Head of Opportunities, Innovation and Impact Management (f/m/d)

12.05.2026, Wissenschaftsstützendes Personal

Up to TV-L E13/14 (depending on qualification) | Full-time or Part-Time | start date as soon as possible Fixed-term appointment until 31 December 2028, with the possibility of extensio, Employment at Technical University of Munich (TUM)

About the position

To strengthen the newly established DFG Cluster of Excellence TransforM through the systematic development of strategic fundraising, consortium building and grant writing, the building of mentorship and training programs for scientific researchers and the identification of additional innovative impact opportunities and outputs, we are seeking to appoint a Head of Opportunities, Innovation and Impact Management. The successful candidate will be a senior researcher or research management professional with substantial experience in project and partnership development, acquisition of competitive third-party funding, career development training and research communication and translation. The successful candidate will work closely with the Cluster’s scientific leadership and management team, and will play a central role in shaping TransforM’s external funding portfolio, collaborative strategy, and long-term sustainability.

About TransforM

TransforM – the Munich Center for Transformative Technologies and Societal Change – is a new social science research cluster funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the Excellence Strategy. TransforM tackles the dual challenge of advancing fundamental social science for highly technologized societies and rethinking technology development through a social science lens. As an interdisciplinary social science cluster with a principal focus on technology, our goal is to augment current theories and methods to comprehensively understand and help shape transformative technology to better serve diverse societal needs. Better knowledge about why, when, and how technologies become socially transformative will enhance our ability to assess and inform transformation pathways ‘all the way through’ – from the early stages of their emergence to their wider socio-economic impact.

TransforM is deeply embedded in Munich’s vibrant innovation ecosystem. Anchored by two of Germany’s leading research universities – Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU) – as well as an exceptional concentration of non-university research institutions concerned with technology and innovation (including the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, the Deutsches Museum, the ifo Institute for Economic Research, the ZEW Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research, and UnternehmerTUM, among others), the cluster brings together an unrivaled depth and diversity of social science expertise focused specifically on technology.

www.transform-cluster.de

Your Responsibilities

Strategic development of cluster opportunities:

• Support TransforM leadership in identifying, prioritizing, and pursuing key long-term scientific, funding, and collaboration opportunities.
• Systematic monitoring of national and international funding calls and strategic assessment of their relevance to TransforM’s research agenda, including opportunities from the DFG, BMFTR, other federal or state ministries, the EU (Horizon Europe), foundations, and related funding bodies.
• Conceptual planning, coordination, and organization of national and international grant partnerships, as well as the scientific drafting of grant proposals for the TransforM Cluster. This includes responsiveness to ad-hoc and time-sensitive calls and collaboration opportunities, as well as potentially the coordination of national and international proposal consortia.

Scientific and strategic support of cluster researchers in developing new projects for TransforM:

• Providing scientific and strategic guidance to the 30 principal investigators (PIs) and numerous PhD/postdoctoral researchers in the development of competitive, high-impact project proposals, including comprehensive guidance of proposal processes from initial concept through submission.
• Monitoring of strategic support measures for tracking impact.

Development of innovative and accessible mechanisms and formats for science & knowledge transfer:

• Co-developing different types of scientific publications/outputs on behalf of the cluster, with a particular focus on policy implications.
• Identifying outreach and networking opportunities with relevant internal and external stakeholders, including academic partners, funding bodies, policy actors, and societal and private-sector partners to drive research impact and engagement and promote the practical implementation of project results.
• Monitoring of science transfer programs and formats to measure impact.

Management of Cluster career development programs:

• Development and management of mentoring and training programs to support individual TransforM PIs and researchers in their career development.
• Monitoring of career development programs to measure impact.

Your Profile

• Completed advanced degree (PhD (preferred) or Master's degree) in the social sciences, humanities, or a related field;
• Substantial experience in the conception, drafting, coordination, and budgeting of competitive third-party funding proposals, including for complex multi-PI and multi-disciplinary proposals;
• Demonstrated track record of writing and/or supporting successful research proposals for competitive third-party funding;
• Several years of relevant professional experience in a comparable role, preferably at the interface of research, research management, and knowledge transfer;
• In-depth familiarity with the national and international research funding landscape and instruments;
• Experience with the organization of meetings and workshops (e.g., for proposal development);
• Experience in program management, for example with organizing and implementing career training (e.g. writing workshops) or mentoring programs;
• Subject-matter familiarity with the TransforM-related research areas, particularly social science research on technology and innovation, is a strong advantage;
• Highly proactive, independent, structured, and solution-oriented working style, with a strong capacity for strategic and networked thinking;
• Excellent organizational, communication, and coordination skills, including the ability to work effectively within and across diverse scientific disciplines and stakeholder groups;
• Confident command of standard MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, Excel);
• Fluency in professional academic English; working-level German.

What We Offer

• A position with a high degree of autonomy and creative freedom, with the opportunity to shape the research profile of Germany’s leading social science research cluster on technology and innovation;
• A diverse range of high-stake tasks at the interface of academic research, practice, and broader societal impact in close collaboration with our TransforM partner network;
• A dynamic and inspiring work environment with international visibility, working in a committed team with flat hierarchies and an appreciative work culture;
• Support for individual professional development and training needs, employee benefits, language courses, and team events;
• A workplace in Munich; hybrid working arrangements are possible by individual agreement;
• Remuneration depends on qualifications and personal suitability, in accordance with the collective agreement for the public service TV-L.

Application Process

Application Deadline: June 1st, 2026 (EOD Munich Time)

Please send your complete application as a single PDF document to applications@trm.tum.de with the subject line “Application Head of Opportunities, Innovation and Impact Management”, including the following components:

• Cover letter (max. 1 page)
• Curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages)
• Names of 2-3 professional references with a brief description of your relationship to them
• Copies of relevant certificates and degrees

Or by post to:

Technical University of Munich
TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology Department of Science, Technology and Society
Attn: Ms. Annette Mann
Augustenstr. 46
80333 Munich
Germany

In the case of a postal application, we kindly ask you to submit copies only, as we will unfortunately not be able to return your application documents after the completion of the selection process.

Interviews will be conducted within four weeks after the deadline.

TransforM is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We strongly encourage applications from individuals from underrepresented or marginalized backgrounds, including—but not limited to—people of different ethnicities, nationalities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The position is suitable for people with severe disabilities, and we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process and employment. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preference in hiring when their suitability, qualifications, and professional performance are essentially equal. The Technical University of Munich aims to increase the proportion of women; applications from women are therefore expressly encouraged.

For Questions Contact

Dr. Caitlin Corrigan (Managing Director)
Technical University of Munich
TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology
Augustenstr. 46
80333 Munich, Germany
c.corrigan@tum.de

Note on data protection: As part of your application, you provide personal data to be processed at Technical University of Munich (TUM). Please note our data protection information in accordance with Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on the collection and processing of personal data in the context of your application. By submitting your application, you confirm that you have taken note of TUM's data protection information. To strengthen the DFG Cluster of Excellence TransforM through strategic fundraising, consortium building, grant writing, mentorship, training and innovation initiatives, we seek a Head of Opportunities, Innovation and Impact Management to start as soon as possible. The role requires extensive experience in project development, third-party funding acquisition, career development and research communication. The successful candidate will help shape TransforM’s funding strategy, collaborations and long-term sustainability.

Kontakt: applications@trm.tum.de

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