Senior Project Manager / Senior Project Manageress

Join Us at Sustainability in Business Lab (sus.lab) at ETH Zurich

Help enable leaders in industry, policy, and society to tackle systemic sustainability challenges and drive the transition to a net-zero and circular economy. We are currently seeking a Senior Project Manager to oversee two projects, each at a 40-50% level of engagement.

Position Overview

KTT Expert, ACHIEVE Consortium

This role primarily involves serving as the Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT) Expert within the ACHIEVE consortium, part of the SWEET funding programme from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). ACHIEVE aims to support Switzerland's transition to net-zero by collaborating with stakeholders from various sectors to co-develop scientifically grounded roadmaps. As KTT Expert, you will ensure that research insights are transformed into actionable knowledge, tools, and processes for practitioners and decision-makers.

Additional sus.lab Project(s)

The remaining 40-50% of your role will be dedicated to a unique industry-related project within the sus.lab. The project's specific focus will align with your expertise, experience, and current initiatives. For instance, it may bear similarities to our recently completed projects, such as DemoUpCARMA or the rPET report outlining long-term prospects for recycled PET in beverage bottles.

Key Responsibilities

• Overall Project Management: Collaborate closely with the consortium head and scientific integration expert to ensure the project’s overall execution aligns with strategic objectives and expected outcomes.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Co-Creation: Lead the planning and execution of stakeholder engagement activities, document knowledge needs, and foster collaboration between researchers and stakeholders.
• Communication & Dissemination: Coordinate the preparation of stakeholder communication materials, including policy briefs, industry briefs, and content for various outreach platforms.
• Monitoring & Impact Tracking: Assess the integration of project outputs by tracking technology adoption, pilot project initiation, and related policy developments.
• Additional Responsibilities: Lead first-of-its-kind industry projects, oversee project teams and budgets, and secure new initiatives focused on decarbonization and the circular economy.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree (or higher) in sustainability, environmental policy, engineering, environmental science, business, or a related field.
• 3-4 years of experience in sustainability consulting, policy analysis, transdisciplinary research, or a related field.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills with the ability to engage effectively with leaders from research, industry, and policy.
• Strong analytical, communication, and organizational capabilities.
• Proficient in English, with fluency in at least one Swiss national language (German, French, or Italian) at C1 level, both written and spoken.
• Located in Switzerland, with the ability to work on-site in Zurich; remote work is not feasible.
• Availability to commence the position by March 2026 at the latest.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in designing and facilitating participatory workshops and dialogues.
• Ability to translate technical content into accessible communication formats.
• Familiarity with climate policy, decarbonization pathways, or carbon capture, utilization, storage, and removal technologies.
• Established network or experience engaging with Swiss policy, industry, or civil society organizations.

About Us

Sus.lab is a think-and-do-tank comprised of dedicated professionals from diverse backgrounds in engineering, science, management consulting, and entrepreneurship. As part of the Group for Sustainability and Technology (SusTec) at ETH Zurich, we thrive in an entrepreneurial research environment that bridges academic research and industrial application.

Contract Information

The initial contract for this position is limited to one year, in accordance with ETH guidelines, with the intent of establishing a multi-year employment relationship.

Application Process

If you are interested in influencing Switzerland’s transition to net-zero, we invite you to apply online using the form below. Please ensure to include your CV, noting the final overall grades of your degrees.

Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

For further information about sus.lab, please visit our website. If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact Oliver Akeret at oakeret@ethz.ch. (No applications via email, please.)

IMPORTANT: If you are interested in pursuing an academic career as a Postdoctoral or Senior Researcher in this field, please let us know; we may have opportunities within the Group for Sustainability and Technology (SusTec) or the Group for Circular Economy.