Coordination Manager

At NEOM, education is an enabler for economic and social progress. All residents will have access to life-long education through schools, university colleges, applied research institutes, and vocational training colleges. Here at NEOM, we aim to attract and inspire the world’s best minds to join this vibrant and enriching community. The Education, Research and Innovation Sector aims to transform education into a lifelong experience that utilizes cutting-edge, high-tech, and personalized learning capabilities, and inspires the world’s greatest minds.

NEOM is focused on becoming a pre-eminent global location for establishing new technologies and associated industries. This development will encompass many future-facing sectors of activity spanning from education, through health and well-being, the digital world, energy, food, and water, to creative industries, tourism, and sport. It will inspire Research and Innovation (R&I) programs that are international in scope and characterized by their excellence and topicality.

The ERI Foundation will convene and connect innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, service providers, academics and students, to promote and enhance NEOM’s credentials as a global hub to drive ideas to impacts:

• Drive the growth of an R&I ecosystem across NEOM higher education, government, and industry;
• Prioritize and fund strategic R&I programs;
• Establish and operate NEOM’s Applied Research Institutes;
• Build and promote the Academy of International Fellows.
  
  

The Coordination Manager will work closely with the Program Director within ERIF by providing key operational support, to play a crucial role in ensuring that projects, business planning, hiring, and initiatives progress smoothly by coordinating activities, resources, and information among various teams and departments within the ERI Foundation and across the wider team. They will be responsible for overseeing and facilitating effective communication and collaboration with central operations teams as well as and academic research leadership and the research community in general. The Coordination manager will also collate reports, moinitor research KPIs and create appropriate reports and disseminate to ERIF/NEOM leadership.

The individual will provide controls and direct the personnel and activities within the pillar by adopting operational plans, carrying out performance evaluations, and supervising all daily activities in keeping the business productive, efficient, and organized at all times.

Key Accountabilities & Activities

• Project Coordination:

• Liaise with project managers to ensure projects are on track and meet deadlines.
• Develop high quality presentations as required.
• Deputise in meetings when program director not available
• Facilitate business planning
• Facilitate efficient hiring of ERIF staff
• Collate and report on research metrics
• Liaise with central NEOM functions
• Manage deadlines and progress across the team to ensure projects are delivered on time and on budget.
• Track and report on progress to key stakeholders.
  
  

• Communication Facilitation:
• Serve as a central point of contact for internal and external stakeholders.
• Foster effective communication and collaboration among teams, departments, and external partners.
• Distribute relevant information, updates, and reports to appropriate parties.
• Resource Management:
  
  

• Monitor and manage the allocation of resources, including personnel, equipment, and budget.
• Work closely with HR and department heads to ensure adequate staffing for projects and tasks.
• Provide support to ensure that hiring happens efficiently and effectively and support workforce planning for the team.
  
  

• Documentation and Reporting:
• Maintain accurate records of project and coordination activities.
• Generate reports, presentations, and documentation as required.
• Create business plans and presentations to reflect operational/research impact etc
• Analyze data and provide insights to improve coordination processes.
• Ability to present and display reports through building dashboards.
• Facilitate regular communications with faculties and ARIs.
• Continuous Improvement:
  
  

• Identify opportunities to enhance coordination processes and efficiency.
• Implement best practices and streamline workflows to improve overall coordination.
• Stay up-to-date on industry trends and best practices.
  

Background, Skills & Qualifications

• Analytically minded, analyzing data and create actionable reports and efficient in reporting tools such as Power BI.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to collaborate across teams.
• Professional IT skills including MS Office Suite, particularly PowerPoint and Excel.
• Ability to thrive and meet deadlines in a fast-paced and sometimes high-pressure environment.
• Proactive problem-solving and attention to detail.
• Ability to establish and nurture beneficial business relationships. Capability to negotiate with and influence others.
• Self-motivated with a willingness to take initiative and solve complex problems.
• Exceptional organizational and multitasking abilities
• Proven experience in coordination, project management, or a similar role.
• Experienced in developing, monitoring and reporting on research KPIs/dashboards.
• Proficiency in project management tools and software.
• Ability to work across diverse teams and build sustainable partnerships
  
  

Qualifications

• Required:
• Bachelor's degree in business administration, management, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in a research coordination, administration or related roles.
• Preferred:
• Masters degree.
  

COMMUNICATION - MAIN STAKEHOLDERS

Internal

• NEOM Sectors, THE LINE, Oxagon and all stakeholders relevant to the R&I mission
• NEOM U Deans and ERI Foundation Applied Research Institute Directors
• All ERI Foundation pillar employees.
• NEOM Central HR, Finance, Procurement, Marketing & Comms teams.
• External partners
  
  

International institutions