Program Manager / PhD (m/f/x) - Innovation PhD Program

HPI Engine is the entrepreneurship ecosystem of the Hasso Plattner Institute, one of Europe’s leading hubs for digital entrepreneurship. With 300+ founders, 450+ startups, and over €1B in raised capital, we enable tech innovators to turn ideas into impactful ventures through education, mentorship, and community. Together with HPI Ventures, we support startups from first idea to global scale.

Your Role

You will lead a new pan-European PhD program that combines frontier research in machine learning with deep tech venture building. The program is developed by HPI Engine in cooperation with leading European research institutes.

• Run the Program: Plan and deliver the year-round program cycle (regular milestone sessions, peer formats, office hours and progress reviews) and keep a cohort spread across European labs on track between on-site weeks
• Lead the Bootcamps: Design, organize and facilitate multi-day on-site bootcamps at partner sites across Europe, from agenda and speakers to logistics, and lead sessions on scoping and problem-solving methods yourself
• Shape Learning: Turn our scoping methodology, which works backwards from a societal outcome to a research agenda that is both feasible and publishable, into teachable material for ML research: milestone briefs, rubrics and worked examples
• Bridge Worlds: Act as the operational link between doctoral candidates, their supervisors, entrepreneurial mentors and partner institutes, and align people who do not report to you
• Grow the Program: Support candidate selection and bring new partner institutes and mentors on board as the program expands
• Lead & Learn: Combine your own PhD research with running the program, ideally on questions the program raises, such as entrepreneurship education or venture creation from research

Your Profile

• You hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Business, Economics, Computer Science, Engineering, Psychology, Education or a related field (PhD eligibility required)
• You bring professional experience from consulting or a comparable environment, such as venture building, innovation programs or startups
• You have strong methodological skills: you structure open problems, work hypothesis-driven and gather evidence through research and expert interviews. You can also turn this into clear material and sessions that teach others to do the same
• You are highly organized and run complex formats with many moving parts across sites and countries, keeping timelines, budgets and details under control
• You manage stakeholders with confidence: you build trust with senior researchers, founders and investors, and align partners who do not report to you
• Ideally, you have founded a company or worked in a startup or VC firm, and you are comfortable in technical conversations about AI research
• You are fluent in English, confident in German and willing to travel across Europe for the program’s on-site weeks

The position is designed for candidates who plan to pursue a PhD, and it is structured accordingly. PhD eligibility is therefore required. Potential candidates do not have to be enrolled in a PhD program at the time of their application to qualify for the role. Both internal and external PhD programs are possible.

What we offer

• The best of both worlds: grow your academic career while driving real-world impact
• Direct access to founders, investors, and the broader startup ecosystem
• A vibrant community at the intersection of tech, research, and entrepreneurship
• Regular team events and workshops
• For problems of any kind (including those in your private life), you can use our external employee counseling service free of charge
• Attractive employee offers (corporate benefits)
• Possibility to work remotely (up to 2 days a week)
• 30 days of vacation plus two additional days off on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve
• Numerous sports facilities (tennis and basketball courts, beach volleyball court, calisthenics park, and participation in running events)
• Workplace on the HPI campus in Potsdam-Babelsberg (Griebnitzsee S-Bahn station), with fast transportation connections to Berlin