A collaboration between oikos and swissnex and sponsored by Movetia, the Leadership and Sustainability Fellowship, aims to gather international students and academics to foster innovation in sustainable management and leadership education, through the oikos-designed “Students Creating Curriculum for Sustainability” project.

oikos is us. We are an international, student-led non-profit organization for sustainability in economics and management. Founded in 1987 in Switzerland, we empower student change agents worldwide to embed sustainability in academia and from there into day-to-day business, government, and personal activities. Our programs integrate environmental and social perspectives in economics and management education and equip our members with the necessary tools to become today and tomorrow’s responsible leaders.

swissnex Brazil, our new partner, is a platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas in science, education, research, and innovation. Through their public events and study tours, they highlight the best of Swiss and Brazilian ingenuity and create opportunities for networking among their diverse group of professional contacts in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and beyond. swissnex Brazil offers the resources to help international guests, start-ups, university outposts, entrepreneurs-in-residence, and other visitors succeed.

Job Description

• The fellow will work for both oikos and swissnex. They will be connected with the vivid oikos community with decades-long experience in developing projects for sustainable management and leadership, as well as with swissnex and its excellent knowledge of swiss education and innovation.
• In the first two months of the project, January and February 2020, the fellow will work in the oikos headquarters in St. Gallen. From March to October 2020, the fellow will be relocated to swissnex Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. The fellow will return to Switzerland and finalize their work at the oikos office in St. Gallen until January 2021.
• One of the tasks of the fellow is to create and develop a two to three weeks virtual conference with several speakers, live interactive workshops, panel discussions,  interviews with Q&As, reflections/learning sessions, open-space workshops, and peer-to-peer discussions. The fellow can rely on the oikos community, swissnex Brazil, and their partners to develop the conference. At the beginning of their work, they will be responsible for co-leading an online thematic group on the topic of sustainable management and leadership at oikos. This group will be mainly composed of oikos students, alumni and partners from more than 20 countries in Europe, North America, Asia & Africa.
• The fellow will be involved in the development and implementation of swissnex activities. They will work directly with a person responsible for academic relations in swissnex Brazil. One of the tasks for the fellow is to organize visits for Swiss professor(s) to Brazil. During this visit, we would like to ignite cross-continental conversations, showcase Swiss excellence in this topic, and facilitate potential international academic/business collaborations between Switzerland and Brazil.
• The fellow will be responsible for bringing the perspective of younger generations on sustainable management and leadership to those interactions with local universities and businesses. He/She is expected to observe and report on what swissnex and oikos could improve and build upon.  Based on the suggestions of the fellow and thematic group (led by the fellow), oikos and swissnex Brazil will approach universities and other relevant institutions (student organizations, companies, NGO’s) with an offer to use the project outcomes in their curriculum/ institutional training.
• Take full ownership of the professional implementation of the “Students Creating Curriculum for Sustainability” project and related events; contribute with new ideas and initiatives to further swissnex & oikos’ mission and objectives.

Tasks and responsibilities

Event Planning and Management: active participation in and contribution to events and learning expeditions /delegation visits, including:

• Conduct research and participate in brainstorming for event topics
• Independent planning, preparation and execution of projects and events
• Identify, contact and coach potential speakers / exhibitors/ participants
• Manage local stakeholders, service companies and suppliers
• Assist with public relations and communication between partners, sponsors, and other project partners
• Draft funding applications and reports
• Update and maintain event project database
• The logistical organization, including setting up event room, cleaning, welcoming and registering guests
• Take charge of AV management during events & generally support the ‘back-end’ of events

‘Connecting the dots’ & Networking: act as a connector between people and ideas:

• Reactively and proactively promote collaboration between people and organizations in Switzerland and Brazil
• Occasionally attend events, conferences, meetings as a swissnex/oikos representative, and share contacts, findings, and learnings with the swissnex and oikos teams

What we look for in a Candidate

General / Personality

• Outgoing, communicative; avid networker and connector
• Independent, self-motivated
• Hands-on, proactive
• Visionary, creative, resourceful
• Passionate about Brazil
• Dedication to further Swiss excellence in science, education, innovation and art

Background / Experience

• Recent Bachelor, Master or PhD degree (starting date maximum 1 year after graduation date)
• Proven experience planning and managing events and/or projects
• Passionate about sustainable management & leadership (ideally already engaged in this topic)
• Professional mastery (reading and speaking) of the Portuguese language (B2 level or more)
• Professional mastery of at least one Swiss national language
• Professional mastery of the English language
• International experience (Brazilian and Swiss experience a plus)

Skills

• Proven organizational skills and ability to multitask
• Ability to independently implement projects
• Excellent people and communication skills (verbal and written)
• Attention to detail
• Solid time-management and ability to prioritize
• Web and social media savvy a plus

Important Information

• This is a 100% position; ideal start date in January 2020
• This is a 13 or 14 months contract
• The position requires flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends
• Swiss citizenship or EU studying/recent graduate in Switzerland + valid work permit in Switzerland required (Permit C)
• Proficiency of the Portuguese language is mandatory

Please submit your application via this form until the 20th of October.