Project Manager (RE HOME & ESCALATE)

Location: Brussels (Belgium) or Besançon (France)

Contract: Close-ended (CDD), full-time

Working time: 38h/week (Belgium) or forfait jour 206 days (France)

Duration: 36 months (September 2026 – August 2029)

Starting date: mid August/September 2026

ABOUT ENERGY CITIES

Energy Cities empowers cities and citizens to shape and transition to future proof cities.

We showcase concrete alternatives deployed by cities, we advocate to change political and economic governance at all levels, and we foster a wide cultural change leading to a futureproofed society. Energy Cities’ community is composed of local leaders from thousands of cities in 30 European countries.

We believe that the energy transition is about more than renewable energy or great technologies: It is about a wise use of resources while strengthening local participation and well-being in a democratic Europe.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for an experienced project manager with a track record of working on and coordinating EU-funded projects related to the green transition.

As Project Manager, you will work across two EU-funded projects (LIFE programme): RE-HOME (50% FTE) and ESCALATE (40% FTE). On RE-HOME, you will support the coordination of the project alongside another Project Manager who led the proposal phase. You will focus on capacity building, e-learning, and replication activities. On ESCALATE, you will contribute to different tasks on capacity building and e-learning.

This position requires someone who can combine EU project management rigour with a strong interest in capacity building, peer learning, knowledge sharing, housing policy and heat and cooling planning.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Design and deliver capacity building programmes on both projects: including e-learning courses (based on moodle and Howspace), micro-learning modules, peer-learning workshops, study visits, and a Summer School (RE-HOME);
  • Manage the RE-HOME and ESCALATE online courses on the Local Transitions Learning Centre (Moodle interface), including preparing and uploading content, liaising with e-learning agencies that support content production and the platform management, preparing and facilitating live expert sessions, and issuing certifications;
  • Support the coordination of RE-HOME, including planning, progress monitoring, risk management, quality management, financial and technical reporting to the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and articulation with project partners;
  • Manage calls for replicator organisations in RE-HOME;
  • Contribute to the development of transferable toolkits, sustainability pathways, and exploitation of project results across both projects;
  • Support policy outreach at EU level: contribute to policy briefs, present findings at EU events, and collaborate with other LIFE and EU-funded projects;
  • Support communication and dissemination activities for both projects via Energy Cities’ own media;
  • Contribute to the design of new project proposals and participate in organisational development initiatives

ABOUT THE PROJECTS

LIFE RE-HOME (Reuse and Enable Housing Opportunities through Municipal Experimentation) addresses Europe’s housing paradox: millions of dwellings remain vacant or underused while municipalities face rising housing needs, affordability crises, and land pressure. The project demonstrates that applying sufficiency and adaptability principles to the built environment can unlock affordable, sustainable, and inclusive housing, while reducing land take and embodied carbon.

Four pilot municipalities and their local consortia – Chalandri (Greece), Mechelen (Belgium), La Rochelle (France), Hrastnik (Slovenia) – will co-design place-based transformation strategies rooted in sufficiency, adaptability and the New European Bauhaus values. Demonstration actions include adaptive reuse of refugee heritage housing in Chalandri, home-sharing and co-living solutions in Mechelen, densification paired with biodiversity-friendly gardens in La Rochelle, and reactivation of vacant municipal housing for vulnerable groups in Hrastnik.

LIFE RE-HOME is a 30-month project funded under the EU LIFE programme, coordinated by Energy Cities, in partnership with 17 organisations across 4 countries (Belgium, France, Greece and Slovenia).

LIFE ESCALATE (Local heating and cooling transition plans: Regional multipliers of capacity building and technical support to empower local administrations) wants to empower regional energy agencies to develop and implement local heating and cooling (plans in line with the EED Recast requirements. ESCALATE aims to fill the gaps in H&C planning faced by medium-sized municipalities. ESCALATE will create a training programme, template and guideline to develop H&C plans and train six regional energy agencies to become effective H&C planners (in Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Slovenia). These will develop 12 pilot H&C plans with municipalities in their territory, receiving technical assistance and providing feedback to improve the learning offer

The project combines technical expertise, capacity building and replication to deliver skills and knowledge on heating and colling planning.  

LIFE ESCALATE is a 36-month project funded under the EU LIFE programme, coordinated by IREES, in partnership with 11 organisations.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Required qualifications and experience

  • Master’s degree in urban planning, architecture, engineering, housing policy, public policy, social sciences, political sciences, sustainability, or any related fields.
  • Minimum 3 years of experience working on multi-partner EU-funded projects (e.g. LIFE, Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, ERASMUS+, INTERREG, or service contracts with EC DGs/agencies
  • Proficient English (C level) is required; knowledge of French and/or other EU languages is an asset
  • Demonstrated experience (minimum 2 years) in designing and delivering capacity building activities and peer learning activities, including e-learning programmes
  • Good command of e-learning tools and platforms (mainly Moodle)

Valued skills and qualities

  • Strong interest in housing policy, urban transformation, district heating and cooling planning, and sustainability
  • Experience in facilitating meetings, workshops, study visits, and multi-stakeholder learning events
  • Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities across parallel projects
  • High level of autonomy combined with genuine team engagement
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills, including facilitation and training
  • Comfort working in an international, intercultural, and multilingual environment
  • Proactive and initiative-driven approach to daily work
  • Previous experience working with local and regional authorities will be an asset

Nice to have

  • Knowledge of the New European Bauhaus initiative and/or LIFE programme
  • Interest in sufficiency, circular economy, adaptive reuse of buildings, and district heating and cooling planning
  • Familiarity with subcontracting and procurement processes in EU-funded projects
  • Affinity with collaborative and self-managing organisational models (e.g. Holacracy)

WHAT WE OFFER

Close-ended contract (CDD), full-time, under Belgian or French law.

A salary aligned with the sector and depending on experience.

Attractive benefits including:

Belgium

  • 20 days paid leave + 26.5 extra-legal days + additional days for sick children
  • Time-saving account
  • Group insurance (pension, hospitalisation, medical)
  • Transport reimbursement (CP 337)
  • Meal vouchers
  • Homeworking allowance

France

  • 26.5 days paid leave + 20 RTT days (forfait jour) + additional days for sick children
  • Health insurance (90% employer-paid)
  • 50% reimbursement of transport costs + sustainable mobility allowance
  • Meal vouchers (60% employer-subsidised)
  • Employee savings plan (PEE) based on organisation’s results
  • Homeworking allowance

A holacratic, collaborative work culture with genuine autonomy and room for initiative. Learn more about our governance model: www.energy-cities.eu/holacracy

A meaningful mission: work at the heart of Europe’s housing, energy poverty, and sustainability transition alongside cities and partners committed to inclusive, affordable and low-carbon solutions

Hybrid working: part-time homeworking policy (available within the EU). This role requires regular on-site presence to ensure effective teamwork and cohesion.

Travel: regular missions across Europe (mostly 2–3 day missions)

HOW TO APPLY

Submit your CV and cover letter before 31/05/2026.

The selection process consists of 3 stages:

  • Screening interview with HR
  • Interview with Lead Links
  • Reference check

Applicants must have the legal right to work and reside in Belgium or France.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.

Energy Cities is committed to gender equality and to building a diverse, inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, regardless of gender identity, age, disability, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.