Job Reference

702_25_DIR_IBD_SAP

Position

Head of BSC AI Factory Start-up Acceleration Programme

Closing Date

Thursday, 01 January, 2026

Reference: 702_25_DIR_IBD_SAP

Job title: Head of BSC AI Factory Start-up Acceleration Programme

About BSC

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is the leading supercomputing center in Spain. It houses MareNostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, was a founding and hosting member of the former European HPC infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now hosting entity for EuroHPC JU, the Joint Undertaking that leads large-scale investments and HPC provision in Europe. The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies in order to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R&D into both computer and computational science (life, earth and engineering sciences) under one roof, and currently has over 1000 staff from 60 countries.

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We are particularly interested for this role in the strengths and lived experiences of women and underrepresented groups to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights in science and IT research. In instances of equal merit, the incorporation of the under-represented sex will be favoured.

We promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, fostering an environment where each and every one of us is appreciated for who we are, regardless of our differences.

If you consider that you do not meet all the requirements, we encourage you to continue applying for the job offer. We value diversity of experiences and skills, and you could bring unique perspectives to our team.

Context And Mission

The BSC AI Factory Startup Acceleration Programme is designed to support early-stage and growth-stage startups working with artificial intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC), helping them accelerate product development, access advanced technical resources, and scale innovative deep-tech solutions. The programme leverages the scientific capabilities of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, including access to MareNostrum, expert mentoring, and tailored technical training, to strengthen the competitiveness and innovation capacity of startups within the European ecosystem.

The Head of the BSC AI Factory Startup Acceleration Programme is responsible for defining and leading the strategic direction, operational implementation, and external positioning of the acceleration programme. This role ensures high-quality support to participating startups, coordinates deep-tech mentorship and training activities, and represents the programme in public and institutional forums. Reporting to the BSC AI Factory leadership, the Head of Programme ensures that the acceleration activities are aligned with BSC strategic objectives and delivered with excellence, impact, and visibility.

This project is funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, in accordance with Council Regulation (EU) 2020/2094 of 14 December 2020, and regulated by Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021, in the context of the “BSC AI Factory” project.

The BSC AI Factory project has received funding from the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 101234399. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme and Spain, Portugal, and Türkiye.

For more information, please check: https://www.bsc.es/join-us/excellence-career-opportunities/bsc-ai-factory

Key Duties

• Lead the strategic vision of the Startup Acceleration Programme, ensuring alignment with BSC and AI Factory priorities and innovation objectives.
• Represent the programme publicly, acting as its spokesperson in media engagements, events, innovation forums, and strategic partnership settings.
• Oversee programme execution, including the definition of startup selection criteria, progress monitoring, and validation of key operational and strategic decisions (e.g., evolution of the acceleration model).
• Coordinate and ensure availability of deep-tech mentors in AI, HPC, data engineering, and related fields from the BSC, guaranteeing quality and relevance of technical support.
• Facilitate and supervise access to the MareNostrum supercomputer for participating startups, including prioritization management and high-performance computing guidance.
• Collaborate with the external contractor’s mentor network, ensuring complementarity between business mentoring and BSC’s deep-tech specialization.
• Lead the design and delivery of the programme’s technical training plan, in collaboration with BSC technical teams and external contributors.
• Work closely with BSC technical leadership and the acceleration programme operator to ensure that training content is technically robust, well-oriented, and effectively executed.
  
  

Requirements

• Education
• University degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Business Administration, Innovation Management, or a related field.
• Master’s degree in technology management, entrepreneurship, or innovation ecosystems is an asset.
• Additional training in startup development, venture strategy, technology transfer, or research-to-market programs is desirable.
• Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience
• Demonstrated experience in managing or leading startup acceleration, innovation programmes, technology transfer initiatives, or related entrepreneurial support environments.
• Experience working with deep-tech, AI, HPC, or data-intensive technologies, with the ability to understand and evaluate their use cases and development needs.
• Proven ability to work with startup founders, research teams, technical mentors, and industry stakeholders in high-growth and innovation-driven contexts.
• Experience designing and coordinating training, mentoring, or capacity-building programmes for entrepreneurs or technical teams.
• Familiarity with European innovation ecosystems (e.g., EIC, Digital Innovation Hubs, Deep Tech incubators, research infrastructures) is highly valued.
• Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience
• Experience facilitating access to advanced computing or digital research infrastructures (HPC, AI compute clusters, cloud platforms) is an advantage.
• Understanding of early-stage business development, technology validation, and go-to-market challenges in deep-tech startups.
• Previous role(s) involving public representation, stakeholder engagement, or serving as institutional spokesperson is desirable.
• Knowledge of European funding programmes related to innovation and startups is considered a plus.
• Competences
• Strong leadership and coordination skills, with the ability to inspire and engage diverse stakeholder groups.
• Excellent communication and public-speaking abilities, comfortable representing institutional initiatives in external forums.
• Strategic mindset and capacity to translate programme objectives into actionable plans.
• High level of autonomy, responsibility, and ability to manage complex activities across multiple partners and timelines.
• Ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary and multicultural environments.
• Fluency in Spanish and English is required; Catalan is an asset.
• Availability to travel for programme activities and events when needed within the Spanish territory.
  

Conditions

• The position will be located at BSC within the Directors Department
• We offer a full-time contract (37.5h/week), a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, restaurant tickets, private health insurance
• Duration: 3 years
• Holidays: 22 days of holidays + 6 personal days + 24th and 31st of December per our collective agreement
• Salary: we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona
• Starting date: asap
  
  

Applications procedure and process

All applications must be submitted via the BSC website and contain:

• A full CV in English including contact details
• A cover/motivation letter with a statement of interest in English, clearly specifying for which specific area and topics the applicant wishes to be considered. Additionally, two references for further contacts must be included. Applications without this document will not be considered.
  
  

Development of the recruitment process

The selection will be carried out through a competitive examination system ("Concurso-Oposición"). The recruitment process consists of two phases:

• Curriculum Analysis: Evaluation of previous experience and/or scientific history, degree, training, and other professional information relevant to the position. - 40 points
• Interview phase: The highest-rated candidates at the curriculum level will be invited to the interview phase, conducted by the corresponding department and Human Resources. In this phase, technical competencies, knowledge, skills, and professional experience related to the position, as well as the required personal competencies, will be evaluated. - 60 points. A minimum of 30 points out of 60 must be obtained to be eligible for the position.
  
  

The recruitment panel will be composed of at least three people, ensuring at least 25% representation of women.

In accordance with OTM-R principles, a gender-balanced recruitment panel is formed for each vacancy at the beginning of the process. After reviewing the content of the applications, the panel will begin the interviews, with at least one technical and one administrative interview. At a minimum, a personality questionnaire as well as a technical exercise will be conducted during the process.

The panel will make a final decision, and all individuals who participated in the interview phase will receive feedback with details on the acceptance or rejection of their profile.

At BSC, we seek continuous improvement in our recruitment processes. For any suggestions or comments/complaints about our recruitment processes, please contact [email protected] more information, please follow this link.

Deadline

The vacancy will remain open until a suitable candidate has been hired. Applications will be regularly reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted.

OTM-R principles for selection processes

BSC-CNS is committed to the principles of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers of the European Commission and the Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment principles (OTM-R). This is applied for any potential candidate in all our processes, for example by creating gender-balanced recruitment panels and recognizing career breaks etc.

BSC-CNS is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by applicable state or local law.

For more information follow this link

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