Strategy Officer

EMBL is Europe’s life sciences laboratory – an intergovernmental organisation uniting more than 110 independent research groups and service teams across six sites: Heidelberg (headquarters), Barcelona, Cambridge, Grenoble, Hamburg and Rome.

Our mission is to advance molecular biology through world-class fundamental research, training, service provision, technology development and European integration. We operate at the forefront of scientific discovery and innovation, including transformative approaches to incorporate AI across EMBL, supporting researchers across our member states and beyond.

We are seeking a Strategy Officer to help shape and deliver EMBL’s scientific and operational strategy. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer and working closely with the Director General and other members of the Strategy team, you will play a central role in translating long-term vision into actionable plans, measurable impact, and compelling narratives.

This is a high-impact role at the interface of science, strategy and leadership. You will collaborate with stakeholders across EMBL’s international sites and contribute to consultative processes that shape the organisation’s future direction.

This position will require some international travel, including some travel to EMBL’s five other sites and occasional out-of-hours working.

Your role 

Shape Strategy

• Support the Director General in developing EMBL’s 5 year scientific and operational strategy, known as the EMBL Programme
• Maintain an external lens on life science trends and technologies and research topics of strategic relevance to support development of proposals for new initiatives
• Draft strategy documents, action plans, review reports and responses
• Identify and frame key strategic scientific issues, synthesise complex analyses and present actionable recommendations

Enable Execution

• Support and manage strategic projects across EMBL by working in partnership with teams across the organisation
• Facilitate consultation processes and working groups across EMBL’s scientific and operational communities
• Support strategic partnerships and innovation ecosystems that strengthen EMBL’s value as a role model and partner
• Contribute to AI-related transformation initiatives across the organisation

Drive Impact & Performance

• Develop, refine and maintain organisational performance indicators and impact metrics
• Lead data collection, analysis and reporting to support evidence-based strategy implementation
• Translate complex institutional data into clear insights and compelling visualisations to portray the value of EMBL to stakeholders
• Conduct impact analyses (where applicable) to inform strategic priorities

Communicate & Advocate

• Prepare high-level presentations, reports and briefings for the Director General, particularly to support EMBL’s governance cycle
• Translate progress against strategic initiatives and impacts into clear narratives for diverse audiences
• Support organisational positioning and pitching to funders and stakeholders

You have 

• You are intellectually curious, analytically rigorous and motivated by the impact of scientific research at scale. You are comfortable operating in complex environments and translating big-picture thinking into practical outcomes.

  Essential

• Degree in life sciences (PhD in molecular biology strongly preferred)
• At least 3 years’ experience in a professional environment (scientific strategy, programme management, research management or similar)
• Strong understanding of molecular biology and passion for advancing life science research
• Experience synthesising complex information and working with quantitative data
• Ability to transform multi-source institutional data into meaningful indicators and strategic arguments
• Excellent analytical, writing and communication skills, able to distill complexity into clear narratives and actionable insights
• Ability to work closely with team members and build effective, collaborative working relationships across the organisation
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines

• Desirable

• Experience managing collaborative scientific or change initiatives
• Knowledge of impact assessment methodologies
• Experience in international or multi-site organisations

• Why This Role

  This position offers the opportunity to contribute directly to the strategic direction of one of the world’s leading life science organisations — helping ensure that EMBL remains at the forefront of discovery and impact.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint

You may also have

• Experience managing collaborative scientific or change initiatives
• Knowledge of impact assessment methodologies
• Experience in international or multi-site organisations

Contract length: 3 years, renewable to a maximum of 9 years

Salary: Grade 5 or 6, monthly salary from EUR 4,031 plus allowances based on family circumstances (excl. pension and insurance contributions)

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation. 

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, 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

• 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 public holidays

• Relocation package including installation grant (if applicable)

• Campus life: Free shuttle bus (Heidelberg), library, subsidised on-site cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)

• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances

• Benefits for international newcomers: 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.

• For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Visit our International Applicants page, to find out more.

• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.

• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, 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.

• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date