Applied Research Assistant (part-time)

In September 2017, the creation of the Bank Innovation Competence Center (BAICC) was announced by HEC Lausanne during a first Executive Education seminar about The Impact of Digital Technologies and Fintechs on Bank Business Models which attracted more than 50 financial services executives and professionals dealing with digital technologies.

In August 2018, a second stream of activities was launched in the form of an Applied Research initiative entitled Industrialize Compliance involving external Project Partners from major private banks such as Julius Baer, Pictet and UBP. At its successful conclusion and wishing to pursue their collaboration, the Project Partners decided to create a Community of Practice – Compliance (CoP-C) focusing on the impact of digital technologies on Bank Compliance as well as the role compliance culture should play and the challenges related to it. The work in these Research Areas is conducted with the guidance and support of Academic Experts from HEC Lausanne or other reputable academic institutions. In these areas, Practice Projects are defined exploring specific and critical aspects both from an academic and a management point of view.

In this context and to further develop BAICC’s activities, the position of a Applied Research & Administra­ti­ve Assistant has been created in 2021. We are now looking for an assistant working with us until August 2026, starting as soon as possible.

Areas of activity

The Applied Research & Administrative Assistant (called hereafter ‘Research Assistant’) will intervene in BAICC’s main area of activity, i.e., Applied Research, and will also provide limited administrative support.

On an optional basis, the Research Assistant conducts his or her master thesis project in the context of BAICC’s activities. The empirical part of his or her research might be conducted as part of an internship with one of our Project Partners.

Responsibilities

Related to his or her goals mentioned above, the Research Assistant will have the following main responsibilities:

• Applied Research:
• conduct desk and field research in the context of the Practice Projects, guided by the BAICC’s Academic Experts and working in close collaboration with the Project Partners;
• based on the partial or final deliverables of these Practice Projects, contribute to the elaboration of articles or similar documents presenting these results in an academic format (journal, conference, etc.) or in a more open setting (BAICC website or newsletter, on LinkedIn, on specific blogs, etc.);
• help prepare and debrief research workshops, design sessions and intermediary telephone or video conferences and meetings as well as attend them;
• conduct preparatory or follow-up research related to the before mentioned events or related to new research topics or Practice Projects;
• Limited administrative support:
• support the elaboration of workshop minutes in his or her area of research
• contribute to BAICC’s internet presence, especially replacing its current webpage (www.unil.ch/baicc) as well as its presence on social media (e.g., LinkedIn);
• provide support to the elaboration of reports, presentations and other documents addressed to the Faculty, the University or other BAICC stakeholders.

If needed, additional responsibilities may be proposed to the Research Assistant taking into consideration his or her overall workload.

BAICC’s working language is English.

Capabilities, qualifications, and availability required

To be able to take over the responsibilities above, the Research Assistant needs to have the following capabilities:

• specific skills and competencies related to his or her area of work (to be determined with the Academic Expert and communicated to the candidates);
• analyze specific topics in a structured and goal-oriented way;
• elaborate concepts & solutions in a creative way and effectively using data and other resources available;
• work independently and be able to self-organize;
• fluency in spoken and written English.

In addition, the following qualifications would add value to the position:

• Master’s degree in Management or a related field (e.g. Business Administration, Economics, Information Systems); ideally a Master’s degree in Law & Economics or a closely related interdisciplinary program.
• training in the areas of financial services and digital technologies on a master level;
• basic professional experience, preferably in financial services;
• if possible, exposure to the Compliance function in banking or other industries.

Overall, the Research Assistant’s availability is expected to be:

• Overall: at least 20% of his or her time (upper limit to be determined depending on the Research Assistant’s availability and current or expected the volume of work). Experience shows that, temporarily, before and after Applied Research workshops, a higher availability is required which can be compensated in other periods.
• Internship (optional): during a possible internship, the availability should be at least 80%.

Performance and its evaluation

The Assistant’s performance will be evaluated, and feedback provided on a regular basis. This evaluation and feedback will be based on how the above-mentioned goals and responsibilities are achieved as well as on how the abilities above are displayed.

Based on these intermediary feedbacks, a final evaluation will be elaborated at the termination of his or her assignment and documented in a work certificate / recommendation letter.

Remuneration and miscellaneous information

Supervision, remuneration and miscellaneous information

From an academic and content point of view, the Research Assistant receives guidance and instructions from BAICC’s Academic Expert dedicated to the specific Research Area or Practice Project.

From a management and operational point of view, the Research Assistant is under the direct supervision of BAICC’s Project Manager. Communication with the latter will take place on an online basis and, if possible, during regular physical meetings on campus.

Due to the fact that BAICC is a Competence Center that is managed independently from HEC Lausanne, employment and remuneration (incl. social security) will be handled via the platform www.scrambl.org.

Remuneration is based on hours worked by the Assistant, reported in a time sheet submitted at month-end and compensated on the basis of an hourly rate of CHF 25.-. (If, in parallel, the Assistant is conducting his or her Master Project in the context of BAICC’s activities, the following number of support hours are part of this assignment and, therefore, are not compensated: master student – 4 hours per month. Any expenses need to be authorized upfront by the BAICC Project Manager and are compensated upon presentation of the corresponding bill or ticket. During a possible internship period, the remuneration is determined according to the remuneration policy of the Project Partner.

In what concerns the Assistant’s workplace, it is expected that he or she will be working on a remote basis as well as use his or her personal laptop and mobile phone.

Duration

Start: January 2026

End: August 31, 2026

We have some flexibility with regards to the actual start and end dates.