Overview
Operational Director - Advanced Manufacturing Start-up Ökosystem (w/m/d) at TUM Venture Labs. The TUM Venture Labs are a non-profit initiative of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) – Europe’s top-ranked technical university – and UnternehmerTUM, Europe’s leading center for innovation and business creation. Our mission is to build Europe’s leading hub for sciencepreneurship in deep tech and life sciences. In our domain-specific labs, we support high-tech founding teams from the very first idea to investor readiness – providing access to world-class research facilities, industry partners, mentors, and tailor-made programs. At the same time, we empower the next generation of scientists and students to transform their research innovations into scalable, technology-based companies with global impact.
Join our mission and support us as Operational Director – Advanced Manufacturing (f/m/d) in expanding Europe’s leading network for deep-tech startups!
Your Mission
* Strategically establish and operationally manage the Advanced Manufacturing & Industrialization area.
* Support technology-driven founding teams from the idea stage to market readiness.
* Develop formats that strengthen the growth of our start-ups, such as mentoring programs or prototyping workshops.
* Work closely with research institutions, industry partners, and funding organizations, and open up new fields of cooperation.
* Connect with investors, mentors, and experts, further expanding our network.
* Identify technological trends and discover new growth opportunities.
* Work across domains in line with our “One Venture Lab” philosophy, which brings together a wide range of disciplines.
Your Profile
* You hold a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Production Technology, Industrial Engineering, or a comparable field. A PhD is a plus, but not a must.
* Your industry experience – for example in manufacturing, automation, or production planning – enables you to master complex challenges.
* You thrive in start-up and innovation environments. Ideally, you have already taken on leadership responsibility and you are familiar with the start-up journey.
* You can commit at least 30 hours per week to our mission
* Entrepreneurial thinking drives you: you don’t just want to research technologies – you want to bring them to life.
* Networking is your strength. You enjoy reaching out to people, connecting ideas, and communicating clearly and respectfully.
* You work in a structured way, take responsibility, and pursue goals with determination.
* You bring strong organizational skills to (agile) project management and lead teams with clarity and empathy.
* You communicate confidently in both German and English – whether in meetings, presentations, or when engaging with international partners.
* Most importantly: you are a doer – someone who gets things moving and sticks with it until results become visible.
What we offer
* Plenty of room for creativity, ownership, and responsibility.
* An annual, generous training budget and access to a wide range of development opportunities – from internal trainings to external seminars, conferences, and keynotes.
* Unlimited access to our high-tech workshop MakerSpace.
* Flexible working hours and the option to work from home, ensuring a healthy work-life balance.
* Access to TU daycare facilities, part-time and parental leave models, plus childcare subsidies.
* A flexible monthly mobility budget via the Moovster app (covering Jobticket, MVG, Lime, Uber, JobRad, and more).
* A comprehensive sports program including yoga, pilates, mindfulness training, crossfit, Wellpass membership, and access to TUM’s sports offerings.
Carina Schreyer, HR Business Partner
UnternehmerTUM GmbH
Lichtenbergstraße 6, 85748 Garching/München
Apply here
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