Research Officer position in Management Sciences, Sustainability and Business Models

IÉSEG School of Management invite applications for a fully funded Research Officer position in Management Sciences, Sustainability and Business Models, Horizon Europe Project BloomEra at its Lille or Paris campus.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This position is part of the Horizon Europe project BloomEra – A thematic network to bloom farmers’ income by innovative agricultural systems for arable crops and by the circular use of their agricultural residues.

BloomEra aims to support the adoption of innovative cropping systems across European territories, including intercropping, agroforestry, relay and strip cropping, crop rotations, precision farming and climate-smart agricultural practices. The project seeks to transform existing knowledge from EU projects, Operational Groups and case studies into practical tools, value-chain pathways and decision-support materials for farmers, advisers, cooperatives, agri-food actors and other AKIS stakeholders.

Within this framework, IÉSEG School of Management is recruiting a Research Officer with a background in management sciences, sustainability, innovation, business models, agri-food value chains or circular economy. The successful candidate will contribute mainly to WP3, which focuses on the sustainability, economic feasibility, market potential, business models and business plans of BloomEra innovative cropping systems and their associated value chains.

The position is open to candidates holding either a Master’s degree or a PhD. It is particularly suitable for a candidate with strong analytical skills, an interest in applied European research, and the capacity to work at the interface between academic research, project deliverables and practical recommendations for stakeholders.

Main responsibilities

The Research Officer will contribute actively to the implementation of the BloomEra project, especially the activities related to WP3. The position involves research, analysis, writing and coordination support.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• contribute to the market and value-chain analysis of innovative cropping systems and their outputs;

• analyse emerging markets linked to additional biomass streams, proteins, legumes, gluten-free products, biocomposts, digestates, biochar and other circular agricultural outputs;

• conduct literature reviews on sustainable business models, circular economy, agri-food value chains, innovation management, cooperation models and sustainability transitions;

• contribute to the collection, organisation and analysis of data from European case studies;

• support the assessment of economic feasibility, profitability and value creation for farmers and other value-chain actors;

• contribute to cost-benefit analyses and economic analyses of selected practices and value chains;

• support the development of tailored business models for BloomEra innovative cropping systems;

• analyse value propositions, target markets, revenue streams, partnerships, customer relationships, distribution channels and stakeholder configurations;

• contribute to the preparation of 2–3 detailed business plans for selected case studies, including market analysis, operational assumptions, financial projections, risk assessment and scaling potential;

• liaise with partners responsible for sustainability assessment, including LCA, Life Cycle Costing and Social Life Cycle Assessment;

• contribute to project deliverables, internal reports, policy-oriented outputs, playbooks, training materials and scientific publications;

• participate in project meetings, workshops and exchanges with consortium partners;

• support the Principal Investigator in the scientific and operational follow-up of WP3.

The Research Officer may also contribute to transversal tasks, including:

• preparation of internal working documents;

• synthesis of information received from consortium partners;

• follow-up of deadlines and deliverables related to WP3;

• support for dissemination and valorisation activities;

• contribution to academic articles emerging from the project.

ABOUT IÉSEG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

• IÉSEG is AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA accredited and is a member of the “Conférence des Grandes Écoles.”

• The IÉSEG Research Center is accredited by the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).

• IÉSEG’s faculty is very diverse with more than 40 different nationalities represented.

QUALIFICATIONS

Profile sought

The position is open to candidates holding a Master’s degree or a PhD in management sciences, business administration, strategy, innovation management, entrepreneurship, sustainability management, circular economy, agri-food management, environmental management, economics, or a closely related field.

Candidates should demonstrate:

• a strong interest in sustainability, circular economy and agri-food transitions;

• knowledge of management sciences, especially business models, strategy, innovation, value-chain analysis or sustainable entrepreneurship;

• the ability to analyse markets, stakeholders and value chains;

• familiarity with qualitative and/or quantitative research methods;

• the ability to produce clear written outputs in English;

• strong organisational skills and the ability to respect deadlines;

• the capacity to work in an international and interdisciplinary research consortium;

• autonomy, rigour and attention to detail.

• A PhD is not mandatory, but doctoral training or experience in research projects will be considered a strong asset.

Required skills

Candidates are expected to demonstrate:

• excellent analytical and writing skills;

• good command of English, both written and spoken;

• ability to conduct literature reviews and synthesize complex information;

• ability to analyse business models, markets and value-chain configurations;

• proficiency with standard office tools, especially Excel, Word and PowerPoint;

• capacity to prepare professional reports and deliverables;

• ability to interact with academic and non-academic stakeholders.

Knowledge of one or more of the following tools or methods will be appreciated:

• business model canvas or other business model frameworks;

• market analysis and competitor analysis;

• cost-benefit analysis;

• financial projections, break-even analysis, ROI or IRR calculations;

• qualitative interview analysis;

• survey analysis;

• statistical software such as R, Stata, SPSS or Python;

• qualitative analysis software such as NVivo, MAXQDA or Atlas.ti.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Scientific environment

The Research Officer will join an international research environment within a Horizon Europe consortium bringing together universities, research centres, agricultural organisations, cooperatives, clusters and other stakeholders across Europe. The position offers the opportunity to contribute to a

European project located at the intersection of management sciences, circular economy, sustainable agriculture, business model innovation and value-chain transformation.

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of the Principal Investigator at IÉSEG School of Management and will interact regularly with consortium partners involved in case studies, sustainability assessment, governance models, knowledge exchange and dissemination.

The selected candidate is expected to start the position on September 1, 2026, under an 18-month fixed-term contract (CDD). Gross salary will be competitive with other European research and academic institutions (2600€/month).

Expected contribution of the candidate

The successful candidate will help translate the technical and agronomic potential of BloomEra innovative cropping systems into economically viable, sustainable and actionable pathways for farmers and value-chain actors. The position therefore requires the ability to connect academic research with practical recommendations, business-oriented analysis and stakeholder needs.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested candidates must send their application through this platform. To submit your application, please click on "apply" and follow the submission process.

Applicants should submit :

• a detailed CV;

• a cover letter of 3,000 to 5,000 words;

• one example of academic or professional writing, such as a Master’s thesis chapter, research report, policy report, article, deliverable or analytical note;

• a letter of support of at least two referees.

The cover letter should explain how the candidate understands the BloomEra project and how their background in management sciences can contribute to WP3. In particular, applicants should describe how they would approach the analysis of markets, value chains, business models and business plans for innovative cropping systems and circular agricultural outputs.

Expected contribution of the candidate

The successful candidate will help translate the technical and agronomic potential of BloomEra innovative cropping systems into economically viable, sustainable and actionable pathways for farmers and value-chain actors. The position therefore requires the ability to connect academic research with practical recommendations, business-oriented analysis and stakeholder needs.

For any further question, please contact us by e-mail to phd.recruitment@ieseg.fr and / or s.bourdin@ieseg.fr.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

We will begin considering candidates immediately and will continue until the position is filled. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Applications should submit by the 25th June 2026.