Project Assistant and Project Manager

at  ClimateKIC

Job Titles: Project Assistant and Project Manager (Please note these are 2 separate roles)
Team: Entrepreneurship, Solutions and Ventures
Contract: Fixed term 1 year
Level: Foundation/Intermediate
Please refer to our Capability Framework
Location: Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, UK
Start Date: January 2025
Apply by: We’re interviewing on a rolling basis until we close the role. We advise you to apply early as we may close the role early if we have a sufficient pool of candidates.

ABOUT US

At EIT Climate-KIC, we are wholeheartedly committed to building a diverse and representative team and an inclusive workplace that values different life experiences and perspectives, and we encourage personal development, learning and growth.
When recruiting, we look to achieve diversity in the candidate pool. We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and are happy to consider reasonable adjustments that will foster success in potential employees from diverse backgrounds and life situations. And because our team has differing needs and personal circumstances, we offer a high degree of flexibility to accommodate all working patterns. We’re happy to discuss your situation during the interview and see how best we can support you.
Don’t let Imposter Syndrome stop you from applying!
EIT Climate-KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) is Europe’s foremost climate innovation initiative, entrusted by the European Commission to catalyse transformation through innovation. Headquartered in Amsterdam, with circa 160 people distributed all over the EU, EIT Climate-KIC leads and orchestrates innovation with a community of more than 400. Together we conduct activities in 39 countries. We partner with cities, regions, governments and communities with the highest climate action ambition; providing the framework and expert support to holistically manage the complexity of climate change and deliver accelerated climate action.
EIT Climate-KIC operates as a not-for-profit platform working through public-private partnership, wielding both public and private funding. We consist of 3 Legal entities: a Dutch BV Holding company (for profit) with 14 branches in European jurisdictions, providing grant management, innovation orchestration services, and impact investment advisory owned by a Dutch-based foundation with charity status – Climate-KIC International Foundation. Historically, we have been funded by our founder and core funder, the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT), but we are currently transitioning to a multi-funder model.

ABOUT YOU

To succeed in this role, you will be passionate and committed to the mission and the programme and friendly and approachable to different stakeholders. We are looking for a can-do, get-it-done-today action-oriented person who can help us manage efficiently and effectively our projects and programmes.

EDUCATION/QUALIFICATIONS

• University degree in business administration, general/ project management, social & political sciences, or another relevant field.

EXPERIENCE

• Demonstrated experience with project management, including experience in complex projects (€1m and higher), ideally in the public or private sector.
• Project Assistants would typically have 2-3 years of relevant prior experience, Project Manager at least 4 years.
• Hands-on experience in managing incubation or acceleration programmes, or relevant entrepreneurial experience, including working with business incubators, accelerators, or similar ecosystems.
• Experience in organising and facilitating individual and group (virtual) events, with the ability to manage these autonomously.
• Strong understanding of entrepreneurship and innovation management, with direct experience in start-ups, consulting, or entrepreneurial ecosystems (experience as an angel/venture investor is desirable).
• Proven ability to build and sustain effective partnerships with stakeholders across diverse geographies and sectors.
• Experience in digitalising project and administrative processes, including the use of modern digital tools for project management and workflows.
• Experience in growing communities of partners, and/or developing entrepreneurship content for start-ups or accelerators (desirable but not essential).
• Interest in and/or experience working on projects outside of Europe, with demonstrated capacity to work across diverse cultural and geographical contexts.

SKILLS

• Strong project management skills, with proven ability to self-organise, manage time effectively, and prioritise a varied workload. Existing project management certifications (e.g., PMP, CAPM, PRINCE2 or similar) are a plus.
• Fluency in English is required, with fluency in French or Spanish considered a strong plus (both oral and written).
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with experience in facilitating discussions and working collaboratively with diverse teams.
• Experience working with collaborative IT applications such as Office365, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce CRM, AcceleratorApp, Miro, Zoom, Mentimeter, and Forms.
• Knowledge or experience in topics related to climate change, innovation, sustainability, or the circular economy is desirable but not essential.

ABOUT THE ROLE

At EIT Climate-KIC, we aim to transform the start-up support landscape, ensuring that climate action is deeply embedded in the fabric of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We work with partners in 70+ countries across Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America to deliver entrepreneurship activities to support climate ventures at early stages (e.g. ClimateLaunchpad, ClimAccelerator), build capacities of Entrepreneur Support Organisations (ESOs) and manage multi-faceted programmes to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems. For several upcoming projects, we are seeking an experienced entrepreneurship Project Manager and/or someone with direct entrepreneurial experience, as well as a Project Assistant to support the efficient and effective implementation of our projects.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support and manage the planning, execution, and delivery of climate entrepreneurship programmes, including ideation, incubation, and acceleration initiatives for climate ventures and entrepreneurs.
• Assist and lead the organisation and implementation of activities in our programmes, including virtual or physical events, 1:1 or group sessions, and capacity-building activities, ensuring smooth delivery.
• Manage programme/project partners, stakeholders (mostly Entrepreneur Support Organisations - ESOs), and portfolio ventures spread across multiple countries.
• Coordinate and, where applicable, deliver capacity-building activities for ESOs on topics such as climate impact measurement, systems thinking, gender/diversity in entrepreneurship, and the circular economy.
• Build and manage networks of local stakeholders, including investors, experts, coaches, and mentors relevant to the programme’s objectives.
• Assist in the production and design of materials such as capacity-building content, user data workflows, or project reports for funders or the general public.
• Manage programme/project finances, assisting with budget tracking and procurement processes involving third-party suppliers.
• Support and/or lead outreach and communication campaigns related to our projects, contributing to their visibility and engagement.
• Take responsibility for conducting administrative tasks autonomously, such as managing documentation, maintaining records, and coordinating logistics for events or sessions.
• Contribute to programme/project Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) efforts and help generate insights for improvement.
• Collaborate with the team to develop and refine project management practices, methodologies, and curricula of support services for ESOs and climate ventures.