Project Manager position within MSCA Doctoral Network REFFRACTEUR (Digital REFractory FRAmework for a Carbon‑neutral and Resilient indusTry in EURope)

About this position

REFFRACTEUR, Digital REFractory FRAmework for a Carbon-neutral and Resilient indusTry in EURope, is a European Industrial Doctoral Network bringing together academic and non-academic partners across the refractory value chain. The project will train 15 doctoral candidates at the interface of materials science, process engineering and digitalisation, through international and intersectoral mobility and a strongly innovation-driven approach. Its ambition is to support Europe’s high-temperature industries in addressing major challenges related to decarbonisation, circularity, energy efficiency, material traceability and industrial resilience.

The network combines advanced experimental methods, numerical modelling, digital twins, data-driven decision-support tools and sustainability assessment to develop more resilient, high-performance and sustainable refractory solutions.

The Project Manager will be at the operational centre of this European collaboration, helping the consortium organise its scientific, training and innovation ambitions into coordinated actions, documented achievements and timely project results. Working in close interaction with the General Coordinator, the Project Manager will support the day-to-day implementation of REFFRACTEUR throughout its four-year duration. This is a cross-cutting position with a unique overview of the project: scientific and training activities, governance, contractual commitments, partner coordination, budget follow-up, reporting, communication and major network events.The successful candidate will act as a trusted coordination interface between the 17 beneficiaries, 10 associated partners, the project boards, the European Union Project Officer and the relevant CNRS administrative departments. The role requires the ability to structure information, anticipate deadlines, facilitate collective work and maintain effective communication across a large international consortium, while preserving accuracy, responsiveness and a strong service-oriented mindset.

• Project coordination and consortium communication

Coordinate the day-to-day implementation of a large, international Horizon Europe Doctoral Network, working closely with the General Coordinator, Deputy Coordinator, doctoral candidates and consortium partners. You will act as a central point of contact for the project, helping to ensure that activities across academic and industrial organisations remain coordinated, that decisions are translated into clearly assigned actions and that partners have the information they need to deliver their commitments.You will support the project’s governance structures by preparing and coordinating Supervisory Board and consortium meetings, circulating agendas and relevant documentation, recording decisions and actions, and following up with responsible partners to monitor their implementation. This will involve maintaining a clear overview of activities across the different work packages and identifying potential delays, dependencies or coordination issues at an early stage so that they can be addressed with the appropriate project partners.

A significant part of the role will involve facilitating communication across the consortium. You will ensure the efficient circulation of information between beneficiaries, associated partners, doctoral candidates, supervisors and project governance bodies, using appropriate communication tools and channels. You will regularly liaise with both academic and industrial partners, helping to connect people and activities across different institutions, countries and areas of expertise.

You will also act as an interface between the consortium and the coordinating institution, working closely with the General Coordinator and relevant CNRS administrative services. This includes supporting communication with the European Commission and EU Project Officer, preparing information for project meetings and reporting, and ensuring that requests and decisions are communicated effectively to the relevant members of the consortium.

As the project develops, you will maintain an overall view of the project’s implementation and help the consortium remain aligned with its objectives, timetable and contractual commitments. The role therefore requires both strong organisational skills and the ability to build effective working relationships with researchers, administrative staff, doctoral candidates and industrial partners across an international consortium.

• Reporting and deliverable management

Coordinate the preparation of the project’s periodic and final reporting, as well as the production of the project’s contractual deliverables. You will maintain a clear overview of reporting requirements, deliverable deadlines, milestones and supporting evidence, ensuring that partners understand what is required and that sufficient time is available for internal review and finalisation.

A key responsibility will be to ensure that deliverables are produced to a high standard and submitted on time. Working with Work Package leaders and scientific contributors, you will help establish a clear and logical structure for each deliverable, identify the information and contributions required from different partners, and develop a realistic schedule for drafting, review and revision. You will coordinate successive versions of documents, allowing sufficient time for scientific review by WP leaders, consolidation and feedback from the Project Coordinator, corrections and final approval before the contractual submission deadline.

You will monitor progress throughout the preparation process and proactively follow up with contributors when information or revisions are delayed. This will require maintaining a detailed overview of who is responsible for each contribution, which sections are under development, what feedback remains to be addressed and when each stage of the process needs to be completed. You will help ensure that deliverables are not left until the contractual deadline, but instead progress through a structured internal review process.

For periodic and final reporting, you will coordinate the collection and consolidation of information covering scientific and technical activities, doctoral training, recruitment and mobility, dissemination and communication, management activities, financial implementation and progress towards project objectives. You will work with WP leaders, doctoral candidates, supervisors, academic and industrial partners and CNRS administrative services to collect, review and organise their contributions.

You will also maintain the project’s central documentation and evidence base, ensuring that deliverables, meeting records, publications, presentations, training activities, events, communication activities and other project outputs are properly recorded and readily accessible. By maintaining this documentation throughout the project, you will help ensure that the consortium is continuously prepared for reporting and review, rather than having to reconstruct project activities retrospectively at the end of a reporting period.

• Grant administration

Support the administrative implementation of the Horizon Europe Grant Agreement across the consortium, helping partners understand and apply the project’s contractual obligations in their day-to-day activities. You will act as a key reference point for questions relating to project rules and procedures, proactively reminding beneficiaries of upcoming obligations, eligibility requirements and reporting expectations to help prevent compliance issues before they arise.

