Project Manager, ESA PhiLab Finland

Aalto Startup Center is a hybrid accelerator based in Aalto University offering both incubation and accelerator services to early stage and growth-driven startups and research-based project teams. Aalto Startup Center also operates several partner programs, including European Space Agency Business Incubator Finland, which focuses on space technology related startups. Aalto Startup Center’s premises are located in Otaniemi, Espoo.

Are you motivated to work with innovative ideas and entrepreneurially minded people? Do you want to make an impact in the future of this diverse and ambitious community?

We are now looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Project Manager to manage the operations and become the figurehead of a new activity, ESA PhiLab Finland, which will boost the transition of research based ideas into viable business solutions in the space related industry which is taking its early successful steps in Finland.

European Space Agency (ESA) is building a network of ESA PhiLabs. Each ESA PhiLab aims at supporting promising space related research activities in its specific thematic domain. It will select (together with ESA) promising research proposals submitted by scientists and/or researcher teams and will provide support to the selected teams to develop their ideas towards market or investment readiness.

We are offering a unique and interesting opportunity to become the responsible manager of ESA PhiLab Finland operations. In this position you will have a chance to make an impact by helping high potential early-stage ideas, companies and teams grow and take their next leap towards becoming market ready solutions.

Your role and goals

Drawing on your experience, your role includes

• Coordinating all outreach and networking activities to build ESA PhiLab Finland an established operator in the Finnish and European space ecosystem
• Project and technology scouting to attract the best ideas to apply in the program
• Active networking and dialogue with European Space Agency and other ESA PhiLabs and ESA Business Incubator Centres (BIC) as well as with Finnish space industry
• Management and administration of ESA PhiLab Finland, including reporting of activities and financials according to the requirements of the funding parties
• Coordinating collaboration within Aalto University and with Aalto University’s subcontractor institutes Finnish Meteorological Institute, National Land Survey of Finland and University of Vaasa

Your network and team

You will be part of Aalto Startup Center team and will work closely with researchers and other experts in Aalto University and in subcontracting institutes as well as ESA BIC Finland manager at Aalto Startup Center. You also collaborate with external stakeholders and partners both in Finland and in Europe.

Your experience and ambitions

We are looking for a person who is inspired by managing large concepts, but you also have a keen eye for detail. In this role you are required to be precise and systematic, and to stay meticulous and diligent in your daily work. You are a hands-on person and good at coordinating and organizing. You also have a good sense of humor.

Ideal candidate:

• has strong desire to work in the space related ecosystem
• has experience on successfully managing complex network projects
• has excellent interaction and communications skills
• has experience and networks in space technology related developments or business
• can work both independently and as a team player
• works fluently in English

Proficiency in Finnish language is considered an advantage.

What we offer

• A dynamic environment, where colleagues and customers share the passion for increasing the maturity of great ideas and growing early stage startups.
• A chance to make an impact. We are proud of our purpose to shape a sustainable future. We spark the game changers of tomorrow, and renew society with research-based knowledge, creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Great possibilities for competence development and learning. We constantly keep learning to find the most impactful ways to empower – and invest in – our people.
• Culture that inspires and includes everyone. All our work is guided by the values of the university: responsibility, courage, and collaboration.  It’s the people that create Aalto, now and in the future. We want to be an open community where equality and inclusion enable curiosity, innovation, collaboration and wellbeing.

We work in a hybrid way, and the primary workplace is Otaniemi, Espoo. The Otaniemi campus is a thriving and connected community of 100 nationalities, 13,000 students and 4,500 employees. Life at the transformed campus is vibrant and filled with amazing architecture, calming nature, and a variety of cafes, restaurants, services and good connections along the metro line.

Join us!

If this sounds like a perfect match for you, please submit your CV and motivation letter with the salary expectation through our recruitment system by November 10, 2024. If you are an Aalto employee or visitor, please apply for a position through the Workday system (internal jobs).  

We will go through applications, and we may invite suitable candidates to interview already during the application period. We aim to have a transparent and equal recruitment process, so feel free to ask us for feedback.

You can get further information about the position by calling Tomi Erho, Head of Innovation Ecosystem Services, tel. +358 50 535 5653, on Friday November 1 at 12:00-13:00 or on Tuesday November 5 at 15:30-16:30.

Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of 100 nationalities, 13 000 students, 400 professors and close to 5000 other faculty and staff working on our dynamic campus in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

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