Partner Success & Innovation Associate/Manager

WHO WE ARE:

 

Plug and Play is one of the most active VCs in the world, headquartered in Silicon Valley, and the ultimate innovation platform, bringing together the best startups and the world’s largest corporations to create meaningful connections that bring innovation to anyone, anywhere. We are on a mission to bring the benefits of Silicon Valley to the rest of the world.

At the intersection of Austria’s industrial strength and tech transformation, Plug and Play Linz and its newly launched Physical and Industrial AI Center of Excellence accelerates innovation across Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, Supply Chain & Logistics, and many more to boost corporate competitiveness and regional growth.

 

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

We’re a diverse team with backgrounds in business, innovation, technology, finance, and entrepreneurship, and we’re establishing a new team to deliver on our mission set out in Linz, Austria. We’re seeking a Partner Success & Innovation Associate - Manager who is an excellent relationship-builder, a strategic thinker, a reliable team player, and an innovation operational powerhouse, who can manage multiple partners and projects at the same time.

As a Partner Success & Innovation Associate - Manager, you will serve as the strategic bridge between leading corporate partners and our global innovation ecosystem. You will drive high-impact relationships across key sectors - including Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, Logistics, and more - empowering corporate partners along every stage of their innovation journey.

This position is a multi-faceted role and offers an unparalleled opportunity for both personal and professional growth in a supportive and prosperous environment. If you are interested in technology, innovation and startups and would like to put your skills, motivation and drive into establishing a new office and making open innovation happen, this is the position for you.

This is a build role in a new office, not a seat in an existing team. You report directly to the Head of Partner Success in Austria and work closely with the Vienna office and Plug and Play's EMEA partner success team.

HOW YOU WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE:

 

As we live the startup spirit ourselves, no one on the team is exclusively limited to their main tasks. Rather, we are a dynamic team of all-rounders who work closely together on all projects. However, your main role will consist of the following fields:

Partner Success Management

• Build trusted relationships with key stakeholders within our partner organizations to generate adoption of innovation, renewals, and new revenue opportunities. 
• Devise engagement plans that consider partner business goals, and internal organization structures, and map products and services to achieve these goals. 
• Proactively find opportunities to create additional value for our partners by connecting them with startups or other corporates and industries. 
• Identify business development, licensing, and strategic investment opportunities for corporate partners within the Plug and Play ecosystem. 
• Prepare partnership and engagement reports for our corporate partners and showcase the achievements of the partnership.
• Host regular sync calls with our partners and diligently take notes.
• Diligently participate and perform various ad-hoc projects and tasks as required by our corporate partners. 
• Solve, support and/or drive escalation of client issues, coordinate key resources in the process, and assist with client issues through resolution. 
• Keep track of new trends within the Advanced Manufacturing, Logistics, Construction and Infrastructure verticals (and many more in the future) and actively advise our corporate partners on potential growth opportunities. 

Innovation Management

• Showcase knowledge and expertise by advising our corporate partners on various innovation topics.
• Recognize potential issues, shortcomings or barriers to innovation and working with startups on the partner’s side and suggest suitable solutions.
• Suggest additional innovation support to our partners by identifying areas of improvement and build a business case around it to further expand on our partnership.
• Foster the innovation culture within the corporate partner’s organization by supporting them with specific tools and frameworks.
• Advise and support our partners on best practices in the initiation and implementation of pilot projects with startups.
• Facilitate innovation training and innovation strategy workshops for executives and high-level management of our corporate partners.

Building the Linz Office 

• Join as one of the first hires in Linz. The office is being built from scratch, so you will work directly with the team on how we support our corporate partners with best practices, advise them on proven corporate and open innovation methods, push innovation projects to tangible results, and help shape the events that make us visible in the region.
• Get out into the Upper Austrian ecosystem. Build relationships across universities, incubators, clusters, investors, other corporations, and public institutions, and make sure the community here knows who we are.
• Work AI first. Use AI tooling for tracking and reporting, creation of presentations, and strategizing on the latest innovation methods so your hours go to the partners and the ecosystem instead of spreadsheets.

 WHAT WE OFFER:

• Be part of Plug and Play - the biggest and fastest-growing open innovation platform globally with HQs in Silicon Valley and other 65+ locations worldwide such as Paris, London, Singapore, Tokyo, or São Paulo.
• Be at the forefront of innovation and get access to groundbreaking technologies.
• Be part of a dynamic, international, diverse, and open-minded team.
• Get access to and communicate with leading international startups, investors, and corporations.
• You will work closely with our corporate partners daily and grow your network.
• Contribute and realize your own ideas and have room for self-development.
• Work in a vibrant and unique working environment at the LIT - Open Innovation Centre at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria - sitting right next to the R&D and innovation labs located at the university. 

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, e.g. in Business, Strategy, Innovation, or Entrepreneurship.
• Ideally 2+ years working experience in innovation management, account management, advisory, strategy consulting or similar customer-facing roles. 
• Exceptionally strong organizational, collaboration, and communication skills, and an innate curiosity.
• The ability to work with all levels of management is crucial.
• Strong analytical, research, and writing skills.
• Highly motivated working style, strong people skills, and a positive mindset.
• Structured, proactive, and independent approach to work.
• German native speaker or C1 German level, and excellent written and verbal English skills are absolutely crucial.
• Strong interest and good understanding of all kinds of technologies, innovation management methods and trends.
• Willingness to relocate to Linz, Austria.
• Full-time working permit in Austria.