Chief of Staff to the Executive Director

The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI in Berlin is one of the world’s leading research institutes for photonics, video coding, mobile and optical communications and applied artificial intelligence. Our researchers have co-authored the video coding standards that run on billions of devices, have repeatedly set world records in optical data transmission, and are shaping 6G, quantum communication and trustworthy AI. We work with the world’s leading technology companies, with governments and with research partners on every continent.

Running an institute of this kind is a strategic task in its own right. The Executive Director is therefore creating an Executive Office and is looking for a Chief of Staff to lead it. In this role you are the Director’s closest strategic and operational partner: a key integrator who brings together complex initiatives across the institute, and equally a strategic thought partner and a detail-oriented executor. You help shape the institute’s research agenda, keep its leadership processes running, orchestrate its international relations and its presence at the world’s leading exhibitions and conferences, and make sure that the Director and the department heads have the information and the opportunities they need to act. You work across all departments with the authority of the Director’s office and represent the Director where required.

Why this role matters

• Shaping the research agenda: Where a world-class institute invests its talent and resources is decided in strategy processes, portfolio reviews and position papers. You prepare and drive these processes and translate complex, multi-domain research into strategic priorities.

• Managing a world-class institute: Around 500 staff and 500 students in eight research departments, together with a large international project portfolio, need aligned leadership. You turn the Director’s priorities into coordinated action and make sure decisions are followed through.

• International relations: Our partners, standardization bodies, customers and competitors are global. You are the hub for the institute’s international relationships, delegations and the Director’s international agenda.

• Visibility on the world stage: The institute’s presence at leading international exhibitions and conferences is where research results turn into partnerships and contracts. You orchestrate this presence and the communication behind it.

Be part of change

• Strategy and research agenda: You support the Executive Director in developing and reviewing the institute’s strategy and research portfolio; you prepare strategy processes, leadership retreats and position papers; you monitor emerging technology, market and policy trends in the institute’s fields and bring them to the leadership’s attention

• Institute management and leadership processes: You prepare and follow up the institute’s executive leadership meetings: agendas set with the Director, briefing papers and decision templates, consolidated input from the departments, minutes, and systematic tracking of decisions and action items until closure. You manage the Director’s critical short- and long-term priorities, run special projects on the Director’s behalf and act as the integrator between the Director, the department heads and the administration

• International relations, visits and delegations: You act as the central hub for the institute’s international relations, from partnership agreements and delegation travel to the Director’s international agenda. You plan and orchestrate high-level visits by ministers and members of parliament, industry executives, international delegations and governing bodies: program design, briefings for the Director and the presenting teams, protocol and logistics, and structured follow-up

• Communications, exhibitions and visibility: You coordinate the institute’s corporate communication, which is currently distributed across three departments, and develop it into one coherent function with a common editorial and event calendar, consistent messaging and brand, and clear approval workflows across press, web, social media and publications. You coordinate the institute’s presence at leading international exhibitions and conferences (for example MWC, IBC, NAB, OFC and ECOC), from exhibit planning and messaging to executive appearances and follow-up

• Funding and policy intelligence: You continuously monitor open and upcoming calls of German federal and state ministries and of EU programs, as well as relevant policy developments; you assess their relevance for the institute, inform the department heads in a structured way, track deadlines and the institute’s responses, and support the institute’s positioning towards ministries and funding agencies

• Data, reporting and institutional intelligence: You collect, consolidate and quality-check the institute’s key data (finances, personnel, projects, publications, patents, industry revenue, KPIs), maintain the institute’s fact base and management dashboard, and prepare reports, briefings, speaking notes and presentations for the Director, governing bodies, funders and partners

What you contribute

• Completed doctorate (Dr. / PhD) in engineering, natural sciences, computer science, economics or a related discipline. A doctorate is a mandatory requirement: you engage with researchers as a peer and grasp complex technical topics quickly

• Several years of professional experience in science management, research strategy, management consulting, a ministry or funding agency, or a comparable position at the interface of science, industry and politics. Experience in an international research environment is an advantage

• Sound knowledge of the German and European research and innovation system, including public funding programs, and a good understanding of the international science and technology landscape

• Outstanding organizational and project-management skills: you structure complex, parallel processes, align many stakeholders and drive topics to closure, combining strategic thinking with meticulous execution

• Strong analytical and data skills; confident handling of reporting and analysis tools, and the ability to turn heterogeneous data into clear management information

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; experience in corporate, science or political communication, in exhibitions or in large-event management is a plus

• International outlook and intercultural competence, with the willingness to travel to partners, exhibitions and conferences worldwide

• Personal qualities: discretion and loyalty, political sensitivity, a confident yet service-oriented manner with senior stakeholders, and the ability to prioritize and act independently under time pressure

• Business-fluent German and English (C1 or higher in both)

What we offer

• A pivotal role at the center of a world-class research institute, with a direct reporting line to the Executive Director and visibility across the institute and its international network

• Real influence: you help shape the research agenda and the way the institute is run, communicates and presents itself to the world

• The opportunity to build a new Executive Office from the ground up

• Close contact with leading scientists, technology companies, ministries and international partners, and regular participation in major international exhibitions and conferences

• Attractive public-sector compensation and benefits, flexible working arrangements and a wide range of professional development opportunities in the heart of Berlin

The position is initially limited to 2 years. An extension is explicitly desired.

The weekly working time is 39 hours. This position is also available on a part-time basis. We value and promote the diversity of our employees' skills and therefore welcome all applications – regardless of age, gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, ideology, disability, sexual orientation and identity. Severely disabled persons are given preference in the event of equal suitability. Our tasks are diverse and adaptable – for applicants with disabilities, we work together to find solutions that best promote their abilities.

With its focus on developing key technologies that are vital for the future and enabling the commercial utilization of this work by business and industry, Fraunhofer plays a central role in the innovation process. As a pioneer and catalyst for groundbreaking developments and scientific excellence, Fraunhofer helps shape society now and in the future.

Ready for a change? Then apply now and make a difference! Once we have received your online application, you will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt. We will then get back to you as soon as possible and let you know what happens next.

Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI

www.hhi.fraunhofer.de

Requisition Number: 85711 Application Deadline: 10/31/2026