Senior consultant - State Aid & EU Funds (m/f)

Job Description & Summary About the Team and Role Our State Aid & EU Funds team delivers consulting and advisory projects for both public and private sector clients – from designing state aid schemes and drafting applications for grant mechanisms (IPCEI, Innovation Fund, LIFE, CEF, HORIZON, RRF, ESIF) to notifications and compliance monitoring. We are looking for a Senior Consultant/Manager who will take over an established agenda, ensure quality and oversight, and strengthen our advisory and business development approach. Key Responsibilities - Lead a portfolio of projects in the area of state aid and EU funds – from scoping and solution design to implementation and quality assurance. - Take ownership of the agenda and streamline delivery – set clear delegation, control points, and standards to ensure no technical details or connections are missed (QA, peer review, checklists, methodologies). - Proactively identify issues and develop practical solutions to ensure the smooth progress of projects and client satisfaction. - Advisory leadership – create solutions with added value (schemes, aid intensity, instrument suitability, timing, compliance vs. business objectives). - Perform detailed market, financial, competitive, and regulatory environment analyses to support the design and evaluation of state aid schemes and grant applications. - Prepare, compile, and deliver high-quality outputs in the form of analyses, reports, or studies for use internally and by clients. - Support financial modeling and data analytics to underpin decision-making processes. - Regulatory expertise and application of rules: GBER, CEEAG, Regional Aid Guidelines; preparation of materials for European Commission notifications. - Grants and calls for proposals – design and evaluate applications (IPCEI, Innovation Fund, LIFE, CEF, HORIZON, RRF, ESIF), draft calls and guidelines for beneficiaries. - Reporting & monitoring – establish processes for compliance obligations, data collection, and data management. - Lead and develop the team – coach senior consultants and juniors, aiming for team independence rather than micro-management. - Business development & Sales – build pipeline, lead proposals and pitches, develop client relationships, and cross-sell within the firm. - Stakeholder management – collaborate with public authorities, corporate clients, and technology partners. - Effectively manage projects and communicate at the top management level of client organizations to align outputs with expectations. - Utilize data visualization and analytics tools such as Power BI, Tableau, alongside PowerPoint and Excel, to support data presentation and effective communication of analyses and results. - Travel – occasional visits to clients across Slovakia and CEE (team base in Bratislava). What We Expect - 5+ years of relevant experience, combining senior-level responsibilities with proven experience in managing people and/or projects. - Strong knowledge of EU and national state aid legislation (GBER, CEEAG, RAG) and proven experience with grant mechanisms (IPCEI, Innovation Fund, LIFE, CEF, HORIZON, RRF, ESIF). - Advisory mindset – ability to connect regulation, financing, and client business goals; design abstract technical solutions and strategic roadmaps. - Experience in preparing and interpreting market and financial analyses as well as working with visualization and data tools (Power BI, Tableau). - Proven capability to identify problems early and proactively propose efficient solutions. - Excellent project leadership and client communication skills, including interactions with senior and top management. - Education: economics/finance/law/technical fields; technical or engineering background preferred (ability to interpret technical project parameters and translate them into schemes and compliance). - Excellent analytical, presentation, and client-facing skills; proficiency in PowerPoint & Excel. - Languages: fluent English (written