Vacant job

Universeum (https://www.universeum.se/foretag) is one of the most visited experiences in Sweden and an established learning resource that complements the education sector. Every year, over half a million people engage with Universeum; in the building at Korsvägen, in schools, in residential areas, and at other locations. We enhance the knowledge and understanding of children, youth, and adults in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) through experience-based learning. In learning environments and programs, we build the scientific capital required for individual development, democratic participation, and future competence supply. Since our inception in 2001, we have equipped people of all ages to actively contribute to sustainable societal development through strengthened action competence for Agenda 2030 and an increased proportion of completed studies.

We are now seeking a visionary and engaging CEO who wants to lead Universeum into its next development phase.

About Universeum
At Universeum, we explore our world through natural sciences, technology, and mathematics, always in an inspiring way. The experiences provide knowledge about everything from atoms and artificial intelligence to ecosystems, biodiversity, and equations. We place this knowledge in an interdisciplinary perspective that creates interest, engagement, and understanding of how the world is interconnected and functions. As Sweden's national science center, we strive to make science accessible to everyone, regardless of background or circumstances. Universeum is a profit-driven but non-dividend paying company.

After 20 years at Universeum, of which 14 years as CEO, Carina Halvord has chosen to leave the CEO position. Therefore, we are looking for a forward-thinking and secure leader who can take over and continue to develop one of Sweden's most significant experience and knowledge destinations.

The Role of the CEO
As CEO, you will lead a complex and dynamic organization with a strong brand, important societal mission, and extensive public operations. You have overall strategic, financial, and organizational responsibility. You report to Universeum's board and have a competent and engaged management team to assist you. You drive both long-term development and daily operations – in an organization where close, present, and operational leadership is crucial.

Your main tasks:
• Lead the organization with full financial and personnel responsibility
• Develop the organization, culture, and employees with a focus on engagement and future potential
• Ensure that the business plan is implemented and further developed
• Drive strategic work with fundraising and larger partnerships
• Build and nurture relationships with key stakeholders in business, academia, and the public sector
• Strengthen Universeum's position as a leading destination and public experience
• Navigate and develop a broad operation with animal care, pedagogy, technology, exhibitions, and restaurant operations
• Be Universeum's primary representative and spokesperson – clear, engaging, and credible
• Drive digitalization, innovation, and the development of new learning and experience formats
• Ensure a safe, secure, and inclusive work environment

The role requires a leader who thrives in complexity and can balance the commercial mission with the core of Universeum's scientific and educational mission.

We Offer
This is one of Sweden's most stimulating and significant leadership assignments. As CEO of Universeum, you will:
• Live at the intersection of science, education, technology, biodiversity, and public experience
• Lead a unique environment where rainforest, aquariums, and advanced technology coexist under one roof, together with about 80 permanent staff and around 60 student employees and temporary staff.
• Work in a stable, well-regarded organization with strong relationships with business, academia, and society
• Have a significant impact on how Sweden develops its national science center and future learning
• Be a central actor in sustainable societal development and future competence supply

Who Are We Looking For?
We are looking for a leader who dares to think big and long-term – visionary, strategic, and with analytical sharpness. You are communicative and inspiring, a person who creates energy and brings people together around common goals. Building relationships is your strength, and you move effortlessly in many different environments. Placement in Gothenburg is a requirement, as is the willingness to live and work in the region.

Background and Experience:
• Relevant academic degree, for example in economics, engineering, or similar
• Executive leadership experience with financial and budget responsibility; you have led through other managers
• Documented experience of larger change and development journeys
• Experience from the visitor industry, business, experience industry, science centers, or other public operations is highly meritorious
• People-oriented. Ability to lead, engage, and inspire employees throughout the organization
• Familiar with operating in the intersection of business, academia, and public actors
• Successful experience in fundraising and strategic partnerships
• Strong financial understanding and accustomed to leading resource-efficiently
• Experience in brand building and creating public experiences
• Confident and experienced spokesperson
• International experience is an advantage
• Operational understanding – you lead close to the operations, not from a distance

As a leader, you are attentive, inclusive, and engaging. You have a business-oriented perspective but always stand firm in the organization's societal mission. We believe you are brave, unpretentious, and value-driven – with a clear compass that helps you make wise decisions even when it is complex. You have the ability to create wholeness and structure in a world that can sometimes feel tangled. Fluent English is a requirement, while Swedish is highly meritorious.

Do you want to lead a place where knowledge changes the world?
Warmly welcome your application as soon as possible, but no later than January 11 via maquire.se (http://maquire.se), with whom Universeum collaborates in this recruitment. If you have questions, please contact Claes Berggren, Maquire, 0727-520374 or Anna Åkesson, Maquire, 0763-388796