Vates is a French software company specializing in virtualization, offering a credible alternative to proprietary solutions on the market. Our Vates VMS solution enables companies to manage their IT infrastructures in a simple, efficient, and controlled way.
Your Responsibilities:
Institutional Partnerships Development:
Identify, initiate, and maintain partnerships with higher education institutions (universities, business and engineering schools, technical institutes, vocational high schools) and research laboratories, both in France and internationally, in coordination with the Head of Public Affairs.
Educational Programs & Resources:
Work with the Head of Internal Training to adapt Vates content (certifications, documentation, training materials) to the specific needs of academic programs.
Contribute to the creation of educational materials (lab sessions, case studies, course modules) around XCP-ng and Xen Orchestra.
Support teachers and trainers in integrating the Vates stack into their curricula.
Education Business Development:
In collaboration with the Revenue team, design and deploy offerings tailored to the education sector: academic licenses, lab programs, internal infrastructure (hypervisors, storage, etc.)
Identify opportunities to deploy the Vates stack within institutional IT infrastructures
Tech Alliances & Academic Co-Marketing:
In collaboration with the Alliances Manager, develop technological or co-marketing partnerships with universities and research centers (chairs, joint labs, publications)
Represent Vates at academic events and bodies (conferences, trade shows, academic committees)
Community & Evangelism:
In coordination with the Community Manager / DevRel, leverage the education network as a growth driver for the Vates open-source community
Build and manage a network of academic ambassadors (students, professors, researchers)
Innovation & Funding:
In collaboration with the Innovation Funding Manager, identify and build collaborative project proposals with universities and research labs (ANR, Horizon Europe, CIFRE, regional calls for projects, etc.)
Ensure relational and administrative follow-up of these projects with academic partners
Design and manage Vates’ internship, apprenticeship, and CIFRE PhD programs: identify target institutions, define topics with technical teams, coordinate with HR for candidate onboarding and follow-up
Engagement & Visibility:
Organize student competitions and hackathons focused on open source, aimed at generating concrete contributions to XCP-ng / Xen Orchestra
Participate in academic interventions (conferences, guest lectures, roundtables) to present Vates and its solutions
Talent Pipeline & Academic HR Relations:
Support HR and technical teams in building and managing a talent pipeline (internships, apprenticeships, CIFRE PhDs, entry-level roles) in collaboration with project teams
Structure partnerships with academic programs and institutions that are key talent sources
Implement identification and pre-recruitment initiatives (projects, hackathons, academic interventions)
Why join us?
At VATES, you will find a flexible work environment, a supportive and approachable team, and a role that makes a real impact on a daily basis.
Location:
Our offices are based in Grenoble or Paris, but we operate on a fully remote model to provide greater flexibility and daily work comfort.
You are free to work 100% remotely or come on-site occasionally, depending on your preferences.
Benefits:
- Meal vouchers
- Health insurance coverage funded at 50% by the company
- Benefits provided by the Works Council (employee discounts, cinema tickets, etc.)
- Employee savings plan (PEE)
- Profit-sharing scheme
- Annual bonus
- 100% remote work
As part of our diversity and inclusion policy, this position is open to all candidates, regardless of gender.
Help shape the future of tech education by building strategic partnerships with universities and developing the next generation of talent in open source and digital infrastructure.
Master’s degree (Engineering school, University, or Business school with a strong interest in technology).
3 to 7 years of experience in a similar role: institutional relations, partnership development, or education program management in a tech or open-source environment.
Key Skills:
-Strong knowledge of the French (and ideally European) education landscape: key stakeholders, structures, and decision-making processes
-Ability to interact with a wide range of stakeholders: university CIOs, faculty members, executives, students
-Solid technical understanding — not necessarily a developer, but comfortable with concepts such as virtualization, infrastructure, and open source
-Experience in co-developing educational content or training programs
-Strong interest in managing cross-functional projects involving multiple internal stakeholders (training, sales, alliances, community, innovation)
-Understanding of education pathways and talent pipelines (engineering, systems, cloud, open source)
Personal Qualities:
-Autonomous with a strong sense of initiative
-Excellent interpersonal skills and willingness to engage in the field
-Strong analytical and synthesis skills, with the ability to align diverse stakeholders
-Strong belief in open source and the importance of digital sovereignty in education
-Ability to identify and nurture high-potential talent over the long term
Languages:
-Fluent French required
-Professional English required (written and spoken) for international partnerships
Vates is a French software company specializing in Open Source and virtualization, with a strong commitment to open and collaborative development. Our main projects, Xen Orchestra and XCP-ng, cover the entire virtualization stack — from the hypervisor (Xen) and the virtualization platform (XCP-ng) to virtual machine management and backup (Xen Orchestra).
Our team is distributed across several countries and fully embraces remote work, with transparent working methods and accessible communication channels. At Vates, we are driven by a people-centered company culture focused on kindness, inclusivity, and a flat organizational structure. Every team member is encouraged to contribute ideas, make decisions, and grow with the company.
Our Open Source model is at the core of everything we do — not only in our code, available on GitHub and GitLab, but also in our collaborative approach with the community. We believe in an “upstream first” philosophy, and we dedicate our expertise and resources to fundamental projects such as Xen, while supporting contributors of all levels in joining us on this journey.
On 8/27/2026
