Research Officer (Dept. II)

Deadline
May 25, 2022

 

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin
is seeking to appoint a
Research Officer (full-time preferred)
– salary based on TVöD up to level E13 (depending on qualifications); fixed term (two years)
starting as soon as possible

One of more than 80 institutes of the Max Planck Society (MPG), the MPIWG is among the world’s largest research institutions in the field of the history of science. It consists of three research departments, each headed by a director, along with several research groups dedicated to interdisciplinary scholarship in the history of science. The departments carry out research projects and maintain close collaborative relationships with partners in Germany and abroad. They are supported by the Institute’s central service units. The Institute is currently in the process of appointing a new director for Department II.

As Research Officer, you will help to set up this research department in its new form, working in close liaison with the Institute’s directors and management team. You will be the first point of contact for the new Department II director and will support the department’s integration into all the relevant domains of the Institute and the Institute’s general structure.

 

Your tasks will be:                                                                                             

  • to support the process of setting up the new department’s research infrastructure and long-term planning (office space, staffing, finance)
  • to assist in the recruitment and appointment of staff
  • to support the director in creating departmental structures and integrating them into existing institutional workflows (administration, library, research IT, communications, technical IT)
  • to represent the department on operational-level Institute committees
  • to prepare information and documents issued centrally by the Institute and the MPG General Administration (contracts, etc.) for the new director’s induction
  • to draw up plans for embedding the new department in the German and international research landscape
  • to develop a guest scholar program
  • to plan and create the department’s online presence within the Institute website
  • to draw up strategies for acquiring external funding
  • to prepare collaborations and cooperation agreements

 

Your profile:

You must have at least a master’s degree in a humanities discipline, preferably with a historical orientation, and proof of experience in academic administration. Knowledge of current debates in the history of knowledge and the history of science is desirable. We also require experience in project management, familiarity with the German and international research landscape, experience of external funding acquisition, and excellent knowledge of German and English. In addition, you should have outstanding communication and teamwork skills, flexibility, resilience, a highly organized way of working, and experience or interest in working in an international setting.

 

What we offer:

The salary is based on the German public service salary scale TVöD (Bund) at level E13. The appointment is fixed-term (two years).

The Max Planck Society is committed to fostering equal opportunities and diversity. We welcome applicants from all sectors of society, regardless of gender, ethnicity, disabilities, or sexual orientation. The Max Planck Society aspires to increase the proportion of women in those domains where they are underrepresented, and applications from women are therefore especially encouraged. It also aims to employ more people with disabilities, who are expressly invited to apply.

The MPIWG places great value on the compatibility of work and family life. We support our employees by enabling family-friendly working hours, offering opportunities to work from home, and helping to find suitable childcare and schools.

 

Your application:

Please submit your application (cover letter, CV, copies of qualifications, and employment references) as separate PDF documents (apart from the qualifications and references, which should be combined as one PDF file for qualifications, another for references), along with details of two referees, through the following application portal:

https://recruitment.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/position/22347787

Your application must reach us by May 25, 2022, 23:59 CEST (the deadline will be extended until a successful candidate has been found).

Inquiries

If you have any questions about the position advertised, please contact Dr. Hansjakob Ziemer (hjziemer@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de). For questions about the application portal, please contact Ms. Tanja Neuendorf (applications@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de). Please note that all applications must be submitted through the portal; applications sent to these email addresses will not be processed.

Address

Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Boltzmannstraße 22, 14195 Berlin, Germany