Job Description

The Scientific Services and Core Facilities at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) provide cutting-edge technologies, expertise, and support to enable world-class life science research. Our facilities bring together highly specialised platforms and professionals who collaborate closely with scientists across EMBL and beyond, fostering innovation, efficiency, and scientific excellence in a dynamic, international environment.

As an Administrative Assistant within the Core Facilities and Scientific Services Unit, you will work closely with the Unit Administrator and other colleagues to support the department’s organisational and administrative functions. This is a part-time position (20 hours per week).

Your role

You will provide comprehensive secretarial, administrative, and organisational support, including:

• Acting as a backup to the Unit Administrator, including occasional personal assistant duties;
• Coordinating travel arrangements and managing internal and external reimbursements;
• Preparing correspondence and providing general secretarial support (filing, record-keeping, database updates, and shipment preparation);
• Managing credit card reconciliations;
• Sorting and distributing incoming and outgoing communications in a timely manner;
• Supporting the organisation and logistics of visiting scientists;
• Assisting with the planning and coordination of meetings;
• Establishing and maintaining efficient office procedures;
• Supporting the administration of the Christian Boulin Fellowship;
• Performing additional duties as assigned by the Head of Unit.

You have

You are a highly organised and reliable professional with excellent administrative and secretarial skills. You demonstrate discretion, respect confidentiality, and can manage multiple tasks simultaneously with attention to detail and a positive attitude.

You will also bring:

• A service-oriented mindset and strong organisational abilities;
• Sound judgment and the ability to build effective working relationships in a multicultural environment;
• Relevant education, training, and professional experience, ideally within an international or scientific setting;
• Fluency in written and spoken English, and a good working knowledge of German;
• Strong IT skills, including proficiency in standard office software
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• A proactive, independent, and responsible working style, with a strong team-oriented approach.

You may also have

• Relevant work experience gained at international level and knowledge of further languages is advantageous.

Contract length: 3 years at part time 20 hours per week (contract is renewable up to 9 years in total)

Salary: Grade 3 or 4; depending on qualifications and experience

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation.

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, monthly family and child allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances

• Flexible working arrangements

• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)

• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to public holidays

• Campus life: Free shuttle bus (some sites only), on-site library, subsidised on-site cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)

• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances

• For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here

What else you need to know

• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here

• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.

• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date