Director General of ESRF

The European Synchrotron, the ESRF, is an international research centre based in Grenoble, France.

Through its innovative engineering, pioneering scientific vision and a strong commitment from its 700 staff members, the ESRF is recognised as one of the top research facilities worldwide. Its particle accelerator produces intense X-ray beams that are used by thousands of scientists each year for experiments in diverse fields such as biology, medicine, environmental sciences, cultural heritage, materials science, and physics.

Supported by 21 countries, the ESRF is an equal opportunity employer and encourages diversity.

THE INSTITUTE:

The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) is a world-leading international scientific research infrastructure supported by twenty-two countries with the common interest to enable frontier synchrotron X-ray science and to improve cooperation across disciplinary and national boundaries. It is established as a “Société Civile” under French law and it is located in Grenoble, at the heart of the French Alps.

Since the 1990s, ESRF operates a storage ring based synchrotron radiation X-ray source and state-of-the-art experimental beamlines. It welcomes close to 6000 scientists every year for experiments in fields such as biology, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, cultural heritage, materials and surface science, medical imaging and radiotherapy, and physics. The ESRF’s access policy is centred on scientific excellence, and the research carried out at its facilities results in about 1800 peer-reviewed scientific publications every year, among which more than 400 are in highly ranked journals. The ESRF is currently involved in 10 ERC grants and in numerous EC and internationally funded grants.

Openness and scientific and technical interdisciplinarity are key to the ESRF’s success. Recruiting skilled and passionate staff who are motivated to contribute, whether directly or indirectly, to the advancement of science, is crucial for the future of the ESRF as a centre of scientific excellence. The ESRF is committed to sharing science progress and technology with the younger generations and offers various educational programmes for students and training for the next generation of scientists, engineers and technical and administrative staff. It also dedicates significant resources to training its staff to fully develop their potential. At the ESRF, the synergies that emerge between people of different fields, cultures and backgrounds are an extraordinary source of creativity and innovation. Diversity is thus part of the ESRF’s identity and is promoted at all levels. The ESRF is an equal opportunity employer; it employs close to 650 international staff who come from nearly 40 countries. To fulfil its mission, the ESRF operates with an annual budget of about 100 M€.

Since 2009, the ESRF is implementing its Upgrade Programme, which is foreseen to be completed in 2024. The second and final phase of this programme, which started in 2015, the so-called ESRF-Extremely Brilliant Source programme (ESRF-EBS), is centred on the construction and exploitation of the new and revolutionary EBS low-emittance storage ring. The ESRF resumed its user operation in August 2020 with X-ray beam performance increased by a factor of 100 in terms of beam brilliance and coherence:  https://www.esrf.eu/about/upgrade. The ESRF-EBS is enlisted as a landmark in the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI).

In terms of absolute performance, the new ESRF EBS storage ring is, now and for the coming years, the most brilliant high-energy synchrotron radiation source worldwide and will provide its users with unique scientific opportunities.

The ESRF Council appoints the five ESRF Directors: the Director General, who leads the Directorate (circa 50 staff), the Director of Administration Division (circa 50 staff), the Director of Accelerator and Source Division (circa 80 staff), the Director of Research for Life Sciences and the Director of Research for Condensed Matter Sciences, who together lead the Experiments Division (circa 220 staff).

The ESRF Council is now seeking to recruit the Director General for the period 01/09/2024 to 31/08/2029.

THE FUNCTION:

The Director General is the chief executive of the ESRF and its legal representative. (S)he decides on the planning, co-ordination and execution of the ESRF Company’s objectives as defined in its Statutes, and prepares and implements decisions of the ESRF Council.

The Director General is assisted by four directors:

• one Machine Director, responsible for the synchrotron radiation source and in charge of the Accelerator and Source Division;
• two Directors of Research, responsible for the experimental infrastructure and in charge of the Experiments Division, and
• one Director of Administration, responsible for the organisation of all administrative work at the ESRF and in charge of the Administration Division.

The Director General is further assisted by the Heads of the Technical Infrastructure and the Instrumentation Services and Development divisions, who each liaise with the Directors in their respective fields of responsibility.

In particular, the Director General:

• acts as the legal representative of the Company and represents the facility in all aspects towards its stakeholders and in the European and international scientific environment;
• sets up the general directives for the development of the ESRF programme by the formulation of a resource-loaded medium-term scientific programme;
• determines and proposes the strategy for the further development of the Company;
• is responsible for the implementation of ESRF programme, including the operation of the facility, the development of its scientific and technical programmes and the implementation of the annual budget;
• closely involves the Directors in all areas of her/his work and chairs the Directors’ meetings (Management Board). (S)he liaises closely with the Chairman of the Council in all matters concerning the operation and management of the Company;
• chairs the Social and Economic Committee (CSE - Comité Social et Économique, former Works Committee, Comité d’Entreprise);
• is responsible for matters related to safety and working conditions;
• promotes internally the development of leadership culture, diversity and equal opportunities policy;
• is responsible for the communication with the public concerning general and political affairs involving the ESRF, and for the communication of information to the staff;
• is responsible for the publication of the annual report on the ESRF’s activities;
• supervises those services and staff under her/his direct responsibility: Safety, Communication, Internal Audit and DG’s Office, and
• decides on the recruitment of staff in general and, in particular, on permanent scientist positions, within the boundaries established by the Council.

PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT:

In accordance with the ESRF Statutes, the Director General shall be initially appointed for a period not exceeding five years.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

You have a record of distinguished performance and leadership in scientific research with a strong background in X-ray science and a proven track record in the successful management of scientific facilities, organisations or large projects, at senior management levels. You have a cooperative leadership style and the ability to inspire and engage the staff. With strong organisational skills, you are able to work in a complex multidisciplinary and international environment, and have excellent communication skills and experience communicating with institutional stakeholders and the broader public. You are committed to promoting diversity, ethics, integrity and sustainable development.

The ESRF fosters diversity and an open and family-friendly policy at all levels in the organisation. Applications from women are particularly encouraged and, in the present Director General recruitment campaign, the ESRF is ready to discuss with the successful candidate options to support relocation to the Grenoble area.

The following link provides information on the benefits and advantages offered by the ESRF as an employer: http://www.esrf.eu/home/Jobs/what-we-offer/benefits-and-work-life-balance.html.

In order to apply to the position of Director General at the ESRF, you are invited to address by e-mail your CV and motivation letter to norbert.sack@leadershipadvisors.de.

Deadline for returning applications: 15 March 2023 Interview dates - second half of April 2023.