Assistant to the Director/ Assistant Events Officer

The German Historical Institute London (GHIL) is seeking to employ at the earliest opportunity a full-time

Assistant to the Director/ Assistant Events Officer

About your role:

This is a full-time position (40h/week), job-sharing will be considered if suitable complementary candidates are available. The starting annual salary is £38,796.00. The place of employment is London with limited mobile working opportunities.

As assistant to the director, you are the first point of contact for internal and external enquiries to the director. You coordinate the day-to-day activities of the director's office. As part of the events team, your role includes planning and delivering events.

Responsibilities:

• Assisting the director (including diary management, meeting preparation, filing and record keeping, inbox management, receiving national and international visitors and providing refreshments),
• Preparing and booking business trips and processing expenses,
• Preparing meeting minutes,
• Preparing correspondence for signature,
• Independent correspondence with partner organisations, event participants and other interest groups in German and English,
• Layout, formatting, and proofreading of texts in German and English,
• Planning, implementation, and follow-up of hybrid and in-person events (conferences, lectures, etc.),
• Booking accommodation for event participants,
• Maintaining the Institute’s address database.

About you:

Essential Qualifications & Experience:

• Very good written and spoken German and English language skills, at least B2 in each,
• Very good communication skills,
• Strong team spirit, social and intercultural skills,
• Resilience, flexibility and a high willingness to learn,
• Very good organisational skills,
• A high degree of independence and problem-solving skills,
• Strong IT skills,
• Confident user of MS Office and Zoom.

Desirable Qualifications & Experience:

• Relevant training and/or experience,
• Experience in an executive/management assistant role,
• Experience in academic event organisation,
• A good understanding of processes in public (research) institutions or in a university environment,
• Knowledge of address databases.

About us:

Located in Bloomsbury, at the heart of the diverse and cosmopolitan city of London, the German Historical Institute London is an academically independent institution and forms part of the Max Weber Foundation – German Humanities Institutes Abroad. It focuses on researching British-German relations, British history, and colonial history, often from a comparative, transcultural, and global perspective.

The GHIL is a family-friendly employer and promotes a good work-life balance for parents. We value diversity and therefore welcome all applicants, regardless of nationality, ethnic and social background, religion, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity. For more information on equal opportunities, see: https://www.ghil.ac.uk/equal-opportunities.

We offer a generous pension scheme and 24 days of annual leave plus bank holidays.

Further Information:

The contractual relationship is governed by British employment law. In principle, the salary is taxable in Germany; the only exception is for British nationals who do not also have German citizenship.

Candidates must have the pre-existing legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Relocation support and visa sponsorship will not be provided.

If you have any questions about remuneration or the terms of the contract, please contact the Head of Administration of the GHIL, Paul Lukas Assies (p.assies@ghil.ac.uk). Please direct any other questions regarding the position to the Director of the institute, Prof Christina von Hodenberg (c.hodenberg@ghil.ac.uk).

How to apply: 

Applications must be submitted via our online portal by clicking on the 'Apply' button above.

Please upload your application documents as a PDF file, including:

• Cover letter outlining your experience in relation to the requirements listed above
• Curriculum vitae
• Work and/or degree certificates
• Contact details of two referees (references will be requested once candidates have been invited to interview)
• Further proof of qualifications
• Proof of right to work in the UK

Closing Date: Sunday 14 December 2025 at 23:59 UK time. The interviews are expected to take place on 13 and 14 January 2026 in London.

Your personal data will be treated as confidential and will only be used for the purpose of your application.

If you experience any difficulties submitting your application, please email recruitment@ghil.ac.uk