Project Leader "Study and Research in Africa: Opportunities" (French-speaking)

Position description

DAAD Brussels Office is looking for an experienced Project Leader to ensure the implementation of the new project “Study and Research in Africa: Opportunities” (“SRiA-O” thereafter). The main tasks will include strategic project management, partners and subcontractors coordination, risk management, quality assurance and change management as well as ensuring wider project monitoring and accountability at DAAD, consortium level and contracting authority (European Commission, DG INTPA).

SRiA-O will be operated from the DAAD Brussels office where the selected Project leader and a dedicated project team will be based. Other DAAD project team members will be based in Kenya, Ghana and Germany. During the lifetime of the project, different African and European partner organisations will be contracted by DAAD. The Project leader will report to the Head of Unit B23 – EU projects.

Main tasks:

Project management

• Ensure strategic management and oversight, including agile project and lateral team coordination across different locations in Europe and Africa.
• Develop, implement and ensure regular updating of project, risks, quality assurance and change management plans, tools and instruments.
• Organise, moderate and facilitate project management meetings, including Partner Coordination Meetings and Steering Committee meetings that may be held online (mostly) or on-site.
• Coordinating key contractual/sub-contractual arrangements by preparing/reviewing drafts in alignment with DAAD internal processes and procedures.
• Contribute to financial monitoring and management and yearly budget assembling jointly with the Financial Manager, the Head of Unit – EU projects and other relevant staff members at DAAD.
• Coordinate core project reports assembling and quality review.
• Participate in meetings with the contracting authority (European Commission, DG INTPA) jointly with the Head of Unit – EU projects and/or the Director of DAAD Brussels office.

Strategic project development

• Contribute to the development and yearly review of the Community of Practice (CoP) strategy and related activities jointly with relevant team members and partner organisations.
• Co-develop the yearly Communication and key stakeholders engagement strategies for Component 1 with relevant team members and partner organisations and oversee regular monitor activities.
• Contribute to the development and review of dedicated Monitoring & Evaluation tools in instruments and demonstrate effective performance-based management to inform strategic project implementation and change management.
• Demonstrate ability to effectively inform, lead and oversee research development capabilities within the Brussels-based team and beyond as need be.

Communication and external representation

• Present SRiA-O at internal and external meetings/events and engage with key stakeholders and other relevant audience in Europe and Africa, as need be.
• Ensure proactive communication and dissemination of key activities, outputs and results of the project in meetings and online.

Qualifications

• At minimum a Master’s degree in a field of relevance to the position (e.g. Political science or equivalent).
• At least 10 years’ experience in managing large/complex transnational cooperation for development projects.
• Previous experience with DG INTPA funded projects and related contractual, financial and reporting processes and requirements.
• Previous experience in collaborating with African and European partner organisations is a prerequisite.
• Evidenced stakeholders engagement and partnerships development skills.
• Prior work experience or strong interest in the higher education sector is considered an asset.
• Strong drafting and coordination skills.
• Experience with project budget assembling, review and monitoring.
• Experience with communication and public relations work, including attending, presenting or facilitating events (online/on-site meetings, workshops) for international audiences.
• Excellent speaking, writing, and editing skills in English and French. Knowledge of German and/or willingness to learn German.
• This position requires regular travel to sub-Sahara Africa. General fitness for service in the tropics is required.

What we offer:

An international motivated team, meal vouchers, subsidy for use of public transport, company laptop and mobile phone as well as a lump sum for teleworking. The salary for this position will range between 5500€-6000€ gross/month depending on experience. The successful candidate will be employed under a local (Belgian) contract for the duration of the project. A valid work permit to work in the EU is required.

About DAAD

DAAD is the world’s largest funding organisation for the international exchange of students and researchers. The Brussels Office is responsible for the representation of the DAAD towards the institutions of the European Union, European partner organisations and German representations in Brussels. It provides information on higher education policy developments at EU level and works closely with the relevant Directorates-General of the European Commission, as well as representatives of the European Parliament and other EU institutions. For further information please visit our website: Home – DAAD Brussels (daad-brussels.eu)

About SRiA-O

SRiA-O is the first component of “Study and Research in Africa”, a five year-EU funded Global Gateway initiative commencing in Spring 2026.

Component 1 “Strengthen knowledge and resource-sharing systems” is geared towards supporting African higher education institutions (HEIs) to be more visible and accessible, strengthening their profile and branding, disseminating targeted information, attracting mobile learners, researchers and staff, and enhancing sharing of data and information. It articulates around and aims to address the following main objectives:

1. Strengthen knowledge and resource-sharing systems to improve access to information, guidance, and professional development in the field of higher education opportunities at regional and international levels.
2. Develop and implement robust data systems to generate, analyse, and disseminate accurate, disaggregated information on the African higher education sector, with an emphasis on gender, inequality, disability inclusion, climate action, and green transition opportunities.
3. Support universities in strategic positioning and visibility by building their capacity to define, brand, and promote their fields of excellence, enabling stronger contributions to Africa’s higher education and innovation landscape.

Key outputs will comprise a centralised platform to enhance the visibility, accessibility, and strategic positioning of African HEIs at continental and global level; a Community of Practice and tailored engagement activities; and a repository of curated, trustworthy data, enabling universities to engage in knowledge exchange, showcase research and academic programmes, and participate in partnerships, branding, and internationalisation activities.

Overall, SRiA-O is expected to serve as a hub for collaboration among HEI staff, policymakers, industry partners, and regional networks, fostering peer learning and coordinated engagement across Africa. The project will also develop an Africa–EU peer learning mechanism to strengthen EU-Africa university collaboration, encourage the further development of strategic partnerships and support HEIs in the implementation of internationalisation strategies and activities. Positioning African higher education as a beneficiary of cooperation programmes and a partner and destination of choice is among the key specificities of the project.

Application instructions

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