Director, Pan-European Robotics Initiative (f/m/x) Munich / Hybrid • Full-time

Ignite Next is Europe's scale-up program for deep tech innovation, founded by the former Intel Ignite leadership team and now independently operated. We accelerate early-stage, high-impact startups developing breakthrough technologies in semiconductors, physical AI, advanced computing, and other frontier domains.

Non-dilutive and founder-first, Ignite Next works with leading technology companies—including Infineon, Intel, and Synopsys—to connect startups with world-class technical and business expertise, turning breakthrough innovation into breakout success. We are headquartered in Dresden, Germany, at the heart of Silicon Saxony.

The Role

We're hiring a Director to lead our pan-European open robotics initiative — building a partner network of industrial primes, robotics scale-ups, component suppliers, software platforms, universities, and research institutions across the European robotics value chain.

You'll lead the initiative day-to-day: the partner network, the funding base, the programme portfolio, and the initiative's external presence. Your mandate is to expand the network, deepen what it delivers for partners, startups, and founders — and grow the initiative into a reference point for European open robotics.

You'll build and lead a small team — and you'll personally drive the work that can't be delegated: the senior partner conversations, the strategic positioning, the multi-year industry commitments, the flagship events.

Your Responsibilities

• Industry network. Own the partner network across all tiers. Recruit and retain industrial primes, robotics scale-ups, component suppliers across sensing, vision, actuation, and drives, software and middleware players, universities, and research institutions.
• Programme portfolio. Define and own the initiative's programmes across four pillars: technical enablement (hardware access, toolchains, engineering support), commercial access (OEM and integrator channels, design-in pathways), talent and challenges (hackathons, university MoUs, talent placements), and market intelligence — anchored by a flagship State of European Robotics report.
• External presence. Represent the initiative at industry events — speaking, moderating, bilateral senior engagement. Build the initiative's voice through thought leadership and trade press.
• Team and operations. Hire and lead a small initial team, and grow it across programme management, partnerships, and operations. Set goals, run cadence, manage budget. Work closely with the Ignite Next leadership on strategic alignment and shared infrastructure.

What We're Looking For

• Senior leadership experience. You've led multi-stakeholder, multi-country efforts in deep tech with industry partner funding — you've built the networks, secured the commitments, ran the cadence.
• Manager and Operator. You've built and led small teams — and you stay hands‑on where it counts. The senior partner conversations, the strategic positioning, the delivery on multi-year commitments.
• Network across European robotics, industrial automation, and physical AI. Whether from a tier‑1 industrial automation prime, a robotics scale‑up, a component or software supplier, a deep tech VC with active robotics portfolio, or a comparable industry initiative — ideally with substantive reach across multiple countries.
• Commercial literacy. You understand how industrial corporates decide on sponsorship, partnership tiers, and joint commitment. You've structured commercial agreements that work across multiple legal departments.
• Technical acumen across the robotics stack. Compute, power, sensing, actuation, vision, software, integration, end markets. Enough to set priorities, judge contributions, and follow a substantive technical conversation.
• Fluent in English and German. Working professional level, both written and spoken. A third European language is a plus.

What We Value

• Drilling Deep. You dive into the technology, the founders, and the partners — not just the surface.
• a = F/m. Force over mass — find the bottleneck, find ways to unlock it, focus on what truly matters.
• Bar raisers. You optimize for founder outcomes, not partner vanity. Compounding daily.

What to Expect

• A front‑row seat to cutting‑edge breakthrough innovation in robotics and Physical AI.
• Direct interaction with world‑class founders, investors, and industry leaders.
• A small, agile team where your contributions have immediate impact.
• Hybrid work with Munich as your home base.
• Lunchit, Wellpass, mobility allowance, MacBook, AirPods, mobile plan support, dedicated travel budget.
• Competitive base, performance bonus tied to network growth and value creation metrics.
• A strong mandate, autonomy to lead the initiative end‑to‑end, and a clear path to taking the model global.

We aim to move quickly from first conversation to offer for the right candidate.