Open to opportunities

Marius Ion

@mariusion

Project & Innovation Manager | Experiential Learning & Research Enthusiast | Creating digital, strategic & civic solutions for impact.

Romania

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek roles where I can combine research, policy insight, and project leadership to create solutions with real-world impact. I thrive in multidisciplinary environments—bridging technology, people, strategy, and social purpose. My goal is to manage initiatives, translate complex ideas into action, and help organizations scale their impact.

As a versatile Project & Innovation Manager, I design and deliver solutions that bridge technology, strategy, and social impact. My background spans digital transformation (ERP/Odoo, 3D interactive tools, UX/UI), NGO-based training, and civic engagement.

I had the opportunity to join InFarm, one of Europe’s Vertical Farming unicorns, for a 3-month practical internship as part of my Master’s degree. There, I contributed to both metabolomics and daily research operations, performing everything from assay creation for nutritive compounds, preparing samples, maintaining lab equipment in accordance with GLP standards, to assisting R&D scientists with documentation and analysis. I also developed a Python program to automate spectrophotometry data analysis, bridging lab work with programming and data science.

I have led multidisciplinary teams across the full project cycle: from needs analysis and participatory workshops, to agile delivery, stakeholder management, and impact evaluation. Alongside technical expertise, I bring experience in experiential learning and facilitation—emotional intelligence, leadership, and systems thinking—enabling me to translate complex challenges into accessible, actionable outcomes.

I thrive in roles where innovation, research, and collaboration intersect, particularly in NGOs, sustainability, civic tech, or mission-driven companies. My approach combines fast learning and adaptability with hands-on execution—I take complex or undefined problems and turn them into practical, tangible solutions.

Some of my strengths include:

Rapidly mastering new tools and technologies: from configuring ERP systems like Odoo, to creating 3D interactive scenes with advanced lighting, textures, materials, and interactions.

In my free time I like translating experimental ideas into actionable results: from microbial fuel cells to automated Python analyses, to building web apps or creative coding projects.

Embracing curiosity and variety: I rotate between projects and hobbies—robotics, coding, miniature painting, game mastering D&D, solar system simulators, and AI tools—bringing diverse perspectives and creativity to every role.

I enjoy the challenge of turning “messy problems” into structured, impactful solutions, learning as I go, and sharing that knowledge with teams and communities.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Software Project Manager

Current

360DESIGN.ro

Jun 2022 - Present (3 years 4 months)

Lead cross-functional teams to deliver web platforms and custom software, defining SOWs and ensuring delivery quality while driving agile processes and stakeholder communication for client acceptance.

Project Management Agile Figma UI UX Design Stakeholder Management Roadmapping Team Leadership

Current

Business Development Manager

Current

360Configurator

Jan 2021 - Present (4 years 9 months)

Sourced and engaged clients for 3D configurator solutions, led product demos and long-term client relationships, and managed 3D scene creation to deliver optimized interactive product experiences.

Business Development Client Acquisition 3D Scene Art Product Demos Relationship Management Optimization

Crop Science Intern

Infarm

Mar 2022 - Jun 2022 (3 months)

Conducted metabolomics assays and daily research operations including sample prep and equipment maintenance under GLP, and automated spectrophotometry data analysis with Python for quantitative reporting.

Metabolomics GLP Python Data Analysis Data Reporting

Growth Manager

PanoRender

Jan 2021 - Jun 2022 (1 year 5 months)

Led prospecting, content marketing, and partnership efforts to grow adoption of interactive virtual tours and digital solutions, producing blogs and social content to drive visibility and leads.

Growth Strategy Prospecting Content Marketing Social Media Cold Emailing Partnership Building

Digital Marketer & Designer

360DESIGN.ro

Jan 2021 - Jun 2022 (1 year 5 months)

Designed marketing assets, developed UI/UX wireframes and front-end code, managed ad accounts and analytics, and executed growth strategies to increase client visibility and campaign performance.

Graphic Design UI UX Vue.Js JavaScript Bootstrap Google Analytics Ads)Email Marketing Ads

Growth Manager

PanoRender

Jan 2021 - Jun 2022 (1 year 5 months)

Led business development and growth initiatives for an interactive virtual tours startup, building prospect lists, executing cold-email and LinkedIn outreach, creating content (blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn) and forming partnerships that supported new projects and revenue channels.

Business Development Partnership Building Cold Emailing Content Marketing Social Media Lead Generation Growth Strategy Project Creation

Community Manager

Golff Protocol

Jan 2021 - Dec 2021 (11 months)

Managed community and partnerships for a DeFi project across Ethereum, HECO and BSC; created social media content (videos, articles, posts), engaged with holders/investors, and coordinated cross-project collaborations.

