Direttore Operativo Fondazione Hub Innovazione Trentino

Hub Innovazione Trentino Foundation (HIT), an instrumental entity of the Autonomous Province of Trento in the field of technology transfer and innovation and a research and knowledge dissemination organisation under European Union rules, is looking for a senior professional with a strong managerial and leadership profile to join the Foundation as Head of Operations, the most senior role within its organisational structure, and support HIT through its next development cycle.

HIT works to promote the valorisation and transfer of knowledge and research results, foster collaboration between research, businesses, institutions and the local area, support the development of new knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship, develop strategic initiatives and strengthen the positioning of Trentino’s research and innovation system at national and European level.

Position

The selected candidate will oversee the overall management of the Foundation and ensure coordination, alignment and support between the Board of Directors, the Presidency, the Staff Function and the operational Areas, guiding HIT’s development towards an increasingly recognisable and high-impact role within Trentino’s research and innovation ecosystem.

The selected candidate will understand and interpret the needs and priorities expressed by HIT’s Members, translating them into objectives, initiatives and organisational responses consistent with the Foundation’s mission. The role includes coordinating the management and leadership functions already present within the organisation, enhancing and integrating internal expertise and, where necessary, promoting the involvement of external expertise.

Responsibilities include strategic leadership and implementation of governance guidelines, interpretation of the Trentino 2040 Perspective, collaboration with the research and innovation ecosystem, development of technology transfer and research valorisation activities, development of strategic initiatives and leverage capacity, foresight and anticipation, people management and organisational leadership, national and international institutional positioning, strategic dissemination and valorisation, and operational governance and accountability.

Requirements

To be admitted to the selection procedure, candidates must meet the following minimum requirements by the application deadline:

• Italian citizenship, citizenship of an EU Member State or citizenship of another country, provided that, by the date of any potential appointment, the candidate meets the requirements and holds the qualifications required by current legislation to work in Italy;
• absence of circumstances preventing the establishment of an employment relationship with the Foundation and absence of convictions resulting in disqualification from public office or other convictions preventing appointment under applicable legislation;
• absence of situations of ineligibility or incompatibility under Italian Legislative Decree No. 39 of 8 April 2013 and other regulations applicable to the Foundation;
• not having been excluded from active voting rights, dismissed, relieved from service or terminated by a public administration or a privately governed entity under public control in circumstances preventing the establishment of a new employment relationship, nor having forfeited a position obtained through false documents or documents affected by non-remediable invalidity;
• absence of conflicts of interest, including potential conflicts, incompatible with the position, with particular reference to relationships with the Foundation, its Founders and the Autonomous Province of Trento;
• where applicable, not falling within the scope of the restrictions on the appointment of retired public or private employees to executive or management positions pursuant to Article 53-bis of Provincial Law No. 7 of 3 April 1997;
• medical fitness to perform the duties associated with the role, without prejudice to legislation protecting the employment rights of people with disabilities.

The following essential requirements are also required:

• a Master’s degree, specialist degree or university degree obtained under the Italian system in force before Ministerial Decree 509/1999, or a recognised equivalent foreign qualification;
• at least five years of overall experience in positions involving significant managerial responsibility, responsibility for complex organisational structures or comparable functions within public or private organisations, foundations, research organisations, universities, agencies or other organisations operating in fields consistent with the Foundation’s mission, including research, innovation, technology and knowledge transfer, economic and territorial development, entrepreneurship or innovation ecosystem management.

Failure to meet even one of the minimum or essential requirements will result in exclusion from the selection procedure.

Preferred qualifications

The following will be considered preferential qualifications and must be demonstrated through activities and projects actually carried out and/or coordinated:

• appropriate knowledge and experience in economic and organisational governance processes;
• proven experience in defining and leading strategic and/or organisational transformation processes, demonstrating the ability to formulate an evolutionary vision, anticipate scenarios and opportunities, identify development directions, mobilise people and stakeholders around shared objectives, and translate vision into priorities, decisions, programmes and concrete, measurable results;
• proven experience in leading and developing people and teams;
• proven ability to interpret strategic guidelines, development plans and public, industrial or innovation policies and translate them into coherent priorities, choices, programmes and projects;
• proven ability to operate in complex ecosystems and multi-stakeholder environments, building relationships, partnerships and projects involving public and private organisations and managing negotiation processes and differing interests;
• strong interpersonal, negotiation, representation and strategic communication skills;
• excellent written and spoken Italian and English, appropriate for carrying out the role in institutional, professional and international contexts;
• a PhD, MBA, executive master’s degree or other qualifications relevant to the role.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted exclusively by email to job@trentinoinnovation.eu by 12:00 noon on 4 December 2026, with the subject line “Selezione Direttore/trice operativo/a Fondazione HIT”.

To avoid exclusion, applications must include:

• the declaration in lieu of certification concerning the required eligibility criteria, completed using the template provided by HIT and duly signed;
• a CV, in Italian or English, clearly outlining the candidate’s educational background, professional experience, responsibilities held and main achievements, with particular reference to the essential and preferred requirements.

Before applying, candidates must read the full selection notice and the personal data processing information available on the Foundation’s website.

Candidates shortlisted for the next stage will subsequently be required to submit the “HIT 2030 – Strategic Leadership Proposal”, in accordance with the procedures set out in the selection notice.