Sector Specialist - European Innovation Council Fund (EIC) - based in Luxembourg

This position is based at our Luxembourg headquarters and requires regular office presence. The EIB offers you the opportunity to live and work in a truly international and multi-cultural environment. We also offer relocation support. The EIB, the European Union's bank is seeking to recruit for its Projects Directorate (PJ), Innovation & Competitiveness Department (INCO), Division, Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Unit (CESDEV) at its headquarters in Luxembourg, Sector Specialist*. This is a full-time temporary position at grade 5. The term of this contract will be until 31/12/2027.

• internal benchmark Sector Engineer

Panel interviews are foreseen as from September. Purpose The European Innovation Council Fund (EICF) is the European Union’s investment vehicle supporting high-impact companies in deep tech, digital, clean technologies and biotechnology. Through equity investments, and in particular under the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), the EIC Fund targets innovative scale-ups with significant technological differentiation and growth potential. Within this framework, the EIB acts as financial advisor to the EICF and conducts the due diligence of EICF investments, in coordination with the European Commission (EISMEA) and external experts. The successful candidate will provide independent advice to the EIB’s decision makers on the sector policy to be followed (Digital Technologies, Deep Tech, Clean Technologies or /and Biotechnologies) and to the EICF on the quality of investment projects of innovative companies by assessing their technological robustness, market positioning and scalability, contributing to the joint appraisal underpinning investment decisions. Working within multidisciplinary teams, the candidate will co-lead the technical and market due diligence of investment operations, ensuring that findings are translated into clear, evidence-based recommendations supporting EIC Fund investment decisions, in line with the Bank’s standards and procedures. Operating Network The Sector Specialist will report to the Head of CESDEV and will work in close contact with the executive staff of the INCO Department as well as other services of the Bank, mainly the Investment Officers EIC in the EIC Investment services Division. The position also requires regular interaction with external experts and consultants, as well as with the European Commission and EISMEA, and engagement with companies and co-investors during the appraisal process. Accountabilities

• Take responsibility of co-leading the appraisal and due diligence process and facilitate the execution of equity investments by the EIC Fund, in line with specifically agreed procedures.
• Internally coordinate the activities of external technical experts appointed by EISMEA from appointment to the final delivery of a technical due diligence report.
• Assess the scientific, technological and market viability of companies, including scalability, competitive positioning and key risks, ensuring a robust and evidence-based evaluation to support investment decisions.
• Collaborate with Senior specialists to draft investment recommendations, aligning them with sector policy goals.
• Contribute to manage the activities carried out by external experts and consultants appointed in the context of the investment process, for the provision of specialist services regarding emerging technologies, market opportunities and other requirements that may be necessary.
• Keep up-to-date and monitor closely industry trends and emerging technologies in (at least) one of the sectors covered by the EIC STEP scheme (Digital & Deep Tech, Clean Technologies, Biotechnologies), developing sector, policy and methodology papers related to such sector in support of the EIC’s investment policies and EIB’s lending policies.
• Closely co-operate with the EIB’s Operations Directorates (namely EIC Investment Officers), as well as partner institutions (such as the European Commission, NPBIs, IFIs) and other external investors involved in financing rounds, to provide specialist input all along the investment process.
• Support the overall development of deal structures including interaction with co-investors and the preparation of legal documentation for initial and follow-on investments.
• Launch and monitor ex-ante market/sector/technology studies and market/sector/ technology consultations for third party services, if applicable.
• Support the identification of new investment opportunities and maintain active engagement with the innovation ecosystem (VC/PE funds, industrial players, advisors and other stakeholders), contributing to pipeline development.
• Monitor post-investment requests and events with the portfolio companies according to organizational and business needs.
• Represent EIB and EIC Fund at conferences, help organize promotional and market awareness raising events, subject to business needs and budget allocation.

Qualifications

• University degree (minimum an equivalent to a Bachelor) preferably in STEM disciplines, ideally related to (at least) one of the three core areas of the EIC STEP scheme (Digital Technologies, Deep Tech, Clean Technologies, Biotechnologies).
• Further training and specializations in specific sector-related areas of competence or in business administration and management will be an asset.
• Minimum of 5 years relevant professional experience gained in a high-tech and/or advanced engineering field, with preference to one of the sectors currently supported by the EIC STEP scheme (Digital & Deep Tech, Clean Technologies, Biotechnologies).
• Professional experience in venture capital/debt, private equity, M&A, high-yield/mezzanine products or entrepreneurship will represent a clear advantage.
• Professional experience in leading and managing external experts and consultants will be an asset;
• In-depth understanding of the industry associated to (at least) one of the sectors covered by the EIC STEP scheme (Digital & Deep Tech, Clean Technologies, Biotechnologies). This includes industry dynamics, trends, processes and procedures in bringing products to market.
• Good knowledge of the EU policies and priorities in (at least) one of the sectors covered by the EIC STEP scheme (Digital & Deep Tech, Clean Technologies, Biotechnologies).
• Understanding of the equity markets and the equity fundraising process would be an asset.
• Good computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office as well as other relevant applications (for example, industry databases).
• Strong team-mentality and motivation for personal development in the job is a must.
• Excellent knowledge of English and/or French (***), with a good command of the other. (Knowledge of other EU languages would be an advantage).

Competencies Find Out More About EIB Core Behavioural Skills Here To find out more about our eligibility criteria click here (***) Unless stated explicitly as a required qualification, a good command of French is not a pre-requisite for hire. As both English and French are however official working languages of the EIB, proficiency in both languages is a pre-requisite for your future career development. Any language clause in your contract must be fulfilled in order for you to be eligible for a promotion (either via the annual appraisal cycle or via an internal selection process). Proficiency is understood to mean the attainment of level 5 of the Inter Institutional language courses, corresponding to B1.2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). The Bank offers appropriate training support. We hire and value talent with unique characteristics, creating a work environment where they can be themselves. We believe that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion makes us a performing and innovative organisation. We encourage all suitably qualified and eligible candidates to apply regardless of their gender identity/expression, age, racial, ethnic and cultural background, religion and beliefs, sexual orientation, disability or neurodiversity. If you require reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process due to a disability, neurodivergence, or a chronic health condition, please contact the EIB Recruitment team Jobs@eib.org who will manage your request appropriately. By applying for this position, you acknowledge the importance of maintaining the security and integrity of the Information of the EIB Group. In case of selection for the position, you agree to comply with all measures (policies, controls, document classification and management) implemented by the EIB Group to prevent unauthorised disclosure of any information or any damage to the EIB Group reputation. This is an open campaign to consecutively fill open positions. The campaign will remain open until position is filled. Applications will be reviewed in order of receipt.