Operations Program Manager for UNICO-5G projects

i2CAT is looking for a Senior Operations Program Manager to join the DIMO (Digital Innovation Management Office) team. The main activities of the DIMO team within i2CAT are related to project management, pre-sales and customer solution design, management of advanced technology communities and the execution of collaborative innovation projects.

Specifically, DIMO is looking for an experienced program manager that can oversee the day to day operations of the research projects funded under the UNICO-5G Spanish programme. i2CAT has been awarded 20 research projects, totalling a budget of around 16.5 M € that needs to be executed in 36 months, starting January 2022. The projects are grouped in 6 coordinated projects plus one action to support talent acquisition. All the projects are lead by i2CAT, who will execute 30% of the budget and subcontract the remaining 70% to large companies, SMEs and research organizations using public procurement procedures. The following bullet points summarise the research topics of the coordinated projects [1]:

• 6G Enablers (3 subprojects): Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Trust, Privacy, Network Automation, Distributed Ledger Technologies, Marketplaces, Holoportation.


• Open 6G (3 subprojects): Open RAN, Artificial Intelligence, Network Automation, Wireless Sensing, Intelligent Surfaces.


• 6GSatNet (3 subprojects): Non Terrestrial Networks, 5G+ Core, Artificial Intelligence, Inter-Satellite Links, SDN over satellites, Cybersecurity.


• 6GTwinRoad (4 subprojects): Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM), Vehicular communications, Network Slicing, Artificial Intelligence, Positioning, Digital Twins.


• 6GSmart (4 subprojects): Private 5G / 6G networks, Time Sensitive Networks, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Continuum, Industry 4.0.


• 6G-Openverso (2 subprojects): 5G / 6G tesbeds, Intelligent Open Networks, Integrated sensing and communications, Cloud continuum, Multi-party Holographic Communications.

The projects will be executed by the i2CAT research areas. Each coordinated project will be lead by a Principal Investigator (PI), and each subproject by a co-PI, which will lead the research team assigned to carry out the related scientific and technical work. A strategic program manager will oversee the strategic scientific and technical direction of the whole program. The role of the operations program manager will be to oversee the day to day execution of the 20 subprojects, tracking the research activities carried out by i2CAT and the subcontracted partners to make sure they are aligned to the objectives defined in the respective plans. Specifically, the operations program manager will:

• Monitor the execution of the different subprojects, checking the status of the different activities to make sure they follow the goals, KPIs and resource plans defined in their respective plans.


• Identify early potential problems in the execution of the research projects, such as missalignments between projects, redundant activities, deviations in terms of time and/or resources from the project plans, etc. with the goal of mitigating the risks associated to such deviations.


• Support i2CAT's procurement team in preparing and executing the public procurement actions to subcontract external organizations (large companies, SMEs, research institutions) that participate in the execution of the different subprojects.


• Follow-up the work of external partners, to make sure they perform their research and technical work according to the conditions (tasks, resources and KPIs) defined in their respective contracts with i2CAT.


• Support the strategic program manager by providing him/her with up to date information on the execution of each project.


• Support the PIs and coPIs of each project, helping them understand the status of the different projects in terms of budget, resources and achieved KPIs. Work together with them to address potential issues that may arise.

[1] https://i2cat.net/la-fundacio-i2cat-rep-una-subvencio-per-a-projectes-de-recerca-i-innovacio-en-5g-avancat-i-6g/

Who we are:

The i2CAT Foundation is a CERCA centre with the vision of leading the challenge of designing and building the digital society of the future based on research and innovation in advanced digital technologies. Highlighting the generation of talent and in order to generate economic and social impact, i2CAT wants to turn Catalonia into a creative, empowered and innovative society, where knowledge and digital technology are at the service of people, promoting:

- The generation of excellence knowledge aimed at solving the challenges of companies, citizens and public administration (mission-driven research).
- The collaboration and establishment of synergies with other agents of the local ecosystem of research and digital innovation to co-develop solutions and products that generate a transformative impact.
- The digital empowerment of citizens through digital, open, participatory social innovation with territorial capillarity.
- The leadership of pioneering initiatives and tractors that increase the international projection and visibility of Catalonia as a digital and innovative country.

i2CAT is a constantly growing organization that has extensive experience in the leadership and development of research and innovation projects at national and international level in the technological fields of 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), virtual and immersive technologies, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Space Communications and digital society technologies.

Want to know more? Visit our webpage! (http://www.i2cat.net/)

What do we offer?

• Work from our offices or from home, whichever works best for you. We only ask for two days in person at the office to coordinate with the rest of the team.


• This is a full time vacancy


• You will have a flexible work schedule so that you can reconcile your personal life with the professional one.


• Intensive hours every Friday of the year and every day in July and August


• Fix + variable salary


• Possibility of receiving part of your remuneration in kind (restaurant, transport, nursery or medical insurance)


• 25 working days of annual leave (the common 22 + 3 additional ones)


• You can access the UPC gym at a reduced price


• If you are interested, you can participate in events of your sector.


• You will work with a laptop. You can choose your work environment, Mac, Linux or Windows.


• You can ask us for training of your interest.


• We will work so that you have a career plan to promote your growth and development.

Where will you do it?

At i2CAT we already have an established telework policy for some time. You can work from home or from the office, whichever suits you best. We ask that you attend the office two days per week, one to stay connected with the team and the other one to establish relations.

If you decide to come to the office, we are located in Zona Universitària, next to the Campus Nord of the UPC, within a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment. It is a very well connected area (metro, tram, bus) with bars and restaurants around.

Our offices are designed with an open-office concept where everyt

Minimum requeriments:

• University degree with additional studies in business management (MBA, master's, postgraduate, etc.)


• Technical knowledge in ICT technologies.


• Minimum demonstrable experience of 4 years in consulting and / or project management in the ICT sector.


• Communication skills.


• Spanish/Catalan native speaker. Fluency in English (written, spoken).


• A well-organized person with the ability to structure and plan tasks.


• Autonomy, proactivity and ability to build trust.

Desired requeriments:

• Degree in Telecom or Computer Science.


• Knowledge / experience working with players that are part of the Spanish ICT innovation ecosystem.


• Knowledge and / or interest in advanced digital technologies (5G, Internet of Things, Space Communications, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity)


• Degree in project management (PMP, PMI, etc.)


• Minimum demonstrable experience of 6 years in consulting and / or project management in the ICT sector.


• Experience working in research and innovation projects at the Catalan, Spanish or European level.


• PhD in Telecom or Computer Science