Director of Research Programmes & Partnerships

Exponential Science Foundation; Ticino; Hybrid; CHF 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Exponential Science Foundation in Lugano, Switzerland, seeks a Director of Research Programmes to coordinate research agendas across Web3, AI, complex systems, and quantum computing. Lead partnerships with top centres, manage grants and consortia, and drive industry adoption via pilots, licensing, and spin-outs.

The role requires senior leadership in research operations, proven collaboration with academic and industrial partners, and a track record in tech transfer and IP-aligned activities.

Qualifications

• Senior experience in research programme management / operations / innovation leadership coordinating multiple projects and stakeholders.
• Demonstrable success building partnerships with leading research centres and/or industry research teams.
• Proven ability to coordinate grant applications and consortium bids (planning, mobilisation, writing coordination, review, submission).
• Experience forming and running research consortia with governance and partner management.
• Experience managing budgets, resourcing and capacity planning, including hiring and team build.
• Strong understanding of tech transfer and research-to-adoption pathways.
• Experience working with legal/commercial stakeholders on collaborations.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Sufficient technical literacy across Web3/Blockchain, AI, Complex Systems, and/or Quantum.
• Direct experience with Swiss and EU funding ecosystems and consortium structures.
• Experience across borders with globally distributed teams and partners.

Responsibilities

• Research coordination and portfolio management across programmes and partners.
• Build and manage strategic partnerships with universities, labs, and industry groups.
• Lead grants, funding pipeline and research consortia from scoping to submission.
• Spearhead tech transfer by translating outputs into pilots, prototypes, or standards.
• Oversee IP identification and collaboration with Legal teams.
• Budgeting, capacity planning and hiring to scale the research function.
• Ensure cross-functional alignment and governance for fundable, deployable programmes.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Communication

Leadership

Program management

Grant coordination

Partnerships

Tech transfer

Budgeting

Team hiring

Job description

Exponential Science Foundation in Lugano, Switzerland, seeks a Director of Research Programmes to coordinate research agendas across Web3, AI, complex systems, and quantum computing. Lead partnerships with top centres, manage grants and consortia, and drive industry adoption via pilots, licensing, and spin-outs.

The role requires senior leadership in research operations, proven collaboration with academic and industrial partners, and a track record in tech transfer and IP-aligned activities.