Project Manager with PhD Opportunity (60-100%) (m/f/d)

About the job

A voice from Dr Philipp Wustrow, co-founder of Online Doctor AG and former Erfa project manager at KMU-HSG:
"Through my work at KMU-HSG, I was able to significantly develop my founding competencies and skills as well as my network. Through many discussions with entrepreneurs, I was able to gather important experience that helps me tackle the challenges of everyday entrepreneurial life."

The Swiss Institute for SMEs and Entrepreneurship, with around 40 employees, is one of the larger institutes at the University of St. Gallen (HSG). Together with the Center for Family Business, it deals with the peculiarities of small and medium-sized enterprises, entrepreneurship and family businesses in research, teaching and practice.
For further information, Dr Alexander Fust is happy to assist you at alexander.fust@unisg.ch . More information can be found at: www.kmu.unisg.ch

Interested? We look forward to receiving your application via the online tool.

• Leading and moderating experience exchange groups with entrepreneurs and managing directors from various industries. You organise and moderate regular meetings and independently accompany the groups (Erfa groups, https://kmu.unisg.ch/erfa).
• Building new Erfa groups: You identify exciting topics and industries, approach potential participants and develop new groups. You can specifically contribute your own interests and industry preferences.
• Financial analyses and benchmarking: You analyse financial and company key figures of the participating SMEs, create meaningful comparisons and prepare the results for discussion with the entrepreneurs.
• Projects and consulting mandates with SMEs: You work on practice-oriented projects with companies and associations and take on responsibility independently.
• Support in teaching: You participate in the institute's courses and supervise student work.
• Your own PhD (40%): There is the possibility to write your dissertation at the University of St Gallen alongside your practical work. You develop your own research profile in the field of SMEs and entrepreneurship and are accompanied by experienced researchers.

The position offers you significantly more than a classic scientific assistant position: You combine a PhD with independent project work and direct contact with business practice.

• Building a versatile network: Through direct exchange with entrepreneurs and executives from various industries, you gain insights into different SMEs and establish valuable professional contacts.
• Independent and practice-oriented work, early assumption of responsibility, great scope for design.
• Practice and science in one position: You gain experience in moderation, consulting, project management and business analysis while working on your PhD.
  Support from experienced Erfa project managers for gradual familiarisation.
• Support during the PhD: Supervision by a postdoc during the dissertation.
• Entrepreneurial working environment: You work in a helpful team with flat hierarchies, short decision-making paths and plenty of room for initiative and personal development.
  

As an Erfa project manager, you are well prepared for a further career as an executive, succession in your own family business or the founding of a company.

We are looking for a personality who likes to take responsibility, works independently and at the same time enjoys exchanging ideas with people.

• You are characterised by initiative, curiosity and a quick grasp.
• You enjoy organising, keep an overview even with several parallel projects and feel comfortable moderating groups and leading discussions.
• You enjoy direct and professional exchange with entrepreneurs and executives from SMEs and are interested in how companies function in practice.
• You have a very good university degree in economics or a related field and meet the requirements for a doctorate at the University of St Gallen, if a doctorate is pursued.
• You are familiar with scientific work, literature research and writing English texts, if you wish to write a PhD.
• You are interested in questions around SMEs, entrepreneurship and corporate management and want to combine scientific work with practical experience.

"A place that creates knowledge" - As one of Europe’s leading business universities, the University of St Gallen (HSG) is committed to educating over 10,000 students and offers an attractive and innovative environment in research, teaching, continuing education and administration to around 3,800 employees as one of the largest employers in the region."