Program Manager UTOPYS

Job description

Purpose of the position:

In this position, the program manager is responsible for overseeing and steering the UTOPYS program (2026-2036) by providing executive-level guidance, making key business decisions, and ensuring effective governance across all related activities. The UTOPYS program is a 10-year scientific activity aiming at describing complex cyber-physical power systems dynamics.

The program manager also maintains a strategic, long term view by identifying, evaluating, and aligning current and potential programs and projects within the ESE department to ensure they support the broader vision and contribute to larger, long-term goals. The program manager helps to be more successful in shaping and writing proposals.

While projects have defined start and end points with specific resources, the program manager ensures these projects collectively advance the overarching mission of the program, if applicable.

Results the position should achieve:

• Effective governance and execution of the UTOPYS program, ensuring that all projects within the program deliver their intended outcomes and contribute to the overarching long term vision, including meeting requirements on time and reporting on time in a professional manner.
• Clear strategic alignment within the ESE department, by identifying which programs and projects to pursue or decline, based on organizational priorities and potential impact.
• Establishing and retaining a professional reputation towards external parties and stakeholders.
• A comprehensive overview of current and potential initiatives, providing management with visibility into opportunities, risks, resources, and interdependencies across programs.
• Successful development and submission of compelling proposals, contributing to the growth of the program portfolio (number of programs and projects to be determined over time, based on availability and workload) and securing support for future initiatives.
• Consistent decision making and operational leadership, ensuring smooth program operations, resource coordination, and problem resolution.

Assigned Tasks:

• Oversee courses related to the program and operational alignment around the courses.
• Create, organize, and possibly give training on how to use infrastructure.
• Organize all necessary events (such as consortiums, lab tours, etc.) and meetings (with relevant departments and parties such as finance, audit, etc.).
• Be the single point of contact for external parties and stakeholders.
• Organize communication and marketing initiatives.
• Document and structure project management, including keeping the project planning up-to-date, writing reports, organizing agendas, and creating slideshows.

Place in the organisation:

• Direct report to department chair.
• Linking pin with contract management and finance, I&IC, marketing & communications.

About the department

The research in the Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy is inspired by the technical, scientific, and societal challenges originating from the transition towards a more sustainable society and focuses on four areas:

• DC Systems, Energy Conversion and Storage (DCE&S)
• Photovoltaic Materials and Devices (PVMD)
• Intelligent Electrical Power Grids (IEPG)
• High Voltage Technologies (HVT)

The Electrical Sustainable Energy Department provides expertise in each of these areas throughout the entire energy system chain. The department owns a large ESP laboratory assembling High Voltage testing, DC Grids testing environment, and a large RTDS that is actively used for real-time simulation of future electrical power systems, AC and DC protection, and wide-area monitoring and protection. Furthermore, the department owns one of the largest academic RTDS infrastructures, equipped with additional labs for performing Control and Protection HiL testing.

Job requirements

Competencies/skills:

• Well organized.
• Reliable.
• Communication (written and verbal) in English and Dutch.
• Feeling for political context/different stakeholders.
• Organizational sensitivity.
• Excellent professional project/program management skills.
• Background in power engineering.
• Experience in business administration (basis in finance, legal, HR, marketing, communication) is a plus.

Working and thinking level:

• MSc. working and thinking level.
• Experience in program management.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 10 years (Temporary).
• A job of 38-40 hours per week.
• A salary based on Scale 12 of the CAO for Dutch Universities with a salary between €5705 - €7297 gross per month based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave.
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.