Research Assistant – Maternity cover – Energy and Buildings – IERC

Research Assistant – Maternity cover - Energy and Buildings - IERC
Contract: Full Time/Fixed Term

About Tyndall National Institute and the International Energy Research Centre (IERC)
The International Energy Research Centre (IERC) at Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, invites applications for a Research Engineer I - Energy and Buildings.

Tyndall National Institute is Ireland’s largest Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) and is recognised as an international research leader in semiconductor, chip and digital technologies, particularly as applied to the fields of Energy and Climate Mitigation, Information & Communications, Health & Life Sciences, Agritech & Food Security and emerging fields such as quantum, and novel computing paradigms.

Tyndall is a home to a research community of 600 people of over 50 nationalities and has an Athena Swan Bronze award, reflecting our commitment to ensuring equity of opportunity for all researchers regardless of gender or ethnicity. We are actively improving our internal processes to build on the Athena Swan award and have a vibrant People and Culture team driving initiatives.

IERC, part of Tyndall National Institute’s Integrated Power and Energy Systems (IPES) Programme, is Ireland’s leading not-for-profit professional energy research centre conducting holistic collaborative research into the decarbonisation of the energy systems associated with:
•            Low carbon grids
•            Energy citizens and communities
•            SMEs and industry
•            Smart cities and buildings and the built environment
•            Energy in agriculture

The position is a maternity cover for an initial period of 6 months , extendable to 9 months total. 
 
Purpose of the role
Working closely with researchers in IERC, the role will focus on assisting PIs and postdocs with the development of ongoing research projects and of research proposals.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Perform a contributor in research projects within the energy and buildings team
• Assist in the management of projects, such as organizing partners and contributing to reports.
• Contribute to the vision and direction for energy and buildings research in IERC
• Contribute to the bid and proposal writing for competitive funding streams
• Manage tasks in collaborative projects that deliver high-quality outcomes to meet industry requirements
• Collaborate with the external partners through project milestones, ensuring timely delivery of project deliverables and reports
• Ensure all activities are compliant with the Tyndall Quality Management system.
• Ensure all activities are compliant with the required Health and Safety standards.
• Carry out any additional duties as may reasonably be required within the general scope and level of the post.

Essential Criteria

• A Master’s degree or equivalent in energy engineering or other relevant discipline.
• Knowledge of modelling and experimental validation.
• Experience with stakeholder engagement.
• Experience with research projects.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently to a tight schedule.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working/managing H2020 or Horizon Europe projects.
• Previous experience of report writing for European funded projects.
• Highly self-motivated and able to demonstrate initiative
• Excellent communication, organisation and interpersonal skills
• Experience planning, organising and running workshops, webinars and other events.
• Evidence of professional experience working with industry and demonstrating an understanding of industry needs

What we offer

• Individual Development Plans: Staff work with their managers to create detailed career “roadmaps” that take into account their interests and aspirations as well as the business needs of their Centre and the Institute .
• Learning & Development Opportunities: Staff can take advantage of learning and development opportunities, including leadership and management development skills, project management, industry and job specific learning, and including general business, finance, and technology skills.
• Opportunities for Outreach and public engagement activities.
• Support for preparation of competitive research proposals.

The successful candidate would also be expected to participate in IERC’s research activities, contribute to the bid and proposal activity for new funding and engage in a variety of internal and external facing activities.

Appointment may be made on the Research Assistant Salary Scale €32,962 - €42,943 per annum.  Salary placement on appointment will be in accordance with public sector pay policy.

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr Carlos Ochoa.

Further information on the Department is available at www.ierc.ie

Closing date of applications is 18th July, 2025

Application Instructions
Please make sure to attach an up to date CV/Resume AND a brief motivation letter (400 words) outlining how you meet the ‘Essential Criteria’ for this role.

Please note that Garda vetting and/or an international police clearance check may form part of the selection process.
The University, at its discretion, may undertake to make an additional appointment(s) from this competition following the conclusion of the process.