Research Assistant - Focus on Complexity Management (m/f/d)

RWTH Aachen University is one of the most renowned technical universities in Europe with around 42,000 students and about 10,000 employees. The WZL machine tool laboratory at RWTH Aachen is one of the leading research institutes in production technology and currently employs approx. 1,025 employees at a total of four chairs. For more than 100 years, the WZL has been conducting both basic and industrial research projects and industrial projects. The Innovation Management department supports manufacturing companies in the areas of innovation management through consulting, research and further education. In order to support the generation of new innovations, the Innovation Management department accompanies the entire process of developing an idea up to market maturity and considers, among other things, the inclusion of market and customer needs, the requirement management, product development, variant management and the prototypical realization of ideas. The focus is on complexity management. This is about the long-term corporate positioning on the market with regard to the product and product variants offered and the simultaneous mastery of the resulting company-internal realisation tasks within the value creation processes. Exemplary questions in this context relate to product and portfolio management, modularization and modular design, configuration management and complexity cost analysis. The RWTH is certified as a family-friendly university. RWTH offers a variety of health, counselling and prevention services (e.g. university sports) as part of a university health management. There is a wide range of training and the possibility of obtaining a job ticket for employees and civil servants.

As a scientific assistant (w/m/d), you will be qualified both professionally and personally by working in the four following fields during your activity: Research – In the field of research, methods and concepts on current issues of innovation management and product realization are developed in close cooperation with leading manufacturing companies. There are different formats of the cooperation. Long-term research projects are usually funded publicly and carried out jointly with other research institutions, associations or companies. Current research focuses include the design of data-based business models for producing companies or the development of product building boxes for a sustainable circular economy. Consulting – In consulting projects, company-specific and application-specific solutions are developed with the help of departmental competencies. New findings from applied research are directly addressed to the consulting topics and enable companies to offer individual solutions to strategic, organisational and technological issues of innovation management. Continuing education – Through one- or more-day seminars, conferences and congresses, we transfer our findings from research into industrial practice. At the events and training of specialists and executives, we are looking for the exchange of expertise to develop new ideas and establish contacts. Teaching – We offer lectures and project modules for the students of RWTH Aachen. Example in a lecture unit on strategic innovation management in which teams of students process practical case studies together with companies. Furthermore, we regularly supervise ambitious students in the course of graduation. As a member of the Innovation Management department, you will be part of a highly motivated team with diverse tasks that guarantee a steep learning curve. Their tasks are based on themes of all four areas of activity: independent processing, management and acquisition of research and industrial projects Transfer of scientific knowledge to industrial practice Presentation of results in seminars, conferences and scientific publications Supporting and committed exercise of teaching activities at RWTH Aachen (e.g. lecture, training, supervision of graduation)

You have an above-average degree programme (master or comparable) in the field of engineering, natural or economic science, as well as meaningful practical experience. In addition, you should bring enthusiasm for innovation management issues (e.g. designing an efficient and digitally consistent innovation and development process, management of complex product portfolios, development of product building boxes, support for innovation management by data analytics). Also bring the following properties, please apply for participation in our Assessment Center: Very good communication skills and team skills Secure mastery of German and English Structured working and a view for the essentials Aim for a promotion as preparation for the next career step

The employment is in the employment relationship. The place shall be occupied at the next possible time and shall be limited to 2 years. Further employment of a further 2 years is envisaged. The temporary employment is carried out within the framework of the time-limits of the science-time contract law. It is a full-time job. There is a doctoral opportunity. The grouping depends on the TV-L. The place is rated with EG 13 TV-L. The job description is aimed at all sexes. We want to promote the careers of women at RWTH Aachen University and are therefore looking forward to applicants. Women are preferably taken into account in the case of equal suitability, competence and professional performance, provided You are underrepresented in the organisational unit and, if not in the person of a competitor, outweigh the reasons. Applications for suitable people with difficulty are expressly desired. For the purposes of equal treatment, we ask you to waive an application photo. Information on the collection of personal data pursuant to Articles 13 and 14 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can be found at https://www.rwth-aachen.de/dsgvo-information-bewerbe