Director, Aalto University Design Factory

Are you a collaborative leader, who wants to inspire the game changers of tomorrow?  

Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines and sparking the game changers of tomorrow. Our students, research, creativity, and entrepreneurial initiatives play a vital role in leading change and solving global challenges.

We are now seeking an inspiring and collaborative Director for Aalto University Design Factory.

In this role, you will be leading the activities of Aalto University Design Factory – both day-to-day operations as well as the long-term development of the unit, taking Aalto Design Factory to the next level. You will be collaborating with the Aalto community, startups, industry, and the global network of Design Factories. Rooted in product development, Design Factory endeavors to facilitate interdisciplinary education, research, and practical application, building a new kind of challenge- and passion-based learning culture.

You will be responsible for:

• leading and managing the unit’s operations with clear strategy and vision, well communicated goals and active collaboration and dialogue.
• providing team leadership and ensuring commitment and wellbeing in the unit.
• leading and developing the collaboration across Aalto community.
• cultivating the Design Factory global network.
• maintaining and enhancing the facilities and workshops.
• contributing actively to supporting Aalto University and its schools in challenge-based learning and educational experimentation.

The new Director will serve as a role model through hands-on, grassroot level of active participation in teaching and experimentation. You will directly engage with students, Aalto programs and faculty, industry partners, and the global network. You will be leading an organisation of 30 employees, and report to the Dean of the School of Engineering.

This is a full-time position, for a period of 5 years.

We are looking for a leader, with

• demonstrated experience in leading and inspiring people;
• excellent skills in building collaboration in a matrix organization and across networks and stakeholders;
• relevant experience in the university context;
• evidence on teaching development and teaching experience of product development and innovation;
• evidence of successful application to funding and leadership of multiorganization project consortiums;
• relevant experience in management of infrastructure for teaching and innovation;
• excellent people skills with a positive hands-on approach;
• collaborative, solution oriented and innovative working style;
• doctoral degree;
• excellent proficiency in English. Knowledge of Finnish and Swedish is a merit.

We offer you:

• A meaningful and inspiring work environment. We are proud of our purpose of shaping a sustainable future. We spark the game changers of tomorrow, and renew society with research-based knowledge, creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Culture that inspires and includes everyone. It’s the people that create Aalto, now and in the future. We want to be an open community where equality and inclusion enable curiosity, innovation, collaboration and wellbeing. We constantly keep learning to find the most impactful ways to empower – and invest in – our people.
• Because of our purpose, we have high ambition level in everything we do. At the same time, we believe that great results can only come from happy employees, with the emphasize on work-life balance.
• Collaboration and development. We constantly keep learning to find the most impactful ways to empower and invest in our people. Our vast array of professional development opportunities means you will grow and learn.
• Hybrid work and vibrant campus. There is freedom in your role, and we have a flexible modern working culture. We value work life balance and well-being in all aspects of life. We work in a hybrid way, and the primary workplace is Otaniemi, Espoo. The Otaniemi campus is a thriving and connected community of 100 nationalities, over 13,000 students and 4,700 employees. Life at the transformed campus is vibrant and filled with amazing architecture, calming nature, and a variety of cafes, restaurants, services and good connections.

Ready to apply?

If you want to join our community, please submit your application through our recruitment site by using the link on Aalto University’s web page ("Apply now!”) latest on Wednesday May 1st, 2024. To apply, please share motivation letter (1-2 pages) and CV (1-3 pages) in English with us. In your motivation letter, please include answer to the following two questions: a) What is your reason for applying to this position? b) As a new director, how would you enhance collaboration within the Design Factory and foster its integration across the broader academic and creative community?

Aalto University’s employees should apply for the position via the internal HR system Workday (Internal Jobs) by using their existing Workday user account (not via the external webpage for open positions).

If you wish to hear more about the position, you can reach out to

• the Chair of the recruitment committee, Vice President for Education, Petri Suomala, [email protected]
• Minna Tuusa, HR Partner, [email protected]

We will go through applications during the first weeks of May. You will hear from us latest at the end of week 19. The first interviews will be held on week 20 and 21 in May. We aim to have a transparent and equal recruitment process, so feel free to ask us for feedback.  

Join us for shaping a sustainable future!

-------------

More about Aalto Design Factory

Aalto University Design Factory is an interdisciplinary product design and learning hub uniting students, teachers, researchers, and industry. Rooted in product development, DF endeavors to facilitate interdisciplinary education, research, and practical application. We aim to build a new kind of passion-based learning culture for Aalto University.

Design Factory serves all Aalto University schools by providing an experimental co-creation platform for interdisciplinary learning. The Design Factory experts of user involvement methods, creative problem solving, product design and development, CNC machining, model making, electronics and embedded systems, and 3D-printing do coach and help the students and other parties of Aalto community.

Read more in aalto.fi and designfactory.aalto.fi.

About Aalto University

Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of over 13,000 students, 400 professors and more than 4,500 other faculty and staff working on our dynamic campus in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland.

Diversity is part of who we are. We actively work for caring and inclusive working culture where everyone can feel safe and welcome. Our environment is multicultural, widely English-speaking and its easy to settle in, wherever you come from. 48% of our academic faculty comes from outside of Finland.

At Aalto, high-quality research, art, education and entrepreneurship are promoted hand in hand. Disciplinary excellence is combined with multidisciplinary activities, engaging both students and the local innovation ecosystem. Our main campus has developed into an open collaboration hub that encourages encounters between students, researchers, industry, startups and other partners. Aalto University was founded in 2010 as three leading Finnish universities, Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design Helsinki, were merged to strengthen Finland’s innovative capability.

More about Aalto University:

Aalto.fi
youtube.com/user/aaltouniversity
linkedin.com/school/aalto-university/
www.facebook.com/aaltouniversity
instagram.com/aaltouniversity
twitter.com/aaltouniversity