The Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) in Bochum is a research institute of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science. It conducts interdisciplinary research on the diverse aspects of IT security and data protection. The newly established and expanding institute will ultimately comprise 18 research groups and employ around 200 staff members and guests. The institute cooperates with the Faculty of Computer Science at Ruhr University Bochum. Bochum is one of the world’s leading research locations for cybersecurity and is home to Europe’s largest training center in this field as well as a vibrant start-up scene.

Starting immediately, we are seeking a

Project Coordinator – AI Competition (d/f/m), 50%

to support the organization, communication, and implementation of an AI competition. The competition combines cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity with the goal of advancing AI-based cybersecurity technologies. Teams from academia, start-ups, and industry will develop autonomous AI-based systems for identifying software vulnerabilities and assessing their exploitability.

The position is part-time (50%) and project-funded until the end of December 2028.

Your Responsibilities:

• Competition Organization: Coordinate the organizational implementation of the tournament, including deadlines, participant communication, documentation, and organizational workflows.
• Participant Management: Serve as an organizational point of contact for participating teams and prospective applicants; coordinate inquiries, registration processes, information materials, and communication throughout the competition.
• Event Management: Plan and organize several events, in particular the qualification event and the final tournament. This includes venues, logistics, infrastructure, schedules, invitations, and coordination with external service providers.
• Communication and Outreach: Develop and coordinate communication activities to increase awareness of the tournament among universities, research institutions, start-ups, companies, and the broader cybersecurity and AI communities. Identify and address relevant target groups and support targeted outreach activities to attract strong teams.
• Website and Communication Materials: Coordinate and prepare content for the project website, newsletters, flyers, posters, social media, and other communication channels.
• Public Relations: Coordinate media and public-relations activities around major project milestones and events in collaboration with MPI-SP’s communication structures and the project partners. Support communication and coordination with industry partners, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Project Coordination: Support meetings, schedules, documentation, reporting, and other organizational aspects of the project and ensure effective communication between the scientific team, project partners, participants, and external stakeholders.

Your Requirements:

• A Master’s degree or comparable qualification, preferably in communication, event management, project management, science management, or a related field.
• Experience in project coordination, event organization, communication, or public relations.
• Excellent organizational and project-management skills and the ability to coordinate multiple activities and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in German and English.
• The ability to communicate professionally with researchers, companies, public-sector organizations, and other external stakeholders.
• A proactive, reliable, and solution-oriented working style.
• Confidence in using standard digital communication and collaboration tools.

Experience in science communication, research organizations, technology competitions, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, or publicly funded research projects is advantageous but not required.

Our Benefits:

• An independent and varied position at the intersection of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, research and technology transfer.
• You will work closely with an international scientific team and help shape a high-profile national competition from its initial preparation through qualification and the final tournament.
• In consultation with the team, the position offers a high degree of independence in organizing the competition, as well as the opportunity to build relationships across academia, start-ups, industry, and the public sector.
• Payment will be in accordance with the collective agreement for the public service (TVöD Bund), depending on qualifications and professional experience, and will include relevant social benefits and an annual special payment.
• In addition to 30 days of annual leave, we offer a public-sector pension scheme (VBL).

The Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy stands for a collaborative, diverse and inclusive workplace culture and promotes equal opportunities. We strongly encourage applications from members of any underrepresented group in our research area. In particular, we invite and motivate women and individuals with disabilities to apply.

Your application:

Please submit your application materials (including a cover letter, CV, and relevant certificates) as a single PDF file to
projectcoordinator-ai@csp.mpg.de

We look forward to receiving your application by 27.09.2026.

Apply now

Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy
Universitätsstraße 140
44799 Bochum
csp.mpg.de