Finance & Controlling and Office Support

Einleitungstext
Please apply until 31 October 2026.

Projekthintergrund
ETH Space mission is to boost space activities to establish ETH Zurich as the leading university in space research and Earth observation, education and entrepreneurship within Europe and beyond. ETH Space encompasses overall five units: Education, Research, Entrepreneurship, the ETH Swiss GeoLab, and the space mission, LIFE.

ETH Space is led by Prof. Thomas Zurbuchen as its director, and Prof. Richard Kornfeld, as managing director. The team overall consists of about 35 employees. The office is located in Zurich downtown, in one of the central ETH buildings.

The team and finances of ETH Space have grown significantly in recent years, and as ETH Space is transitioning to become an ETH Center, we are looking to add a person for Finance & Controlling and Office Support.

This position is offered as a fixed-term appointment for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of extension. The desired starting date is as soon as possible.

For details see Home - ETH Zurich | Space as well as our LinkedIn channel.

Aufgaben-/Stellenbeschreibung
In this multifaceted role, you will take responsibility for Finance & Internal Controlling as well as support the Office Management of ETH Space, playing a key role in ensuring the efficient and smooth operation of the organizational unit. You will ensure the proper execution of financial and administrative processes, support the leadership team with organizational and operational matters, and act as the central point of contact between internal and external stakeholders - for finance and controlling matters. You will support transparent workflows, reliable administration, and professional support for the ETH Space unit.

Your areas of responsibility include, in particular:

Finance & Controlling:

Budget calculations (annual budget and bi-annual rolling forecasts)
Project finances: from budgeting and expenditure to financial reports
Procurement of goods and services involving complex ordering structures, including quote comparisons, export control compliance, procurement regulations, tenders, and contract awards
Accounting & ETH Space internal controlling
Invoice verification and payment
Processing employee expense claims
Credit card statement reconciliation
Performance-based project billing (via SAP)
Handling all ETH Zurich internal finance-related inquiries
Office Management Support:

Administrative support for ETH Space management
Preparation of documents and reports
Tracking tasks and projects
Handling sensitive information confidentially
Support office management in managing daily office operations
Provide recruitment support (job postings, application coordination)
Support new employee onboarding
This position offers a varied and responsible role with a broad spectrum of tasks at the intersection of finance/controlling and office management for ETH Space. You will play a key role in ensuring professional administration, transparent financial processes, and smooth organizational operations within our organization. In doing so, you will work closely with management, staff, and internal and external contacts, contributing significantly to the success of ETH Space.

Ihr Profil
Education: you completed commercial or administrative vocational training; further training in accounting or controlling, and project or office management is an asset
Experience: you have a minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience. Experience in an academic or research setting is an advantage (incl. prior work at ETH Zurich)
Technical Skills:
Experience with SAP and proficiency with these systems
Advanced user skills in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and scheduling tools
Very good written and spoken German and English (French an advantage)
Competencies & Personality
Structured, analytical, flair for numbers and attention to detail
Independent approach and strong organizational skills
Proactive and reliable personality
Solution-oriented and service-oriented working style
Enjoy working with complex project structures
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build bridges across teams
In addition, we are looking for someone who possesses the motivation and drive to define and implement work processes within the ETH Space leadership team.

Wir bieten
The great and rare opportunity to help shape the operations and finances of a soon-to-become strategic center of ETH Zurich: ETH Space
A dynamic, interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial environment at one of the world’s leading technical universities
A workplace in Zurich downtown.
Neugierig? Sind wir auch.
We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:

Your CV
Diplomas and work certificates
A short motivation statement outlining your interest in ETH Space and this position
A video (max 2 mins) about you and your motivation for this position.
Regarding the video: we would like to get to know you! We therefore ask you to provide a short video. We do not expect a professional production; simply using your smartphone and being yourself is sufficient. Please upload the video to a platform of your choice (Dropbox, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, etc.) and include the link in your letter of motivation.

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through the ETH Zurich online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

Further information about ETH Space can be found on our website. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Dr Nanja Strecker, at nanja.strecker@space.ethz.ch (no applications).

We would like to point out that the pre-selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.

For recruitment services the GTC of ETH Zurich apply.

We look forward to receiving your application!