Community Management Partnership Outreach Social Media Content Crypto DeFi Community Engagement Content Creation Investor Relations

Food Group Representative

International Student Environmental Coalition

Oct 2016 - Aug 2020 (3 years 10 months)

Organized events, trainings and workshops against food waste and plastic pollution, promoted healthy eating and sustainability via social media, and raised local awareness of UN 2030 goals.

Event Organization Sustainability Advocacy Workshop Facilitation Social Media Community Outreach Public Awareness

Art Director

Volunteers for Ideas and Projects

Jul 2019 - Jun 2020 (11 months)

Created illustrative content and visual assets for campaigns and events, trained students in Adobe Illustrator, provided feedback on visual work, and developed concepts with communication and project teams.

Illustration Adobe Illustrator Visual Design Training Concept Development Creative Direction Feedback Coaching

Innovation Manager

Babele

Mar 2019 - Jul 2019 (4 months)

Led innovation accelerator activities including co-creation of strategies and business models, improving the platform UX/UI and delivering content and design assets that supported client onboarding and outreach. Organized workshops and community events, drove stakeholder engagement, and implemented process improvements that increased platform usefulness for startups and partners.

Innovation Management UX UI Design Community Management Content Creation Social Media Marketing Product Ownership Workshop Facilitation Stakeholder Engagement

Manager Leadership Development

Volunteers for Ideas and Projects

Jun 2018 - Jun 2019 (1 year)

Developed annual strategy and learning plans, delivered trainings and bootcamps on emotional intelligence and leadership, recruited and managed coordinators, and designed learning experiences for soft and hard skill development.

Leadership Development Training Delivery Curriculum Design Recruitment Program Management Emotional Intelligence Strategic Planning

Art Director

Nexus Electronics

Aug 2018 - Oct 2018 (2 months)

Redesigned UI/UX for GPS tracking and company websites, created landing pages and illustrations, and applied analytics insights to improve user experience.

UI UX Design Landing Pages Illustration Graphic Design Analytics for UX Web Design Visual Assets

Social Media & HR Officer

Leadershape

Nov 2017 - Apr 2018 (5 months)

Monitored team cohesion, co-developed visual identity concepts, produced visuals in Illustrator, and implemented social media strategies for Instagram and Facebook.

Social Media Strategy Illustrator Team Coordination Visual Identity Content Creation Community Management

Relationship Specialist

Grupul Inspire

Nov 2017 - Feb 2018 (3 months)

Managed participant outreach and confirmations, maintained recruitment databases, filtered CVs, researched speakers, and supported PR and event promotion activities.

Recruitment support Database Management Participant Outreach Event Promotion Research Communication

Trainer

AIESEC Cairo University

Aug 2017 - Sep 2017 (1 month)

Developed learning plans and soft-skills trainings, created a Facebook social media strategy for 'Humans of Cairo', and scheduled and analyzed page performance.

Training Design Soft Skills Social Media Strategy Content Scheduling Performance Analysis Curriculum Development

Founding Member

Interact Club Brăila

Sep 2013 - Jul 2017 (3 years 10 months)

Co-founded and participated in project teams, organized community projects, meetings and workshops to engage members over a multi-year period.

Volunteer coordination Project Organization Community Building Event Planning Workshop Facilitation

Executive Producer

TEDxTraianSq

Aug 2016 - Apr 2017 (8 months)

Managed event production including stage design, logistics, A/V setup and audience comfort to ensure successful TEDx event delivery.

Event Production Stage Design Audio Visual Coordination Logistics Venue Sourcing Audience Management

President

Interact Club Brăila

Jul 2015 - Jul 2016 (1 year)

Led the club for a year by organizing events, training the board and members, recruiting new members, and delivering presentations to grow participation.

Leadership Event Management Member Recruitment Training Public Speaking Board Coordination

Ambassador

GROW Braila

Nov 2015 - Mar 2016 (4 months)

Performed PR and member engagement activities to attract and motivate participants, supported trainers during courses and helped maintain participant retention.

PR Member Engagement Presentation Participant Retention Trainer Support

Director Training & Education

Brăila County Student Council Director for Informal education

Oct 2014 - Nov 2015 (1 year 1 month)

Organized informal education activities and workshops, attended meetings and delivered training sessions to support youth development programs.

Workshop Facilitation Program Organization Training Delivery Education Strategy Youth Engagement

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest

Master's degree, Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship

2020 - 2022

Activities and societies: Internship at INFARM (Metabolomics); practical laboratory work, assays, and data analysis.

Completed a Master's degree in Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship with practical internship experience in metabolomics and applied research.

IBM (Coursera)

Professional Certificate, Data Science

2020 - 2020

Activities and societies: Data Science Professional Certificate; Data Analysis with Python; Data Science Methodology; Data Visualization with Python; Databases and SQL for Data Science; Machine Learning with Python; Open Source tools for Data Science; Python for Data Science and AI; What is Data Science?

Completed multiple IBM professional certificates and courses on Coursera covering data science foundations, Python, machine learning, SQL, visualization, and open-source tools.