Senior Project Manager

The Cross-border Research Association (CBRA) is seeking a dynamic and highly skilled Senior Project Manager to lead the management of four critical European research and innovation projects: MELCHIOR, PARSEC, CONNECTOR, and BORDERLINK. The successful candidate will work closely with international customs administrations, academic institutions, and technology providers to enhance customs security, develop interoperability solutions, and improve risk management. The role involves overseeing the timely delivery of project objectives, managing multidisciplinary teams, performing technical work and ensuring compliance with the guidelines of EU Horizon and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

Key Responsibilities

 General Project Management Responsibilities

1. Oversee and manage day-to-day operations of all four projects (MELCHIOR, PARSEC, BORDERLINK, and CONNECTOR), ensuring that deliverables are met within scope, time, and budget.
2. Lead the coordination of multiple stakeholders, including customs authorities, technology providers, and academic institutions, ensuring effective communication and collaboration.
3. Develop project timelines, manage resources, and monitor progress against key performance indicators (KPIs) for each project.
4. Provide regular updates to the project consortium and funding bodies on
5. progress, risks, and mitigation strategies.
6. Manage multidisciplinary teams across different geographical locations, ensuring alignment with project objectives.
7. Ensure compliance with all SERI funding requirements, including financial and technical reporting.
8. Prepare periodic reports detailing the status of project deliverables, budgetary compliance, and stakeholder engagement.
9. Lead the production of dissemination materials, including reports, brochures, and multimedia content, to communicate project outcomes to both public and private sector audiences.
10. Organize and participate in international conferences, workshops, and events related to customs and border security.

Project-Specific Responsibilities

MELCHIOR (Horizon Europe co-funded with SERI)

1. Assist the MELCHIOR Project Coordinator in overseeing the project timeline, tracking deliverables, and ensuring that all partners meet their commitments.
2. Contribute to the preparation of progress reports, financial documentation, and project status updates for the European Commission.
3. Identify potential risks related to CBRA’s tasks and work closely with the Project Coordinator to implement mitigation strategies.
4. Monitor CBRA’s resource allocation and ensure the team adheres to the project budget.
5. Facilitate knowledge exchange between technical teams and customs authorities, ensuring the integration of new technologies into operational settings.
6. Oversee the development of training programs for customs officers to efficiently use the MELCHIOR technologies in real-world scenarios.
7. Lead the evaluation of the social and gender impacts of current scanning technologies and compare them with the projected impacts of the technologies developed during the MELCHIOR project.
8. Oversee the coordination with other partners to assess the social and gender impact dimensions of scanning technologies.
9. Support the preparation of comparative analyses to highlight improvements or risks related to social equity and gender balance in border security operations.
10. Guide the strategic development of market opportunities and the standardization path for the technologies developed in the project.
11. Contribute to the market analysis, focusing on how existing standards can be adapted or inherited for the new technologies, especially from related disciplines such as safety, security, and health.
12. Collaborate with other partners to outline business models and commercialization strategies that align with international practices and address specific market needs.
13. Manage all communication efforts to maximize the project's outreach and visibility.
14. Work closely with other partners to develop promotional materials, ensuring that the visual identity of the project is consistent and engaging for key stakeholders.
15. Lead the strategic use of social media, the project website, and various communication tools (flyers, banners) to ensure broad dissemination of MELCHIOR's outcomes.
16. Collaborate with other work packages to ensure communication efforts effectively engage the target audience and foster awareness of MELCHIOR's social and technological impacts.
17. Oversee the dissemination of project outcomes through various forums and channels.
18. Coordinate the organization of workshops, webinars, and scientific conferences that showcase MELCHIOR's innovations and findings.
19. Facilitate collaboration with other projects and initiatives to create synergies, encourage discussion, and identify shared exploitation opportunities.
20. Ensure that dissemination activities align with the overall project goals and contribute to increased visibility, knowledge exchange, and the identification of market opportunities.

1. Collaborate with internal and external partners, including customs, police, and postal operators, to define requirements and ensure smooth execution of project goals. Coordinate multi-agency collaborations for enhancing information exchange and threat response protocols.
2. Manage the development and implementation of simulation tools to test various detection architectures in cross-border logistics settings.
3. Oversee the assessment of the impact of new methodologies on security and the flow of goods in postal and courier networks.
4. Manage efforts focused on enhancing customs risk management and developing advanced data analytics tools to identify and prevent illicit trade flows.
5. Design and conduct research to explore and validate the value of data sources for enhanced risk assessment. Implement innovative data-driven approaches for risk-based targeting of high-risk parcels.
6. Develop training materials and support simulation-based training sessions for stakeholders.
7. Lead dissemination efforts, including presentations and workshops with customs authorities to showcase new tools developed in the PARSEC project.

