Program Manager UTOPYS
Job description
Purpose of the position:
In this position, the program manager is responsible for overseeing and steering the UTOPYS program (2026-2036) by providing executive-level guidance, making key business decisions, and ensuring effective governance across all related activities. The UTOPYS program is a 10-year scientific activity aiming at describing complex cyber-physical power systems dynamics.
The program manager also maintains a strategic, long term view by identifying, evaluating, and aligning current and potential programs and projects within the ESE department to ensure they support the broader vision and contributes to langer, long-term goals. The program manager helps to be more successful in shaping and writing proposals.
While projects have defined start and end points with specific resources, the program manager ensures these projects collectively advance the overarching mission of the program if applicable.
Results the position should achieve:
- Effective governance and execution of the UTOPYS program, ensuring that all projects within the program deliver their intended outcomes and contribute to the overarching long term vision. As well as meeting the requirements on time, reporting on time and in a professional matter.
- Clear strategic alignment within the ESE department, by identifying which programs and projects to pursue or decline, based on organizational priorities and potential impact.
- Establishing and retaining a professional reputation towards external parties and stakeholders.
- A comprehensive overview of current and potential initiatives, providing management with visibility into opportunities, risks, resources, and interdependencies across programs.
- Successful development and submission of compelling proposals, contributing to the growth of the program portfolio (number of programs and projects to be determined over time, based on availability and workload) and securing support for future initiatives.
- Consistent decision making and operational leadership, ensuring smooth program operations, resource coordination, and problem resolution.
Assigned Tasks:
- Oversee courses related to the program and operational alignment around the courses;
- To create, organize, and possibly give training on how to use infrastructure;
- Organize all necessary events (such as consortiums, lab tours, etc.) and meetings (witch relevant departments and parties such as: finance, audit, etc.);
- To be the single point of contact point for external parties and stakeholders;
- Organize communication and marketing initiatives;
- Document and structural project management, with tasks including: keeping the project planning up-to-date, writing reports, organizing agenda’s, creating slideshows.
Place in the organisation:
- Direct report to department chair.
- Linking pin with contract management and finance, I&IC, marketing & communications
About the department
The research in the Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy is inspired by the technical, scientific, and societal challenges originating from the transition towards a more sustainable society and focuses on four areas:
- DC Systems, Energy Conversion and Storage (DCE&S)
- Photovoltaic Materials and Devices (PVMD)
- Intelligent Electrical Power Grids (IEPG)
- High Voltage Technologies (HVT)
The Electrical Sustainable Energy Department provides expertise in each of these areas throughout the entire energy system chain. The department owns a large ESP laboratory assembling High Voltage testing, DC Grids testing environment, and large RTDS that is actively used for real-time simulation of future electrical power systems, AC and DC protection, and wide-area monitoring and protection. Furthermore, the department own one of the largest academic RTDS infrastructure equiped with additional labs for performing Control and Protection HiL testing.
Job requirements
Competencies/skills:
- Well organized;
- Reliable;
- Communication (written and verbal) in English and Dutch;
- Feeling for political context/different stakeholders;
- Organizational sensitivity;
- Excellent professional project/program management skills
- Background in power engineering;
- Experience in business administration (basis in finance, legal, HR, marketing, communication) is a plus.
Working and thinking level:
- MSc. working and thinking level
- Experience in program management
TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.
At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.
Challenge. Change. Impact!
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three scientific disciplines. Combined, they reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we all use in our daily lives. Technology such as the electricity grid, which our faculty is helping to make completely sustainable and future-proof. At the same time, we are developing the chips and sensors of the future, whilst also setting the foundations for the software technologies to run on this new generation of equipment – which of course includes AI. Meanwhile we are pushing the limits of applied mathematics, for example mapping out disease processes using single cell data, and using mathematics to simulate gigantic ash plumes after a volcanic eruption. In other words: there is plenty of room at the faculty for ground-breaking research. We educate innovative engineers and have excellent labs and facilities that underline our strong international position. In total, more than 1000 employees and 4,000 students work and study in this innovative environment.
Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science.
Conditions of employment
- Duration of contract is 10 years Temporary
- A job of 38-40 hours per week.
- A salary based on Scale 12 of the CAO for Dutch Universities with a salary between €5705 - €7297 gross per month based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
- An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
- The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
- Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
- Flexible working week.
- Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
- Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
- Partially paid parental leave
- Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.
Additional information
If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Peter Palensky, via p.palensky@tudelft.nl.
Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 27 April 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:
- CV
- A list of grades of your qualifying degrees
- Motivational letter that details your motivation and fit to the job requirements
You can address your application to Peter Palensky.
Please note:
- You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
- As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest. You can find more information about this assessment on our website about knowledge security.
- Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.