Finance & Controlling Officer / Finance & Controlling Officeress

Job Introduction

Please apply online using the form below.

Project Background

ETH Space mission is to enhance space activities and establish ETH Zurich as the leading university in space research, Earth observation, education, and entrepreneurship within Europe and beyond. ETH Space consists of five units: Education, Research, Entrepreneurship, the ETH Swiss GeoLab, and the space mission, LIFE.

Led by Prof. Thomas Zurbuchen and managed by Prof. Richard Kornfeld, the ETH Space team comprises approximately 35 employees. The office is located in downtown Zurich, within one of the central ETH buildings.

As ETH Space transitions into an ETH Center, we seek to expand our team by adding a dedicated professional for Finance & Controlling and Office Support.

This position is offered as a fixed-term appointment for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of extension. The desired start date is as soon as possible.

For further details, please visit the Home - ETH Zurich | Space and our LinkedIn channel.

Job Responsibilities

In this multifaceted role, you will be responsible for Finance & Internal Controlling and will support the Office Management of ETH Space. Your contributions are vital in ensuring the efficient and smooth operation of our organizational unit. You will handle financial and administrative processes, assist the leadership team with organizational and operational matters, and serve as the central point of contact for finance and controlling matters among internal and external stakeholders. Your efforts will promote transparent workflows, reliable administration, and professional support for the ETH Space unit.

Your areas of responsibility include:

• Finance & Controlling:
  • Budget calculations (annual budget and bi-annual rolling forecasts)
  • Project finances: from budgeting and expenditure to financial reports
  • Procurement of goods and services involving complex ordering structures, including quote comparisons, export control compliance, procurement regulations, tenders, and contract awards
  • Accounting & ETH Space internal controlling
  • Invoice verification and payment processing
  • Processing employee expense claims
  • Credit card statement reconciliation
  • Performance-based project billing (via SAP)
  • Handling all ETH Zurich internal finance-related inquiries
• Office Management Support:
  • Administrative support for ETH Space management
  • Preparation of documents and reports
  • Tracking tasks and projects
  • Handling sensitive information confidentially
  • Support office management in managing daily office operations
  • Provide recruitment support (job postings, application coordination)
  • Support new employee onboarding

This position offers a varied and responsible role with a broad spectrum of tasks at the intersection of finance/controlling and office management for ETH Space. You will collaborate closely with management, staff, and both internal and external contacts, contributing significantly to the success of ETH Space.

Your Profile

• Education: You have completed commercial or administrative vocational training; further training in accounting or controlling, and project or office management is an asset.
• Experience: You possess a minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience, with an advantage for experience in an academic or research setting, including prior work at ETH Zurich.
• Technical Skills:
  • Experience with SAP and proficiency with financial systems
  • Advanced user skills in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and scheduling tools
  • Very good written and spoken German and English (French is an advantage)
• Competencies & Personality:
  • Structured, analytical, and detail-oriented with a flair for numbers
  • Independent approach and strong organizational skills
  • Proactive, reliable, and solution-oriented working style
  • Enjoy working with complex project structures
  • Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build bridges across teams

We are looking for someone who is motivated and driven to define and implement work processes within the ETH Space leadership team.

What We Offer

• The unique opportunity to help shape the operations and finances of a soon-to-be strategic center of ETH Zurich: ETH Space
• A dynamic, interdisciplinary, and entrepreneurial environment at one of the world’s leading technical universities
• A workplace in downtown Zurich

Curious? So are We!

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:

• Your CV
• Diplomas and work certificates
• A brief motivation statement outlining your interest in ETH Space and this position
• A video (max 2 mins) introducing yourself and your motivation for this position. We would like to get to know you! A simple video from your smartphone is sufficient. Please upload it to a platform of your choice (Dropbox, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, etc.) and include the link in your motivation letter.

Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

For further information about ETH Space, please visit our website.

We would like to point out that the pre-selection is conducted by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.

We look forward to receiving your application!