1. Manage the development of advanced security tools designed to improve cooperation between customs and other border management authorities across Europe.
2. Lead the design and implementation of innovative systems to enhance the interoperability of customs surveillance technologies, ensuring seamless integration across different jurisdictions.
3. Coordinate the development of training materials and tools to support customs officers in adopting the CONNECTOR technologies for real-time threat identification and control.
4. Organize regular meetings and workshops with customs and border agencies to ensure the adoption of CONNECTOR tools and standards.
5. Lead the creation of a strategic communication and dissemination plan that outlines key messages, target audiences, and appropriate channels (e.g., social media, newsletters, academic publications).
6. Work closely with consortium partners to ensure that all communication activities align with the project’s objectives and stakeholders' needs.
7. Set timelines and metrics for measuring the effectiveness of dissemination activities, ensuring that the project’s innovations reach relevant industry, academic, and policymaker audiences.
8. Report on the progress and outcomes of communication and dissemination efforts throughout the project.
9. Develop an initial strategy for the exploitation and market uptake of CONNECTOR technologies, with a focus on potential patenting opportunities.
10. Update and refine the exploitation strategy, integrating lessons learned from project progress and market feedback.
11. Develop recommendations for standards and policies that will facilitate the adoption of CONNECTOR technologies and ensure alignment with existing regulations.

1. Support the collection and documentation of user requirements, collaborating with customs and technical partners to ensure that BORDERLINK solutions align with operational needs
2. Oversee the gathering of user input on improving the database for tracking illicit cigarette trade, including manufacturing data and lab-based cigarette filter material analysis.
3. Coordinate with other partnes on creating technical blueprints for the cloud library, focusing on access control, data visualization, and user-friendly retrieval of Raman spectra.
4. Participate in device procurement and testing, as well as the generation and analysis of spectral data from 30 customs-relevant commodities to assess the utility of Raman spectroscopy for border security purposes.
5. Lead the creation and population of the database focused on illicit whites and counterfeit cigarettes.
6. Lead the development of two educational games, including an online escape room and a board game, to educate customs officers about Green Customs topics, such as waste management, endangered species, and the circular economy.
7. Oversee the concept design, content development, and early testing phases for both games, ensuring alignment with learning objectives set for customs administrations.
8. Coordinate the setup and launch of the BORDERLINK Observatory, designed to serve as a knowledge hub for customs professionals. This involves establishing system functionalities, technical specifications, and ensuring data curation protocols are followed.
9. Organize regular updates to the observatory, bringing together customs experts from EU customs administrations and other stakeholders to discuss new trends, technologies, and standardization initiatives.
10. Collaborate with partners on the design and preparation of mid-term trials across different innovation areas, including cloud libraries, Raman devices, and eco-friendly recycling solutions for seized goods.
11. Lead the execution of mid-term trials focused on educational games and the BORDERLINK Observatory. Collect feedback from customs officers and other participants to refine the tools ahead of final deployment.
12. Oversee all communication and dissemination activities related to the BORDERLINK project. This includes preparing newsletters, social media content, and organizing workshops and conferences to promote the project outcomes to the wider customs and border control community.
13. Lead the coordination and engagement with the BORDERLINK Stakeholder Forum, bringing together key players from EU customs administrations to share insights and drive the adoption of BORDERLINK technologies and solutions.
14. Lead efforts to exploit project results, protect intellectual property, and identify commercialization opportunities for BORDERLINK innovations. Ensure that market uptake strategies are developed in consultation with key partners and stakeholders.
15. Collaborate with project partners to align BORDERLINK’s technical outputs with EU and global customs standards, such as the WCO Data Model and EU Customs Data Model.

Requirements

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in a relevant field such Innovation Management or Customs Administration, or related discipline.
• Master’s Degree in fields such as International Trade, Customs and Supply Chain Management, Risk Management, or a related area.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, Public Administration, Customs, International Trade, or a related discipline.
• Project management certification such as PMI or SCRUM. 

Experience:

• Five-years of proven experience as a Project Manager in international research projects related to customs and border security.
• 10-years of proven experience on working with EU-funded projects.
• Participation in at least 3 projects that that involves multi-stakeholder involving both public and private sector partners, particularly customs administrations.
• 10-years of proven experience in international trade regulations, customs processes, and border management, with significant contributions to trade facilitation initiatives.
• Five-years of proven experience in the production of multimedia dissemination materials and development of training programs for customs modernization.

Key Skills:

• Leadership and Coordination: Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams across multiple geographies and ensure effective collaboration between customs authorities and technology providers.
• Technical Expertise: Knowledge of customs procedures, risk assessment, and technologies such as X-ray scanners, simulation tools and software, Raman spectroscopy, and threat image libraries.
• Project Management: Proficient in managing complex projects, including developing timelines, tracking deliverables, and reporting.
• Communication in English: Strong public speaking and writing skills, with a history of delivering presentations at international conferences and authoring publications on customs and trade issues.
• Languages: Fluency in English, with knowledge of other languages being an asset.