Innovation Specialist Engineer - 80% to 100%

With more than 13,000 employees representing 160 professions, the Geneva University Hospitals are a reference institution at both national and international levels. To learn more about our institution, take a few minutes to consult our 2025 retrospective by clicking here .

Convinced that "everyone can make a difference", the Geneva University Hospitals have established an Innovation Centre with the aim of improving and evolving the hospital. A unique platform for exchange, the Innovation Centre fosters collective intelligence by bringing together, valuing and realising the best ideas from employees. Both a centre of expertise and a collaborative workspace, the Innovation Centre offers a range of services to evaluate, support, nurture, promote and enhance innovative ideas and projects from employees and structures of the HUG. A laboratory for experimentation, a catalyst for change and participatory approaches, the Innovation Centre contributes to the transformation of the HUG.

Since 2019, it has supported the development of the HUG strategic plan: Vision 20+5. A pioneer at the European level in the hospital sector, the Innovation Centre has evolved the intrapreneurship model by forging close links with the Patients Partners (PP) project. This close collaboration with the PP platform has yielded effects and benefits in developing solutions close to the needs of patients.

Since its launch, some 800 HUG employees participate annually in events and sessions organised by the Innovation Centre. More than 70 innovative projects are catalysed each year.

You are integrated into the HUG Innovation Centre. You play a key role in the emergence and development of innovative initiatives led by HUG employees, providing them with project management support. Through your actions, you contribute to the development of a culture of innovation, creativity and transformation within the institution.

Your mission is to create favourable conditions for the emergence, maturation and implementation of new products, services or process improvements (applications, medical devices, tools, organisational solutions, etc.), relying on collaborative and user-centred approaches.

In this capacity, you continuously stimulate idea generation and support innovation projects from conception to implementation. You analyse issues, needs and uses to define clear specifications incorporating challenges, objectives, scopes and deliverables. You contribute to the design of innovative solutions adapted to identified needs and support their realisation through prototypes, mock-ups, digital plans or user stories.

More specifically, you challenge initial ideas and hypotheses with project leaders by evaluating their utility, desirability, feasibility and viability, to steer initiatives towards high-impact solutions aligned with institutional priorities.

With a view to efficiency and sustainability, you promote the pooling of resources and existing projects, both internally and with external partners, by identifying synergies and limiting redundancies.

You support innovators in developing high value-added solutions that meet user needs. You manage the various project phases, including ideation, formalisation of functional and technical specifications, prototyping, validation of feasibility and acceptability, as well as preparation for implementation.

You contribute to the technical structuring of projects in coordination with internal and external partners to ensure quality, feasibility and sustainability. You facilitate interactions between stakeholders and ensure effective collaboration throughout the project lifecycle.

You also support project leaders in seeking funding and promoting their initiatives, contributing to the preparation of dossiers, their visibility and promotion with relevant bodies and partners.

In your practice, you develop a deep understanding of the organisation’s functioning, networks, practices and decision-making mechanisms. You analyse and map processes, information flows and decision circuits to structure, document and prioritise needs, taking into account business requirements and the institutional context.

You pay particular attention to valuing innovation actors and contribute to the promotion of this culture within the institution, notably by participating in the design and organisation of events and communication actions such as the HUG Hackathon or Innovation Day.

You participate in the Innovation Centre’s reflections and initiatives related to stimulating innovation, valuing collective intelligence, community animation, communication, process modelling and change management.

You also ensure documentation of implemented processes and knowledge capitalisation, notably through organising feedback sessions and creating accessible knowledge bases to support future projects.

As an active team member, you contribute to the development of the Innovation Centre by proposing ideas and initiatives to enhance its visibility. You take responsibility for assigned projects while collaborating closely with other team members.

Finally, you participate in the Centre’s operational life through preparing reports, monitoring projects and budgets, as well as organising steering committees and team meetings. In this context, you interact with a wide variety of actors, including nurses, doctors, researchers, developers, and patients.

Thanks to your solution-oriented approach, you respond effectively to recurring needs as well as unforeseen situations. Through your commitment, collaborative spirit and professionalism, you actively contribute to the collective dynamic and uphold the values of the Innovation Centre.

You hold a higher education degree (university, HES or equivalent) in project management, engineering, innovation or a relevant field, and have experience in a similar role, ideally within an innovation or transformation environment. You have a strong interest in innovation, particularly in healthcare, and master key associated methods and tools such as design thinking, solution prototyping, user testing and collective intelligence approaches.

You are comfortable with office tools, notably Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Any additional technical skills, such as CAD modelling, development, data analysis or health technologies, are an asset.

With excellent analytical, synthesis and writing skills, you are fluent in French both spoken and written. You can manage multiple projects simultaneously, set priorities and work autonomously while collaborating effectively with diverse interlocutors.

Comfortable in a constantly evolving environment, you demonstrate adaptability, discernment and composure in unforeseen situations. Your organisational skills, rigour and concern for quality enable you to produce reliable and relevant deliverables.

Recognised for your initiative, creativity and solution orientation, you enjoy teamwork and build trust through your listening skills, diplomacy and excellent interpersonal skills. Curious, proactive and with a strong capacity for learning, you like exploring new topics and actively contributing to the emergence of innovative ideas and projects.

Any additional skills or experience adding value to the Innovation Centre will be welcome.

• Start date: as soon as possible
• Number of positions: 1
• Work rate: 80% to 100%
• Job class: 18
• Contract: 1-year fixed-term, renewable
• Application deadline: 15.10.2026
• Contact for information: centre.innovation@hug.ch

Your application must include a letter demonstrating your motivation, your CV, copies of diplomas and certificates required for the position, and the last 2 work certificates.

This announcement is addressed equally to women and men.

Wishing to engage in the fight against unemployment, the HUG encourage applications coming from the Cantonal Employment Office.

Only applications submitted via the recruitment platform will be considered. Paper and email applications will not be processed.