Head of Planning

Are you an experienced leader of strategic planning, who wants to shape a sustainable future?  

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

We are now seeking a strategic and development-oriented Head of Planning. 

The new Head of Planning will be leading Aalto University’s strategic planning processes, quality assurance, management support and management information services. You are a member of the Leadership Support Service’s management team and report to the Development Director of Aalto University. We hope you will challenge our thinking and open up new perspectives with your collaborative and development-oriented approach and strong people and organisation leadership skills.

The Head of Planning leads the planning and strategic management support team of about 25 employees with four direct reports. The team is responsible for the university’s strategic planning and annual processes, quality management, management information services, and secretarial services. Six development managers at Aalto’s schools report to you in matrix.  

We are looking for a development-oriented and experienced leader, with – 

• demonstrable success in strategic planning and development 
• proven track record in people leadership with skills in enabling your team’s success, wellbeing and engagement 
• high-level collaboration and negotiation skills with proven capability in building collaboration in a matrix organization 
• ability to both coordinate the strategy planning and implementation, and inspire our community with visions for the future 
• understanding the multidimensional operating environment 
• master’s degree, doctor’s degree considered as an advantage 
• excellent command of written and oral expression 
• excellent command of Finnish and English, while Swedish language is considered as an advantage 
• work experience in higher education is considered an asset. 

We offer you: 

• Meaningful and inspiring environment. We are proud of our purpose to shape 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. All our work is guided by the values of the university: responsibility, courage, and collaboration.  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.   
• Responsible and meaningful role with true impact in our success, and in the end, in the wellbeing and development of our society.  
• Because of our goals, we have high ambition level in everything we do. At the same time, we believe that great results can only come from happy employees. We emphasize work-life balance, have reasonable working hours and longer than usual holidays.  
• Support, coaching and sparring when you feel you need it.   
• Great possibilities for competence development and learning. We constantly keep learning to find the most impactful ways to empower – and invest in – our people.  

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”) by Sunday May 5th, 2024. To apply, please share motivation letter and CV in English.

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

• Raili Pönni, Development Director, on Wednesday 24th April, 2024 at 8.00-9.00 and Thursday 25th April, 2024 at 15.00-16.30, tel. +358 45 677 8988/ raili.ponni(at)aalto.fi 
• Julia Majuri, HR Partner / julia.majuri(at)aalto.fi

We will go through applications, and we may invite suitable candidates to interview already during the application period. You will hear from us at the latest in week 19. The first interviews will be held in weeks 19 & 20, followed by assessment tests in week 21. The second round of interviews will be held in weeks 22 & 23. We aim to have a transparent and equal recruitment process, so feel free to ask us for feedback.   

Join us in shaping a sustainable future! 

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About Aalto University 

Aalto University is where science and art work together with 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 4,000 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 it’s 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