Unit Administrator - Structural and Computational Biology Unit

About the team/job

EMBL is Europe’s life sciences laboratory – an intergovernmental organisation with more than 110 independent research groups and service teams covering the spectrum of molecular biology. It operates across six sites in Heidelberg (headquarters), Barcelona, Cambridge, Grenoble, Hamburg and Rome. Our mission is to perform basic research in molecular biology; train scientists, students and visitors at all levels; offer vital services to scientists in the public and private sectors within the member states; develop new instruments and methods; and engage actively in technology transfer.

EMBL is looking for an Administrator to join the Structural and Computational Biology Unit at EMBL Heidelberg. You will work within a vibrant unit of scientists from all over the world who value your administrative support in their quest to discover how life works at the molecular level. You will work closely with a team of administrative support staff at EMBL. 

Your role

You will work closely with the Head of Unit to support all organizational aspects of the Unit and to provide a wide range of administrative support for all activities of the Unit. You will act as the main point of contact to the Unit and will need strong interpersonal skills, a high level of accuracy and the ability to prioritize tasks as well as to multi-task.

General administrative support:

• Providing administrative support to the Head of Unit, Group/Team Leaders and research groups,
• acting as point of contact for the Unit and answering general queries, and
• liaising with other departments within EMBL as required.

Specific administrative duties:

• Being responsible for correspondence and reports for the Head of Unit,
• diary management for the Head of Unit,
• preparing meeting agendas and taking committee meeting minutes,
• organizing seminars and scientific visitors to the Unit,
• assisting with conference and travel bookings,
• supporting recruitment,
• financial administration, including processing of reimbursements, invoices and reconciliation of payments,
• event management for up to 150 people,
• managing Unit communications and mailing lists,
• coordinating staff meetings and Unit social activities,
• handling complex and time sensitive shipments, and performing additional tasks as required. 

You have

• Relevant education, training and work experience, preferably in an international environment.
• The proven ability to provide a broad range of administrative functions.
• Solid knowledge of standard office software.
• The ability to observe deadlines and prioritise tasks.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills, particularly with regards to the completion of multiple parallel tasks as well as a strong attention to detail.
• Persistence in the face of difficult problems or challenges and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations.
• A service-oriented approach to interactions with researchers and scientists.
• The capacity to work independently as well as a part of an international team.
• A self-motivated personality.
• Fluency in English with excellent written and oral communication skills. 

You might also have

• Working experience in a scientific environment.
• Good working knowledge of German. 

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.

EMBL offers attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation with a very collegial and family-friendly working environment. Competitive salary and social security benefits, financial support for relocation, a relaxed culture, professional development, an on-site nursery, canteen and other staff facilities make EMBL a great place to work.

** Don’t meet every single requirement? We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply nevertheless. 

What else you need to know

We are Europe’s research laboratory for the life sciences – an intergovernmental organisation performing scientific research in disciplines including molecular biology, physics, chemistry and computer science. We are an international, innovative and interdisciplinary laboratory with more than 1900 employees from many nations, operating across six sites, in Heidelberg (HQ), Barcelona, Hinxton near Cambridge, Hamburg, Grenoble and Rome.

Our mission is to offer vital services in training scientists, students and visitors at all levels; to develop new instruments and methods in the life sciences and actively engage in technology transfer activities, and to integrate European life science research. The working language of the institute is English.

In your online application, you will be asked to include a cover letter, CV and the contact details of 3 referees. Further information about the position can be obtained from Edward Avenell, (edward.avenell@embl.de) or the Head of Unit (christoph.mueller@embl.de).

Interviews are planned for mid October 2023.

Please note that appointments on fixed term contracts can be renewed up to 9 years in total, depending on circumstances at the time of the review.

EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we implement best practices in research assessment in our recruitment processes here.