Penholder for the Technical Committee (m/w/x)
Established in 2021 as a privately funded not-for-profit association, Gaia-X brings together an international industrial, academic, and political community with the aim of building a common standard for transparent, controllable, and interoperable technologies that enable trusted decentralised digital ecosystems and by way of these boosting the data and digital economy.
Open to anyone and aligned to the European values of human-centricity, transparency, openness, sovereignty, and trust, Gaia-X’s ambition is to deliver unprecedented opportunities for innovative data-driven business models, reducing the dependency from non-controllable technologies.
For more information, visit: www.gaia-x.eu
Job Summary:
The Penholder for the Gaia-X Technical Committee (m/w/x) is responsible for drafting, managing, and coordinating technical documentation, functional and technical specifications, and reports on behalf of the Technical Committee (TC) and its Working Groups (WGs). The Penholder plays a crucial role in ensuring that the technical content produced by the TC and its WGs is accurate, consistent, and aligned with other committees and the strategic objectives of Gaia-X. This role involves close collaboration with working groups, technical experts, representatives of Gaia-X members, and key stakeholders to synthesise input, draft technical documents, and oversee the document lifecycle from creation to approval. The Penholder will act as a key coordinator between the TC, its (sub-)WGs as well as cross-committee to ensure consistency within Gaia-X to ensure the development of robust, clear, and enforceable technical specifications that align with the mission of Gaia-X.
Reporting:
- Gaia-X Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Location:
- Onsite and/or remote; presence in Brussels’ HQ occasionally.
Key Responsibilities:
- Drafting and Managing Technical Documentation:
- Draft, edit, and refine key deliverables, including technical documents, standards, frameworks, guidelines, and reports developed by the Technical Committee (TC) or its Working Groups (WGs).
- Ensure that all documents meet high standards of quality, accuracy, and consistency, adhering to Gaia-X’s technical vision and objectives.
- Maintain and update a repository of documents (using GIT), ensuring all versions are properly archived and easily accessible for committee members and stakeholders.
- Coordination with Technical Working Groups:
- Collaborate closely with technical working groups within Gaia-X, synthesising input from different experts to create cohesive technical documents.
- Attend Technical Committee and Working Group meetings, capture key decisions, and incorporate relevant discussions into ongoing drafts and technical outputs.
- Facilitate feedback and input from technical contributors, ensuring that all perspectives are considered in the document creation process.
- Document Lifecycle Management:
- Manage the lifecycle of technical documents from initial draft to final approval, coordinating reviews, revisions, and approvals according to the internal procedures with committee members and relevant stakeholders.
- Track deadlines and ensure timely delivery of documents for review and finalisation.
- Ensure proper version control (GitLab) of all technical documents, maintaining consistency across all Gaia-X outputs.
- Liaison with Stakeholders and External Bodies:
- Act as a point of contact between the Gaia-X Technical Committee, its Working Groups, and external stakeholders, ensuring that documents reflect input from Gaia-X members, industry partners, regulators, and standardisation bodies.
- Incorporate feedback from external reviews, ensuring that technical documentation aligns with broader industry standards and legal frameworks (e.g., GDPR, cybersecurity regulations).
- Quality Control and Consistency:
- Maintain high standards of clarity, readability, and technical accuracy in all documents.
- Conduct thorough reviews to ensure that technical documentation aligns with Gaia-X’s strategic and operational goals.
- Ensure that all technical documentation follows a consistent style, tone, and structure, creating uniformity across all outputs.
- Ensure that all technical documentation adheres to Gaia-X’s principles.
- Work with the Legal & Compliance team to ensure all technical documents meet regulatory requirements.
- Meeting Preparation and Facilitation:
- Prepare agendas, briefing materials, and presentation decks for Technical Committee meetings.
- Document minutes and decisions taken during committee meetings, ensuring that outcomes are clearly reflected in the committee’s deliverables.
- Follow up on action items and ensure that relevant content is incorporated into technical documents as required.
Qualifications:
Education & Experience:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or related fields;
- 3+ years of experience in technical writing, architecture or standards drafting, or documentation management within a technology, cloud infrastructure/services, or digital governance environment;
- Experience working with technical standards, particularly in areas like cloud computing, distributed data management, distributed systems, data spaces, or interoperability;
- Proven track record of working with cross-functional teams to draft and finalise complex technical documents.
Skills:
- Strong writing and editing skills: Ability to synthesise complex technical information into clear, concise, and actionable documents;
- Technical knowledge: Understanding of cloud infrastructure, data governance, cybersecurity, and interoperability standards, especially within a European context (e.g., GDPR, ENISA guidelines) and related to data spaces;
- Proficiency in GitLab or GitHub for managing document versions and ensuring collaborative efficiency;
- Project management skills: Ability to manage the document development process, track deadlines, and coordinate input from multiple stakeholders.
- Collaboration and communication skills: Experience working closely with engineers, legal teams, and external stakeholders, with the ability to build strong working relationships.
- Attention to detail: High level of accuracy and consistency in document management and editing processes.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Prior experience working within European standardisation frameworks or initiatives similar to Gaia-X.
- Familiarity with Gaia-X principles and the broader European cloud ecosystem, including federated cloud services and data sovereignty issues.
- Fluency in English is required (additional European languages are a plus).
Key Competencies:
- Organisational skills: Ability to manage and prioritise multiple documentation projects simultaneously.
- Problem-solving: Ability to quickly address issues related to document consistency, stakeholder input, and alignment with technical goals.
- Adaptability: Capable of working in a fast-paced environment with evolving requirements and deadlines.
- Stakeholder engagement: Ability to work across diverse teams and engage multiple contributors to drive consensus.
What We Offer:
- The opportunity to contribute to a landmark initiative that is shaping the future of Europe’s cloud infrastructure and data sovereignty
- Collaborative and dynamic working environment, with exposure to leading experts in cloud computing, digital policy, and standardisation
- Flexible working arrangements
- Professional development opportunities in terms of scope of activities or responsibilities (or both)
This Penholder role is critical to ensuring that the Gaia-X Technical Committee’s work is effectively translated into actionable, well-documented technical standards and guidelines that align with the broader goals of Gaia-X. This position will provide significant exposure to cutting-edge technological and policy developments in the European digital ecosystem.
How to apply:
We look forward to receiving your detailed application, including your CV and a motivation letter, starting date availability and salary expectations.
Please send the above information to Christoph Strnadl, Gaia-X, CTO, at christoph.strnadl@gaia-x.eu by 25 October 2024.
Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis, as we would like to fill the position shortly.
We take the protection of your personal data seriously, and we strictly comply with data protection regulations. For further details, please refer to our privacy policy: https://gaia-x.eu/privacy-policy/