Senior Project Manager / PMO LeadTitel (m/f/x)

About us

Bauhaus der Erde is a non-profit think & make tank in Berlin working towards a regenerative built environment that actively protects the climate and biodiversity. We rethink architecture, urban planning and materials science together with partners from science, politics, business and civil society.

Our interdisciplinary team of around 50 people spans architecture, urban planning, the social sciences and the natural sciences. We work project-based, science-driven and hands-on.

Key facts

Location: Berlin

- Start Date: 15th November 2026 or by arrangement
- Application Deadline: 26th October
- Employment Type: Full-time, limited contract (2–4 years depending on final grant agreement)
- Seniority Level: Senior
- Pay Scale: TV-L EG 13 (Step 4–5, depending on qualifications)
- Languages: English (C1 required), German (B1 desirable)
- Travel Requirements: No regular travel required
- Reporting to: Strategic Project Lead & Head of Finance
- Programme Team: 20+ members

Note: Filling this position is subject to final contractual grant approval by the funding agency.

Project description

Scaling Regenerative Construction

This programme aims to make building with bamboo, earth, timber and fibres a mainstream, low-carbon choice that restores ecosystems instead of degrading them. One third of the world's residential building stock is still to be built by 2050, mostly in the Majority World, so the coming decade is decisive.

Building on the findings and partner networks of a 2026 scoping study, sub-projects in countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Bangladesh will develop and implement strategies to scale nature-based materials in local housing and construction markets. Together with local partners, they address resource management, value chains, building practices, social justice, market readiness, policy and regulation.

Key deliverables are stakeholder action groups, advances in building codes, locally adapted building typologies and pilot demonstration buildings in government or private development programmes. The result: actionable implementation models and scalable blueprints that strengthen regional supply chains and embed robust socio-ecological safeguards.

Your mission

You provide the organizational, contractual, and financial backbone of our international implementation programme. While our project leads drive content, you step in as a proactive driver who unifies team inputs, designs efficient operations, and creates clarity across complex sub-projects.

- Programme Orchestration & Synthesis: Oversee the overall programme, synthesize diverse inputs from individual project leads into unified operational decisions, and coordinate key milestones and deadlines.
- Proactive Process Design: Serve as a core sparring partner for leadership; proactively identify information bottlenecks and establish clear, lightweight workflows for planning, reporting, and team-wide communication.
- Financial Oversight & Pre-Checking: Consolidate and pre-check expenditure plans and country-case budgets from local leads before passing them to Finance for liquidity planning and drawdown execution.
- Contractual & Legal Coordination: Act as the operational bridge for legal and contractual frameworks under a 4-to-6-eyes principle, coordinating contract setups and compliance in close alignment with management.
- Lean Digital Workflows: Establish low-overhead digital tooling across internal teams and international partners that ensures real-time transparency without creating bureaucratic fatigue.
- Communication & Problem Solving: Serve as a reachable sparring partner between management, project leads, local partners, and the funder, bridging different perspectives to solve operational bottlenecks.
- Data-Driven Tracking: Translate overarching transformation goals into structured work packages, risk assessments, and actionable KPI tracking.
- Operational Foresight: Look beyond immediate programme needs to initiate task-force-style operational improvements across the wider organization.

Your profile

You enjoy designing structures, think in pragmatic solutions, and naturally give orientation in dynamic project phases—with a strong sense for how much structure a creative, interdisciplinary team needs to thrive.

- Experience: 5+ years of professional experience organizing and supporting complex, large-scale international projects or programmes, ideally in a scientific, non-profit, or international development context.
- Education: Master's degree, Diploma, or comparable qualification with solid practical experience.
- Proactive Mindset: A hands-on "get it done" attitude with the confidence to step into ambiguity, align differing viewpoints, and establish order proactively.
- Financial & Contractual Acumen: Solid hands-on experience with project budgets, financial forecasts, and contract coordination (no legal specialization required, but high comfort with contractual details).
- Tool Mastery & Automation: Comfort with modern digital project management tools and process design, with an interest in lightweight automation.
- Agile & Pragmatic Approach: Familiarity with both agile and classic project management methods, applied with flexibility and common sense to day-to-day operations.
- Stakeholder Bridge Builder: Collaborative eye-to-eye approach when working alongside scientists, architects, executive leadership, and international field partners.
- Languages: Business-fluent English (C1 required); German (B1 or above) is desirable.

Nice to have

- Project management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, Agile/Scrum).
- Experience with lightweight process automation.
- Practical familiarity with the potential and limitations of AI tools in PMO workflows.

Why us?

Strategic Ownership & High-Impact Leadership

- High-Impact Work: Shape national housing standards and climate-resilient architecture at a transformational scale across South-East Asia.
- Strategic Autonomy: High level of ownership to shape operational strategy, direct multi-partner governance, and interface with senior stakeholders.
- Professional Growth: A unique strategic position at the intersection of international development, sustainability innovation, and high-level grant management.

Culture & Interdisciplinary Environment

- Collaborative & International Culture: Work alongside an international, highly interdisciplinary team of researchers, architects, and climate scientists across Berlin headquarters and field sites.
- Mission-Driven Organization: Purpose-led institute dedicated to climate action, circular building solutions, and transforming the global built environment.

Compensation & Perks

- Competitive Public Sector Alignment: Remuneration based on TV-L EG 13 (Step 4–5), reflecting senior responsibility.
- Annual Leave: 30 days of paid annual leave to support rest, balance, and well-being.
- Annual Bonus: 13th-month annual special payment (Jahressonderzahlung).
- Subsidized Public Transit: Subsidized BVG Job Ticket / Deutschlandticket for seamless mobility.
- Flexible Working: Hybrid working model with up to 2 days of home office per week and up to 10 remote working days per year.

Diversity

At Bauhaus der Erde we are committed to an inclusive, diverse and equitable working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified people, regardless of ethnic origin, gender, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age.

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