Establishment of the EARMA Academy:

Transcription

1 Establishment of the EARMA Academy: Part 1: EARMA Academy Feasibility Study Brussels: 3 September 2015 The EARMA General Assembly (GA), held at Leiden in June 2015, mandated the EARMA Board to establish the EARMA Academy (EA). The EA will be the delivery vehicle for all EARMA training and Professional Development Programme (PDP). As part of the EA establishment process, EARMA wishes to conduct a 6 month feasibility project that will identify and describe the requirement for the EA, propose a sustainable, long term, business model for the EA and systematise a marketing plan for the delivery of EARMA training and the PDP. Currently, EARMA offers a range of training programmes and 2 ATHE certified professional development certificates (the European Certificate in Research Administration (CRA) and the European Certificate in Research Management (CRM)) a third programme is in development. Background After a number of years of planning and discussion, the EARMA certification programs are now a reality. The main work is to run, administer and streamline the programs. While there is a significant interest in the certification program, the dependency on mostly volunteer members of EARMA to make the process work creates an obstacle to the full realisation of the potential in the professional Development Programme and the wider training provision. In order to overcome this Catch 22, EARMA will professionalise the delivery of the service and maintain the confidence of EARMA members and sustain the current levels of interest in the PDP. To do this, the EARMA Board has decided to make a feasibility pilot investment in the EA as the vehicle to take over delivery of the current PDP and with a mandate to plan for the future development of such an Academy. This plan is to be presented to the General Assembly at Luleå in June The EA will be an umbrella of all training activities for EARMA members, running the day to day planning and execution of the EARMA training events, including the Certificate Programs. The EA will be formed for the purpose of professionalising the delivery of training and the PDP to members and with the purpose of establishing a financial sound and transparent business plan and business model for training offered by EARMA. Page 1 of 6

2 Assignment The successful candidate will act as a consultant to the Association, researching and advising on the establishment of the EA as a sustainable, long term delivery vehicle for the Association s training and PDP. Place of execution of the services: Europe. EARMA is a dispersed organisation with its team (Board and back office) working remotely in 7 European countries. It is essential that the successful candidate understands the nature of this kind of working and is sufficiently self motivated and capable of working independently to be successful in such a dispersed working environment. Duration of contract: from November 1st 2015 to April 30th 2016 (6 Months) Call issued: 14th September 2015 Deadline for applications: 1 October 2015 Page 2 of 6

3 Objectives, Aims and Outcomes The objectives in the feasibility contract are to: Undertake the day to day leadership of the training and running of the PDP programs, with specific responsibility for the strategic marketing and outreach to potential PDP clients. Establish the organisational and financial framework of the EA to present to the EARMA GA 2016, ie. a business plan with a longer term (2 5 years) budget. Establish the professional delivery of the EARMA Professional Development Programs Plan and perform market analysis for the existing programs and the identification of further training needs to supplement the certification programs. The aims of the EA are to: Increase the degree of professionalisation in the running EARMA training and PDP; Increase the participation in the EARMA PDP; To develop a sustainable delivery vehicle for the EARMA training and PDP including alternative delivery and assessment mechanisms; Develop a comprehensive quality assurance strategy for EARMA training events; Develop new training events and new types of training events that complement the Professional Development programme. Outcomes of the EA feasibility project will include: A proposal for the professional and financially sustainable, delivery of EARMA training activities to be presented to the 2016 GA at Luleå, Sweden, including; A financially sustainable business plan for the EA (2 5 years), A management model of the EA, including the interface to the Professional Conference Organiser, Board, Annual Conference, Working Group's, Secretary and other EARMA management, Documentation of the added value of the EA through; Establishing of the first cohort of the European Certificate in Research Administration program, Establishing of the first cohort of the European Certificate in Research Leadership program, Establishing of the second cohort of the European Certificate in Research Management program. The EA feasibility project will be overseen by a Steering Group consisting of 2 members from the EARMA Board and one representative of the, Professional Development WG, European Research Area WG, Annual Conference Committee, Global Development Network WG, Cultures and Diversity in Research Management and Administration WG, and any new WGs, with the EARMA Chair as chair of the Steering Group. Page 3 of 6

4 Application Process The Person MANDATORY CRITERIA Have a university degree; Have a minimum of 5 years experience with the market and business area of higher education on European level; Professional experience in planning, execution and evaluation in higher education; Have excellent knowledge of international Higher Education ; Knowledge and understanding of new learning technologies; Strong knowledge of the current framework of research management in Europe. DESIRABLE CRITERIA Documented teaching experience at an international level; Experience with similar international projects in the area of higher education and research; An understanding of the use of social media as a marketing and delivery tool. PERSONAL PROFILE You must be an independent, creative and open minded person and; Have excellent analytical and communication skills, Have excellent oral and written knowledge of English, Be able to perform in a political environment. THE APPLICATION Apply by sending an application max 6 pages to secretary@earma.org before October 1, 2015 (17:00 CET). The application shall contain: 1. A letter of application describing your personal motivation interest in this work. 2. Your current CV. (If you intend to apply as a group, please provide a CV for each member of the proposed team, maximum team size is 3 persons). 3. Provide an outline description of how you will tackle the issues described above including the services that you offer and those that you may need to procure Charging mechanism and estimates of the price. 5. Description of how the applicant a. Meets the mandatory criteria b. Meets the desirable criteria 6. Please provide name, address, telephone and address, as well as a short list of references. Shortlisted applicants may be invited for an interview. 1 Please note: EARMA will not be bound to accept the lowest cost or any applicant at EARMA s sole discretion. The fee must be for the entire work and must clearly indicate the inclusion of, and estimated amount of VAT. Page 4 of 6

5 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Only applicants who best meet the criteria indicated in this call will be considered for shortlisting. Applicants shall prove their availability to carry out the work. STATUS The selection will be based on the assessment of the candidates education, relevant experience and skills in terms of their compliance with the qualification criteria. It is estimated that the consultancy will be of a size from hours per month, depending on the qualification and experience of the consultant and the services offered. Page 5 of 6

6 NOTES CONTRACT The contract will be made between EARMA and an independent consultant (or team of consultants), who will be responsible for their own tax compliance etc. Payments will be by wire transfer based on submission of a valid invoice and timesheets according to the contract. EMPLOYMENT STATUS The successful applicant will not be an employee of EARMA. Page 6 of 6