Ilpo is an Associate Professor at the School of Management (University of Tampere), Director of Administration in the city of Helsinki since 2013, and a Researcher, demonstrating his ability to work across the boundaries of academia and business. He is also a former member of the scientific expert group of the Finnish Work Environment Fund and an alumnus of the University of Oxford, where he was a former Associate and Senior Researcher.

His areas of research cover the reform and evaluation of public administration, change and innovation management, and the utilisation of information technology in organisations. Laitinen has built a reputation for spearheading complex, cross-sectoral RDI (Research, Development, and Innovation) projects and fostering collaborative ecosystems. He has advised top-tier organisations, including the European Commission, various national ministries, and city governments.

In Helsinki, he has been responsible for the ideation and coordination of various Smart City and Big Data programmes. He is also an Associate of the PASCAL International Observatory, a network focusing on place management, social capital, and lifelong learning.