A passion for nature and research is what defines Senckenberg. We live (bio)diversity. And we want all our employees to be able to fully develop their potential. Openness and respect are our core values. Equal opportunity is a matter of course for us.
Career at Senckenberg
If you are interested in working at the Senckenberg – Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research, please send your compelling application documents (as a single PDF file) to recruiting@senckenberg.de or fill in the application form.
We look forward to your application!
Job and Family
Family responsibilities — and the need to balance them with work — are individual and change throughout different phases of life. Since 2012, Senckenberg has held the berufundfamilie audit certificate awarded by berufundfamilie Service GmbH.
Senckenberg offers:
- Flexible working hours (usually with a manageable core working time)
- Mobile working (up to 40% of monthly working hours)
- Flexible part-time arrangements (for example, temporary reductions in working hours)
- The option of taking up to three months of leave
- Fixed-term contracts during academic qualification phases are extended, wherever possible, to compensate for family-related interruptions.
For more information about these and other measures and services, please feel free to contact our Equal Opportunity Officers or consult our current berufundfamilie audit brief profile.
As an internationally oriented institute, Senckenberg takes a pragmatic approach to the diverse linguistic backgrounds of its staff. In most scientific working groups, English is the working language, and internal information is generally made available in English as well. At the same time, you will also hear a great deal of German. Especially if you see a long-term future for yourself at Senckenberg and in Germany, learning German will certainly be helpful.
Contracts, health insurance, and social security
If you are employed at Senckenberg, your salary will follow the public-sector pay scale, and you will be entitled to 30 days of annual leave (based on a five-day working week). In Germany, your employment contract also automatically provides access to a comprehensive social security system covering health, accidents, unemployment, and retirement. This extensive coverage is financed through contributions that are deducted directly from your salary.
Preparing for your stay
Unfortunately, you will also have to navigate a few bureaucratic steps. These may include obtaining a visa, opening a bank account, or having your driver’s license recognized. You can find further multilingual information about living in Germany here: https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/
Welcome!
We want you to feel at home! To help you settle in quickly, you will receive a welcome package with practical information about Senckenberg and about life at your Senckenberg location. In addition, Senckenberg is currently developing a mentoring system to help new international colleagues get started both at Senckenberg and in Germany.
Tenure Track
Senckenberg uses the tenure-track procedure to fill permanent scientific positions. The fact that the position is initially limited in duration allows room for further qualification and development — with the shared goal of achieving a permanent contract.
What is the duration of the fixed term?
Where legally possible, the fixed term is six years (3 + 3). Where this is not possible, the type and duration of the contract depend on the individual profile and the legal framework.
What does the procedure look like?
At the beginning of the contract period, the employee, their supervisor, and a second mentor agree on development perspectives and goals. A mid-term evaluation is scheduled halfway through the contract, followed by a final evaluation no later than six months before the contract ends. A decision regarding permanent employment is then made.
What support will you receive?
We want you to succeed. We therefore encourage you to work with mentors both within and outside Senckenberg and, whenever possible, provide access to mentoring and training programs.
Fast to reach locally and globally — Frankfurt am Main is a vibrant metropolis in the heart of Germany. It is economically strong and an internationally accessible transportation hub. As a major trade-fair city, Frankfurt has long been shaped by international exchange. This cultural openness also benefits the city’s diverse scientific institutions.
The Frankfurt Natural History Museum is known far beyond the city limits. With your Senckenberg staff ID, you also receive free admission to numerous museums in the city. Two Senckenberg institutes are located in Frankfurt: the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre.
The small town is located on the eastern edge of the Rhine-Main region. With excellent transport connections to Frankfurt, it also offers numerous opportunities for recreation in the immediate surroundings. Gelnhausen is home to an external location of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, which houses the Department of River Ecology & Conservation.
Dresden, also known as “Elbflorenz” (Florence on the Elbe), is the capital of Saxony and home to countless cultural treasures, with its history visible everywhere in the city. First recorded in medieval documents, Dresden is today a hotspot of science. The research alliance DRESDEN-concept e.V., of which the Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden are a member, offers numerous opportunities for collaboration. The Senckenberg Natural History Museum in the Japanese Palace hosts a variety of special exhibitions.
Situated on Germany’s eastern border, this historic city with its charming old town lies in a highly livable, nature-rich region. It is home to the renowned Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, which, as a founding member of Hi!Lusatia e.V., works together with other scientific institutions to strengthen Lausitz as a science region.
The cosmopolitan and livable metropolis in northern Germany has long been a “gateway to the world” thanks to its port. In addition to its strong commercial character, Hamburg is also shaped by culture and science. Located close to the University of Hamburg is a satellite location of Senckenberg am Meer, the institute whose main headquarters are in Wilhelmshaven.
Jena is a city rich in history, where university life is vibrantly present. This benefits the Senckenberg Institute for Plant Form and Function, which is located right next to — and in close exchange with — the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The small yet lively city is surrounded by diverse natural landscapes that offer many opportunities for recreation.
Messel is located between Frankfurt and Darmstadt in a rural area. The Senckenberg research station there, which is part of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, is situated in the immediate vicinity of the Messel Pit fossil site, which has been a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site since 1995.
Agricultural and insect research are the main focuses of this small research town on the eastern outskirts of Berlin. It is home to the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute, located in a predominantly rural area.
The small town on the northern edge of the Harz Mountains in Lower Saxony is home to a window into life 300,000 years ago. In addition to sabre-toothed cats and an elephant, it is above all the “Schöningen Spears” and other human artefacts that make Schöningen such a valuable archaeological site. The Schöningen research station is affiliated with the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment in Tübingen. The laboratories are housed in the Schöningen Research Museum.
In this lively university city, rich in history and offering numerous opportunities for recreation, you will find the southernmost Senckenberg institute: the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment.
Goethe, Schiller, Weimar Classicism, the Bauhaus — Weimar continues to be shaped by its rich cultural history. The Senckenberg research station in Weimar is home to the Department of Quaternary Palaeontology.
Senckenberg am Meer keeps the North Sea in view. A wide range of cultural offerings and a large selection of beaches and natural recreation areas contribute to the high quality of life, as does the easy access to the nearby university cities of Oldenburg and Bremen.