Regional Hub Managers

EIT Water

Start date
December 2026

About the Organisation

EIT Water is Europe's innovation community for water, marine, and maritime systems. It connects industry, innovators, researchers, educators, and policymakers to tackle the most urgent water challenges, from scarcity, drought, and flooding to pollution and ecosystem decline. EIT Water is part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.

Founded in 2026, EIT Water has eight regional hubs across Europe and a mandate to deliver systemic innovation from source to sea. EIT Water is now establishing the governance structures that will guide its first Strategic Agenda and long-term impact.

About the role

EIT Water is seeking entrepreneurial, commercially minded Regional Hub Managers to strengthen its presence and impact across eight European regions. As Europe's innovation community for water, marine and maritime systems, EIT Water brings together industry, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs and policymakers to address critical challenges, from water scarcity and flooding to pollution and ecosystem degradation.

Each Regional Hub Manager will serve as EIT Water's senior regional representative, building trusted relationships, mobilising local ecosystems and connecting regional stakeholders to a pan-European network of innovation, education and business creation opportunities. The role will focus on identifying new partnerships, engaging Members and participants, and translating regional strengths and priorities into impactful collaboration, innovation and sustainable business growth.

This is an opportunity for an entrepreneurial relationship-builder to shape a growing European innovation community, strengthen regional ecosystems and contribute to a more resilient and sustainable water future. EIT Water welcomes applications from candidates with diverse professional, sectoral and geographic backgrounds and is committed to building an inclusive organisation that reflects the communities it serves.

Responsibilities

• Grow the regional community: Proactively identify, approach and convert prospective Members, programme participants and ecosystem actors across utilities, corporates, startups, research, universities, public authorities, investors, clusters and other relevant networks.
• Own regional relationships: Act as the primary regional business-development contact, articulate EIT Water's value proposition, lead Member onboarding and maintain the ongoing relationships that drive participation, value and retention.
• Represent the full EIT Water offering: Build sufficient working knowledge of Education, Business Creation and Innovation to diagnose stakeholder needs, explain relevant opportunities and manage warm handoffs to the right pillar or programme team. 
• Build opportunity pipelines: Create qualified regional pipelines of learners, universities, entrepreneurs, startups, scaleups, innovations, adopters, demonstration sites, investors and delivery partners, including targeted education outreach where required.
• Broker connections and accelerate opportunities: Facilitate matchmaking and cross-border connections, and use sound judgement to fast-track strategically important signals such as investor interest, corporate venture links, validation hosts or major adopters.
• Be the regional intelligence channel: Maintain a two-way flow of opportunities, calls, events and updates to the region while feeding stakeholder insight, market intelligence, emerging needs and feedback into EIT Water's strategy and programmes.
• Activate EIT Water in the region: Represent EIT Water at the events and networks that matter, coordinate high-quality regional activities using central toolkits and source compelling stories, case studies and testimonials for Communications & Brand.
• Run an effective Regional Hub: Manage the Hub plan, budget, CRM information and performance; work constructively within the host organisation; and collaborate with the other seven Hubs and EIT Water's central teams.

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Experience:

• 6+ years' experience in business development, partnerships, account management, ecosystem development, entrepreneurship, innovation or a closely related field.
• Knowledge of the water, marine, or maritime sectors; strong adjacent-sector experience will also be considered where you can operate credibly across a broad ecosystem.
• Commercial and business-development experience, including proactive prospecting and outreach, and a track record of converting relationships into membership, partnerships, participation, investment or other practical outcomes.
• Strong regional networks and a credible understanding of the organisations, decision-makers, universities, funding bodies, investors, clusters, events and channels that matter in the relevant ecosystem.
• Experience building trusted relationships with diverse senior stakeholders across industry and utilities, startups, research, education, government and public authorities, finance and civil society.
• Fluency in English and appropriate language capability for the region. Experience working across European or multi-country environments is an advantage.

Skills & Competencies:

• Commercial and entrepreneurial orientation: comfortable opening doors, initiating sales and partnership conversations, and creating momentum rather than waiting for opportunities to arrive.
• Relationship and account management: the ability to build trust, understand stakeholder needs, follow through, and sustain high-value relationships over time.
• Cross-pillar agility: the curiosity and learning ability to represent the full EIT
• Water offering and translate programme language into what matters to different stakeholders.
• Judgement and prioritisation: the ability to manage competing demands, recognise strategic opportunities and decide when to act directly, escalate or bring in specialist colleagues.
• Communication & influence: clear, persuasive communication and confidence engaging senior stakeholders across sectors, cultures and professional backgrounds.
• Diplomatic independence: the ability to work effectively within a host organisation while maintaining EIT Water's broader regional mandate and interests.
• Cross-cultural collaboration: the ability to share intelligence, opportunities and learning across the eight Hubs and a distributed European organisation.

Required Qualifications

• Relevant degree or equivalent professional experience.

Conditions of employment

• Candidates must reside in the European Union or UK and have the right to work in the country where the respective Hub is located, and be willing to undertake regular European travel, including to EIT Water’s Head Office in Aarhus, Denmark.

Working locations

• Home-based
• Prepared to travel regularly throughout the entire geography of the hub region and associated countries to engage with the whole ecosystem.

How to apply

• Further information can be found via the apply online and applications should include a current CV and a cover letter setting out your interest and relevant experience.
• The appointment process is led by Perrett Laver on behalf of EIT Water. For questions about the process, please contact Karyn Malseed at [email protected].

Policies

EIT Water is part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. This activity is co-funded by the European Union. EIT Water is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications without discrimination on any grounds. EIT Water is an established Danish Association based in Aarhus.

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