You will work closely with a senior project manager and collaborate with a network of external freelancers to shape citizen science activities, creative engagement formats, and EU research projects that connect people with science in meaningful, playful ways.

Start date: middle of January 2026, by arrangement.
Workload: 20–40%
Location: Based in Zürich or able to work regularly in-person; flexible remote / coworking options available
Contract: Part-time; position can be entered at internship or junior level; self-employed (freelance) applicants welcome. Duration aligned with ongoing project cycles (minimum 4 months), with potential extension.
Important: Applications without a valid Swiss work permit cannot be considered.

Your Role

• Plan, implement and monitor project workplans, timelines and deliverables; ensure work packages finish on time.
• Manage communications, logistics and coordination with your senior project manager, external experts and EU partners.
• Organise and facilitate partner meetings, workshops, walkshops and events; ensure timely follow-up.
• Contribute to project development and co-design participatory activities (learning formats, storytelling).
• Assist with proposal and report writing, funder deliverables and basic budget/time tracking.
• Support communications and outreach: prepare presentations and coordinate with designers and audio producers.

Projects You Will Support

Pollen Watch – Tackling Allergies, Empowering Communities

A citizen science project exploring how pollen, climate, mobility, and daily routines affect health. Participants use portable sensors and workshops to co-create knowledge about environmental exposure and climate resilience. As a Project Assistant, you will support the building of the citizen scientist community, organize playful measurement campaigns and other events, and assist with the communication and dissemination of these activities.

Roads4All – From behaviour to policy – building a traffic safety culture for all.

Roads4All is a research project aimed at making European roads safer, more inclusive and sustainable by addressing the cultural and behavioural roots of traffic safety. Through five real-life “Living Roads” in Estonia, Croatia, Greece, Italy and Serbia, the project co-creates and tests interventions using behavioural science, participatory arts, virtual reality, simulators, and policy dialogue.

You will support creative engagement formats such as walkshops, a stand-up comedy academy, audiostorytelling activities, community workshops and mobility-related public engagement.

Your Profile

Background & Experience:

• Bachelor or Master degree completed (thesis developed).
• At least 1 year of experience in project coordination or management.
• Experience with international or EU-funded projects is an advantage.

Skills:

• Excellent organisational and planning abilities.
• Strong English skills (spoken & written); German is a plus.
• Confident public speaker and comfortable representing projects.
• Competent with tools like Google Workspace, Trello, Notion, Slack, etc.
• Able to manage timelines, deliverables, and expert input across partners.

What you bring:

• Proactive, solution-oriented mindset.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a small team.
• Cultural awareness and motivation for public-interest, creative, or science engagement initiatives.
• Curiosity, playfulness, and enthusiasm for participatory approaches.

What we offer:

• Meaningful work in a mission-driven, international environment.
• Hands-on experience in Swiss and European research and innovation projects.
• Flexible part-time working conditions with remote options.
• A clear development pathway: internship entry possible; junior-level responsibilities from the start.
• Opportunity to co-create creative, participatory, and impactful public-engagement formats.

About us

Founded and run by passionate scientists, DISSCO is a Swiss association that helps democratise science by making it participatory, accessible, and impactful. We work with scientists, researchers, and knowledge professionals across Europe to engage diverse audiences in their projects – sharing not just results but the process of discovery itself.