You will provide guidance on topics such as doctoral candidate recruitment requirements, secondments, training activities, communication and dissemination obligations, deliverable preparation, record-keeping and supporting evidence, while coordinating with CNRS administrative services and the EU Project Officer whenever clarification is required. You will also prepare and coordinate the documentation needed for Grant Agreement amendments, ensuring that changes affecting the project are properly documented and implemented across the consortium.

• Financial oversight

Support the financial implementation of a €4.6 million Horizon Europe project by maintaining a clear overview of multiple funding streams and helping ensure that resources are used in line with project planning. The role involves monitoring two consortium-wide budgets dedicated to project management and doctoral training, while also following several local budgets that support the research activities carried out in Limoges.

Working closely with the General Coordinator, CNRS financial services and partner organisations, you will consolidate financial information, monitor planned expenditure against project activities, identify upcoming funding needs and help coordinate the administrative processes required to keep the project on track. You will contribute to the financial preparation of consortium meetings, training events, secondments and reporting exercises, ensuring that budget-related information is accurate, well documented and readily available for internal management and European Commission reporting.

• Events and mobility

Play a central role in designing, organising and delivering the international events that form the core of the Doctoral Network training programme. You will coordinate project-wide meetings, including the Kick-off Meeting, Final Meeting, Supervisory Board meetings and consortium training events, while participating in these activities alongside researchers, doctoral candidates and partner organisations across Europe.

Working closely with academic and industrial beneficiaries, you will develop training programmes covering both scientific and transferable-skill topics, coordinate contributions from consortium experts and invite external speakers where appropriate to strengthen the programme. Alongside in-person training, you will organise a regular programme of online webinars, bringing together internal and external contributors to provide continuous learning opportunities throughout the project and maintain engagement across the international consortium.

You will also organise practical activities such as laboratory visits, industrial site tours and visits to research facilities or local sites of scientific interest, helping to connect the training programme with real-world research and industrial applications. The role encompasses every stage of event delivery, from programme development and speaker coordination to venue management, travel planning, accommodation, participant communication, documentation and post-event follow-up.

In addition, you will coordinate the mobility programme for the 15 doctoral candidates, supporting secondments between academic and industrial beneficiaries, liaising with host institutions and helping ensure that these international placements are delivered smoothly and in accordance with Horizon Europe and MSCA requirements.

• Dissemination and Open Science

Coordinate and support the implementation of the project’s dissemination and Open Science activities, working closely with the doctoral candidates, supervisors and consortium partners to ensure that research results are effectively communicated to the scientific community and other relevant stakeholders. A key part of the role will be supporting the 15 doctoral candidates in meeting their dissemination objectives, including contributing to the preparation and follow-up of at least three peer-reviewed scientific publications per candidate and participation in a minimum of three international conferences.

You will maintain an overview of planned and completed publications, conference contributions, presentations and other scientific outputs, helping researchers identify suitable opportunities and ensuring that dissemination activities are properly documented. This will include coordinating contributions from different partners, monitoring progress against project objectives and collecting the evidence required for project reporting.

The role will also involve supporting the consortium in applying Horizon Europe Open Science requirements, including the appropriate management and sharing of research outputs and ensuring that publications and other results are handled in accordance with the Grant Agreement. You will work with researchers and administrative teams to help ensure that relevant project outputs are made available through appropriate channels and that required information is recorded and maintained.

Beyond academic publications and conferences, you will help identify opportunities to communicate project results to industry, professional networks and other stakeholders. This may include supporting scientific workshops, stakeholder events, project presentations, online content and other dissemination activities, ensuring that the research carried out within the Doctoral Network reaches audiences beyond the immediate consortium.

• Communication and outreach

Lead the project’s public-facing communication activities, helping ensure that the research and training supported by European public funding are visible, accessible and understandable to a non-specialist audience. You will coordinate communication through a range of channels, including the project website, social media, newsletters, interviews, videos and other digital formats.

A key responsibility will be to coordinate the project’s social media team, establishing a regular flow of high-quality content about the 15 doctoral candidates, their research activities, training experiences, secondments, events and achievements. You will work with doctoral candidates and consortium partners to collect information, photographs, interviews and other material, and transform these contributions into clear, engaging and scientifically accurate content for the general public.

You will also coordinate face-to-face public engagement activities throughout the academic year. These may include university open days, science festivals, the European Researchers’ Night, public lectures, exhibitions and other outreach events organised by consortium members or external organisations. The role will involve identifying relevant opportunities, coordinating participation, preparing communication materials and ensuring that project activities and research are effectively represented.

An existing project exhibition provides a further tool for engaging directly with the public, from school-age visitors to senior citizens. You will help coordinate its use at relevant events, working with partners to adapt and present the content to different audiences and contexts. You may also support the development of complementary hands-on activities, demonstrations and educational resources that make the project’s research accessible and engaging for younger audiences.

You will oversee the production and publication of high-quality communication materials, ensuring a consistent visual identity and professional presentation across digital and physical communication channels. This may include website articles, social media content, newsletters, videos, graphics, interviews, exhibition materials and public-event resources. Working with researchers, doctoral candidates, communication specialists and external contributors, you will help translate complex scientific topics into engaging and accessible messages while maintaining scientific accuracy.

Finally, you will maintain an overview of the project’s communication and public-engagement activities, collecting relevant content and evidence to demonstrate the project’s visibility and reach. This will ensure that the achievements of the doctoral candidates and the wider consortium are communicated effectively to the public throughout the lifetime of the project.