Entrepreneurship Development Officer

Company Description
At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

Job Description
Introduction

Are you interested in fostering entrepreneurship-related activities and initiatives within the organization and connecting CERN's scientific research with entrepreneurial opportunities? Take part and contribute in promoting innovation, technology transfer, and the development of spin-off companies in alignment with CERN's research and expertise.

You will join the Knowledge Transfer (KT) Group, which is in charge of identifying and realizing opportunities for CERN's know-how to be applied in fields other than particle physics, in order to maximize the impact of CERN technologies and expertise on society (in particular through industry).

Within the Group, you will, amongst other tasks, be responsible of entrepreneurship related activities, managing CERN's network of deep tech incubators and venture capitalists (CERN Venture Connect), supporting the creation of new CERN start-ups and search for new technologies at CERN that are interesting to founders, startups or scale-ups in the CERN Member States. You will also contribute ad hoc to other activities of the group, including organizing trainings and taking responsibility of some key accounts.

Functions

As Entrepreneurship Development Officer in the Knowledge Transfer Group you will:

-Lead and grow the CERN Venture Connect (CVC) programme which was born in 2023 and is the flagship entrepreneurship initiative of CERN;
-Coordinate the processes related to CVC programme, including the management of CERN's network of business incubators, Venture Capitalists (VCs) and other CVC partners;
-Identify technologies and knowledge within the Organisation which can be transferred to other application areas, in particular through the creation of a start-up company;
-Support the set-up of new CERN start-ups;
-Perform market evaluations and analyse business plans of potential CERN start-ups. Support startups with their strategy to grow and coach/mentor young founders;
-Promote entrepreneurship related activities and contribute to the creation of a culture of entrepreneurship at CERN;
-Conduct studies to evaluate the impact of the CVC programme in the CERN Member States and beyond;
-Contribute to other key activities of the KT group and sections, including the Organization of trainings and the management of a few selected knowledge transfer cases.

Qualifications
Master's degree or equivalent relevant experience in the field of entrepreneurship and/or innovation or a related field.

Ideally, additional technical education or technical affinity with one of CERN's technical domains and hands-on business experience (in a startup or company) would be an asset.

Experience:

Required experience in the following:

-Entrepreneurship strategy and a track record of supporting technology companies to achieve success;
-Venturing and support of start-up creation;
-Innovation management in industry, involving technology partnerships, such as technology licensing, collaborative R&D and/or open innovation.

Desirable experience in the following:

-Intellectual property and patents;
-Experience or familiarity with the German market.

Technical competencies:

-Entrepreneurship Development;
-Managing Industry Partnerships;
-Knowledge and technology promotion, marketing and commercialization.

Behavioural competencies:

-Achieving Results: delivering high quality work on time and fulfilling expectations.
-Managing self: working well autonomously; taking on activities and tasks without prompting; taking initiative beyond regular tasks and making things happen.
-Communicating effectively: expressing opinions, ideas and suggestions with conviction and in a logical/structured manner; keeping to the point; ensuring that information, procedures and decisions are appropriately documented.
-Learning and sharing knowledge: sharing knowledge and expertise freely and willingly with others; coaching others to ensure knowledge transfer.
-Working in teams: building and maintaining constructive and effective work relationships; gaining trust and collaboration from others.

Language skills:

Fluent English: ability to understand and speak English in professional contexts as well as the ability to draft texts for publications and/or official communications and to make oral presentations.

Additional Information
Eligibility and closing date:

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success. We welcome applications from all Member States and Associate Member States.

This vacancy will be filled as soon as possible, and applications should normally reach us no later than 18.12.2023 by midday.

Employment Conditions

Contract type: Limited duration contract (5 years). Subject to certain conditions, holders of limited-duration contracts may apply for an indefinite position.

These functions require:

-A valid driving licence.