GFZ is Germany's national centre for solid Earth research. We advance the understanding of dynamic processes to address global challenges, from mitigating the impacts of natural hazards and sustaining our habitat amid global change to responsibly managing georesources. We are part of the Helmholtz Association, the largest German scientific organisation. With around 1,200 employees as well as ca. 500 guest researchers, we contribute to the Helmholtz Research Field Earth and Environment, aligning cutting-edge research with societal relevance and international collaboration. Our work integrates multidisciplinary studies across Earth's system components, leveraging advanced technologies and infrastructure to research solutions and to transfer our knowledge to society. We are doing this according to our vision: “Taking the pulse of our Earth to safeguard a habitable planet”.
The Helmholtz Open Science Office supports the Helmholtz Association and its 18 centers in shaping the cultural shift toward Open Science. Under the motto “Advancing Open Science at Helmholtz and beyond,” the Helmholtz Open Science Office collaborates with national and international stakeholders to enhance the quality and impact of research, guided by Open Science principles and in line with the Helmholtz mission. The Helmholtz Open Science Office is jointly funded by the centers of the Helmholtz Association and is administratively based at the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - German Research Centre for Geosciences.
Open Science Officer (f_m_x) - Open Access Publishing
Reference Number 10974
We are looking for a new team member starting in March 2026! Become part of the open-access.network project, funded by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), and help us shape the future of scholarly communication. The three central goals of the project are to provide information, build capacity, and strengthen networking within the existing Open Access community.
Your responsibilities:
- Active, independent collaboration in the open-access.network project funded by the BMFTR
- Support of working groups and task groups within the Helmholtz Association on Open Science topics
- Communicating Open Science topics within the Helmholtz Association and communicating coordinated positions externally
- Preparing project results in reports, guidance documents, and publications
- Public outreach and strengthening the external relations of the Open Science Office
- Organisation, implementation, and documentation of events
- Contribution to third-party funding proposals
Your profile:
- Successfully completed academic university degree (Master’s or equivalent); ideally a PhD or experience working as a researcher
- Solid knowledge of Open Science principles and the associated opportunities and challenges for research, publishing, and data management
- Solid knowledge and practical experience with Open Access publishing, ideally including relevant legal fields such as secondary publication rights and rights retention strategies
- Strong project management skills and the ability to set priorities strategically across diverse and changing tasks
- Strong teamworking skills, including collaboration across digital networks
- Excellent oral and written communication skills (in English and German)
What we offer:
- Challenging and varied tasks in a dynamic and international research environment
- Collaboration in a dynamic and motivated team
- State-of-the-art workplace equipment
- Additional benefits of the public sector
- Extensive opportunities for further training and professional development
- Flexible working hours and workplace arrangements
- Support for a better work-life balance through benefit@work
Fixed-term: 31st December 2028
Salary: The position is classified according to TVöD Bund (East) in pay group 13. Classification is based on the collective agreement and the respective personal qualifications.
Working hours: Full-time (39 hours per week); The position is generally suitable for part-time work.
Place of work: Potsdam
Have we piqued your interest?
The GFZ actively promotes diversity and explicitly welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of ethnic and social origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation and identity, religion/belief, age and physical characteristics. We also promote an inclusive working environment in which everyone can fully develop their own talents. Anyone who has been recognised as severely disabled, will be given preferential consideration in the event of equal suitability and qualification in accordance with the provisions of the German Social Code IX. In case of further queries regarding gender equality, please do not hesitate to contact our Equal Opportunities Officer.
“Diversity in perspectives” is one of GFZ's core values. As an integral part of supporting diversity at our centre, we actively promote women in science and in leadership positions. We among others do this through our gender equality plan and the cascade model measures which we actively implement to enable sustainable equal opportunities in academic career paths. The GFZ thus committedly strives for gender equality in science, including in leadership positions, and strongly encourages women to apply.
Your personal data will be processed for the purpose of conducting the selection procedure on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 b, Art. 88 GDPR in conjunction with Art. 26 of the Data Protection Act for the State of Brandenburg. After completion of the procedure, application documents will be deleted in compliance with data protection regulations.
