Tech Talent Ecosystem Manager (m/f/d)

Introduction

At MotionLab.Berlin, our Tech Talent Program (TTP) is a 12-week, bi-annual program that matches curated teams of top engineering students with real-world hardware and technical challenges from deep tech startups, SMEs, and corporate partners. The goal is to turn raw academic potential into functional prototypes and hands-on innovation.

About Us

MotionLab.Berlin is Germany's official Deep Tech Hub and one of Europe's leading hardtech innovation platforms. We support startups, SMEs, and industry leaders in developing and commercialising physical technologies — from first prototype to scale-up.

With campuses in Alt-Treptow and Marzahn, and the imminent launch of ringberlin — set to become Europe's largest makerspace — we are building a bridge from lab to market for the next generation of climate tech, robotics, mobility, and deep tech ventures.

Why Join Us?

• Own the talent engine of Germany's Deep Tech Hub: As we scale into our third and largest campus yet, ringberlin, the talent pipeline you build now will define how startups staff their engineering teams for years to come.

Your tasks

The Purpose of This Role

As the Tech Talent Ecosystem Manager, you are first and foremost the operational engine of this program. You take full, hands-on responsibility for executing the TTP flawlessly—managing everything from the call to action and student selection to the high-intensity kickoff and graduation weeks. Execution is the core of this role.

However, you are not just an administrator; you are an entrepreneurial builder. While you ensure the day-to-day operations run perfectly, you will use your strategic freedom to evolve the program. You will transform these bi-annual peaks into a continuous, premium talent engine by building our "Deep Tech Talent Pool" from the ground up. You will turn our alumni network into a proprietary product that solves a massive pain point for founders and corporate partners: access to vetted, hands-on engineering talent.

This is a high-impact, hands-on role. You will execute the logistics, drive the program quality, and strategically define how we source, nurture, and match talent across the ecosystem to elevate our commercial value.

What You Own

Program Leadership & Evolution

You are the operational and strategic lead for the Tech Talent Program (TTP).

• Own the end-to-end execution of the bi-annual TTP, specifically driving the high-intensity phases (CTA, selection, kickoff week, graduation).
• Actively ideate and build new structures, formats, and quality improvements to continuously elevate the program's technical output.
• Coordinate and manage engineering students, technical coaches, and external Challenge Givers.

Talent Pool & Matchmaking

You own the lifecycle of the talent passing through our ecosystem.

• Build and steward the "Deep Tech Talent Pool," transitioning TTP graduates into an active, highly accessible alumni ecosystem.
• Work closely with our internal Program Managers and Operations team to map the hiring needs of our startups.
• Proactively match top-tier engineering alumni with the exact requirements of our deep tech startups and ecosystem partners.

Commercial Impact & Stakeholder Success

You don't hold a sales quota, but you drive the revenue engine through quality and retention.

• Manage complex relationships with our Challenge Givers—ranging from agile deep tech startups to 100+ year-old traditional German SMEs and corporates.
• Partner with the Sales team during late-stage conversations to define and scope the technical reality of the challenges.
• Ensure Challenge Givers receive such high value that they return for future batches, driving our repeat-customer rate.
• Identify high-quality, warm leads within the ecosystem and feed them to the Sales team.

University Outreach & Pipeline Building

You treat universities as structural partners, not just flyer boards.

• Act as the face of MotionLab.Berlin to key technical faculties (TU Berlin, HTW, CODE, etc.).
• Negotiate formal institutional integrations (e.g., ECTS agreements) and build deep grassroots relationships with professors to guarantee a pipeline of 200+ top-tier applicants per batch.

What Success Looks Like

• Challenge Giver Retention: You deliver such high-quality technical outcomes and matchmaking that our corporate and startup partners consistently return for future batches.
• A Living Talent Pool: Graduates do not just leave after the program ends; you successfully transition them into an active, engaged alumni ecosystem.
• High-Impact Placements: You consistently match and place top-tier engineering talent into direct roles with our Challenge Givers and member startups.
• Elevated Program Quality: You continuously improve the operational and technical excellence of the batches, validating the program's premium positioning in the market.
• Deep University Partnerships: You move beyond basic promotion to build structural, long-term ties with technical faculties, ensuring a robust and highly competitive pipeline of student applicants.
• Build, don't just run: You won't inherit a finished playbook. You will write it: designing the talent pool product, university integration frameworks, and program evolution.
• Work at the intersection of academia and industry: Surrounded by teams building sensors, drones, robotics, and climate tech, you will directly bridge the gap between theoretical education and real-world impact.
• Short decision paths, high visibility: You work closely with leadership, and your output directly shapes the success of our startups and corporate partners.

Who You Are

Non-Negotiable

• 3-5+ years of Hands-on Program Building & Execution: You have a proven track record in program management, community building, university relations, or talent acquisition. You don’t just write the strategy; you roll up your sleeves and run the daily operations. You have experience building systems from scratch and executing them flawlessly.
• Masterful Code-Switching: You can seamlessly navigate the distinct worlds of your stakeholders. You speak the language of Gen Z engineering students, technical coaches, deep tech founders, and traditional SME/corporate executives.
• Commercial Awareness: You understand that community and education initiatives must eventually tie back to the business. You know how to validate premium pricing through exceptional delivery and client retention.
• Technical Literacy: You do not need to be an engineer, but you possess a strong understanding of hardware and software engineering workflows. You can confidently sit at a table with founders and tech coaches to ensure project challenges are technically feasible.
• Mastery of the "Strategic Doer" Balance: You can define the high-level strategy for our talent pool in the morning, and immediately pivot to coordinating lab access, moving chairs, or mediating a student team dispute in the afternoon. Both are your job. Both matter equally.
• Bilingual Capability: Absolute fluency in both German (strictly essential for university faculty and traditional SME relations) and English.

Strongly Preferred

• Existing network within Berlin-Brandenburg technical universities or the deep tech startup ecosystem.
• Experience managing B2B relationships or corporate innovation partnerships.

We offer

• A culture that is honest, learning-oriented, and community-driven: We celebrate wins, discuss failures openly, and treat feedback as a tool.
• Transparency: We do not pay top corporate-level salaries. If maximum cash is your primary driver, this is probably not the right move. If you are motivated by ownership, impact, and the chance to build the talent infrastructure of a scaling European deep tech institution — this is a rare opportunity.