Skip to main content

This job has expired

Director of Scientific Information

Employer
ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
Location
Lausanne, Canton of Vaud (CH), EPFL, Rolex Learning Center
Closing date
4 Dec 2020

Your mission : EPFL invites applications for the position of Director of Scientific Information and Library Services (the SISB in its French acronym), reporting to the Vice President for Research.

EPFL’s SISB supports students, researchers, teachers and staff by providing and guiding access to published information across the entire spectrum of media. The SISB provides know-how, tools and information systems to enrich, disseminate and preserve EPFL’s research and educational output, and supports the EPFL community with expertise and tooling enabling cutting-edge Open Science.

With a goal of excellence and innovation in this mission, in cooperation with the EPFL Scientific Information Academic committee, the new Director of the SISB will lead a strongly service-oriented team that aims for efficiency, collaboration, visibility and institutional impact to support the mission of EPFL.

 

Main duties and responsibilities include :

Role of the Director of the SISB
  The Director of the SISB oversees 50 full- and part-time staff, and manages an annual operating budget of around 10 MCHF. Direct reports to the Director currently include the SISB Leadership Team, comprising a Head of collections, a Head of user services and a Head of steering and innovation support. The Director is responsible for staff leadership and overall management of SISB services, collections and information systems. She/he is a collaborative and communicative community builder and, with the Leadership Team, oversees planning, budget, and staffing in support of the needs of the entire EPFL community. The Director is a contributor to a number of academic and governance committees both within and beyond EPFL and is an active member of the management team of EPFL’s Vice Presidency for Research.

Opportunities and Challenges

The new Director of the SISB will ensure the continued efficient and collaborative accomplishment of all services expected of a SISB within a major university, while also guiding the SISB’s evolution to the forefront of modern knowledge management and dissemination. Anticipated tasks and challenges include:

  • Leading the development and implementation of a strategic vision for the SISB to bring EPFL to the forefront of scientific and educational information management
  • Anticipating, planning and satisfying the evolving needs of researchers, students and faculty in tune with best current practices for academic information services
  • Collaborating closely with campus partners to ensure the efficient provision to EPFL of cutting-edge scientific information services and technologies
  • Assessing SISB’s current organizational structure and operating guidelines so as to most effectively support SISB’s mission
  • Supporting and mentoring the continued professional development of SISB staff
  • Monitoring SISB activities and their impact.

Your profile : The ideal candidate for the Director of the SISB will have an advanced education coupled with a proven track record of success in scientific information management within a modern academic setting including a library. In addition, he/she will possess several of the following:

  • a deep understanding of the mission, values and goals of the intellectual enterprise in higher education and of how an academic library can constructively and creatively partner with researchers, students, faculty and staff in pursuit of its mission
  • a solid and broad understanding of the work of library staff, and of current issues and trends facing academic libraries both nationally and globally
  • excellent knowledge of emerging technologies and trends, and the ability to partner effectively and creatively with stakeholders
  • experience leading an organization through a transparent and collaborative strategic process of smooth and constructive change
  • strong interpersonal, management and communication skills, both one-on-one and in larger groups, with a strong personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Working languages Working in the highly-cosmopolitan environment of EPFL requires excellent communication skills in French and English, both written and spoken. For collaboration on a national level a good knowledge of German is of great advantage.

We offer :

  • A dynamic and international work environment in a multidisciplinary School.
  • The opportunity to lead a dynamic and diverse team of highly-skilled specialists.
  • The opportunity of continuous training and development according to the requirements of the function.

Start date : As soon as possible  

Term of employment :Unlimited (CDI)  

Work rate : 100%  

Remark : Only candidates who applied through EPFL website will be considered.

 

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalised job recommendations straight to your inbox.

Create alert