Innovation Catalyst / Innovation Catalystess

ETH Student Project House

At the ETH Student Project House (SPH), we inspire and empower students to cultivate a mindset of makers and innovators. We believe that by exploring their ideas and developing their own projects, students gain valuable hands-on experience and learn important skills for their future. This is why we’ve created an ecosystem where Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral students are encouraged to explore, ideate, build prototypes, test, and refine them.

About Our Team

Our interdisciplinary team of twelve provides comprehensive support to students wishing to pursue extracurricular projects of various types and scales. We manage facilities such as co-working spaces, ideation rooms, event venues, and a makerspace, giving students access to the tools and equipment they need for prototyping. We also support project teams with personal coaching, workshops, and a diverse expert network. Our goal is to accompany students on their journey by inspiring them to get started, seek diverse perspectives, explore the underlying needs of their ideas, work as a team, think big, learn from failure, pivot, and navigate obstacles they encounter along the way.

Job Opportunity: Innovation Catalyst

As we scale up and expand our offerings, we are currently seeking an Innovation Catalyst. You will work in one of the most inspiring spaces at ETH Zürich, surrounded by 3D printers, whiteboards, ideation equipment, self-designed furniture, and greenery.

Location

We are located at both the ETH Zentrum and ETH Hönggerberg campuses. Our open-space environment fosters collaboration with project teams, allowing for direct communication and engagement with a diverse range of individuals from various backgrounds and academic disciplines. All communication is conducted in English. Most of our extracurricular projects and events are scheduled for the late afternoon, evening, and occasionally on weekends.

Team Dynamics

We adopt an agile approach to conceptualizing and delivering our services, enabling us to allocate our capacity flexibly to the most important tasks. Teamwork is one of our core values. As part of the project support subteam, consisting of 6 members, you will assist with our “coached projects”—a diverse portfolio focused on various topics, stages, intensities, and goals, including entrepreneurial ventures and social initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Coaching: Coach early-stage projects from diverse backgrounds, helping them reflect, ask insightful questions, and clarify their next steps without assuming a leadership role.
• Conceptualizing and Managing: Develop and manage a range of services for students, ensuring smooth processes and clear communication with all stakeholders (e.g., method toolkits, project matchmaking).
• Facilitating: Facilitate workshops (e.g., ideation, need-finding), moderate expert training sessions (e.g., business models, patents), and host peer-to-peer events.

Qualifications

• Experience in starting and implementing your own projects (start-up, competition, innovation project, etc.).
• Valuable methodological skills to guide early-stage projects in innovation (agile development, design thinking, project management, etc.).
• At least 2 years of work experience in innovation, coaching, startups, or similar fields.
• Strong management skills with the ability to streamline and scale service offerings for over 500 project teams per year.
• Passion for working with people and supporting their growth as makers and innovators.
• Comfort in speaking before groups and facilitating workshops.
• Ideally, experience in supporting and coaching early-stage projects.
• Experience in building and launching software or hardware products, with familiarity with the Swiss startup ecosystem (funding, VC, startup programs, etc.).

Note: Research indicates that women and individuals from marginalized groups often apply only when they meet all criteria. If you believe you’re qualified, but don’t check every box, we encourage you to apply.

Contract Details

We offer a 1-year contract with the possibility of extension. While fixed-term contracts are standard at ETH, this position is financially secure in the long run.

What We Offer

ETH Zurich is a family-friendly employer providing excellent working conditions. You can look forward to an exciting work environment, cultural diversity, and attractive benefits. We prioritize personal growth and conduct regular team feedback sessions, valuing everyone's input. The best solutions arise from diversity.

How to Apply

We’d love to get to know you! Please record a 1-2 minute video introducing yourself and sharing what you want to contribute to our team. You don't need perfect video production skills—just use your smartphone, be yourself, and feel free to skip editing. We want to meet the real you!

Upload your video to a platform of your choice (Dropbox, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, etc.) and include the URL link in your cover letter. Apply online using the form below.

Application Considerations

Only applications matching the job profile will be considered. We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:

• Cover letter, including the URL link to your video clip
• CV

Please note that we can only accept applications submitted through the ETH online application portal, accompanied by all required documents (cover letter, video, CV). Applications submitted via email or post will not be considered.

For further information about the ETH Student Project House, please visit our website, Instagram, or LinkedIn.