and contribute to the advancement of global scientific knowledge. Plant B+B intends to unite human capacity, expertise, and resources for education, research, and outreach in the field of plant biotechnology and breeding. More information about the project can be found here

• Supports the organization of face-to-face training and symposia.
• Assists in organizing webinars and online meetings.
• Organizes logistics arrangements for the travel of our international visitors.
• Leads the graphic design of flyers, e-cards, and banners.
• Supports the update and management of our social media channels (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram).
• Assists in the annual planning of capacity-building activities.
• Contributes to the production of success stories of the projects and uploads to feed our website.
• Curates information related to the project, photos, and image galleries.
• Produces short videos to portray the activities of the group.
• Assists in reporting-related tasks to the steering committee of the project and our main sponsor.

• The applicant should have an MSc in communications, public relations, education, and science or in a gender-related field; with a minimum of 2 years of professional experience in project management and communication (a BSc level with relevant expertise will also be considered).
• Excellent planning ability and good organization skills
• Proactivity and ability to work with minimum supervision.
• Responsiveness to meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a multicultural and diverse environment.
• Attention to detail.
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office package; knowledge of CANVA and video-production software will be highly valued.
• Proficiency in English (written and oral). Knowledge of Flemish and/or French is an asset.
• Willingness to travel sporadically within Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

Motivated candidates are asked to apply online.

If you like to have a better inside of how it is to work on research for development and international capacity-building activities, do not hesitate to contact us . 

You can find more about the VIB-IPBO work and its team here: https://ipbo.vib-ugent.be/en