Shape the change with us!
Find out more Shape the change with us!
Shape the change with us!
Shape change
Shaping change: This is our motivation at the Jülich Research Centre. As a member of the Helmholtz Association, we, along with over 7,000 employees, are investigating options for a digital society, a climate-friendly energy system and resource-conserving economics. We combine natural, life and engineering sciences in the fields of information, energy and bio-economy with special expertise in high-performance computing and apply unique scientific infrastructures.
Our Leadership Culture
Our leaders are central to cooperation, motivation and success. The objective of leadership is to foster collaboration that contributes to company success. Dialogue and mutual understanding are key: only in this way can we make meaningful use of the individual competencies of our employees and operate successfully as a research centre.
In the article "Leadership in Transition", a leadership developer and executives provide insights into our culture, tools and support offerings.
Leadership model and competency framework
The leadership model of the Jülich Research Centre describes our leadership culture and was developed with over 600 employees. Our competency framework provides orientation and clarifies roles and responsibilities for leaders. It serves as a guide and provides a flexible framework.
Support for leaders
Our leaders receive a wide portfolio of development: from trainings and programmes to individual and team support. In addition, we offer dual career advice for applicants.
Diversity and Equal Opportunity
We realise that your career is only one aspect of your life. In order for you to bring your expertise, creativity and commitment to the fore, we set the framework that allows you to combine your professional goals with your private life. This shines a spotlight on employees who have to care for and look after children and/or relatives, and those that must be particularly concerned with their own health. We also take into consideration colleagues who volunteer, further their education, or pursue side jobs.
A particularly close partnership in research, teaching and academic management ties the Jülich Research Centre with a variety of colleges, universities, and non-university research institutions of the Rhineland. With shared Guidelines for Equality (PDF), we actively and specifically stand for diversity, varied perspectives, and equal opportunity.
In 2023, the research centre was awarded the TOTAL E-QUALITY seal of approval. Main focus areas evaluated for the award include promoting women in leadership positions, compatibility of work and family, as well as the consideration of equal opportunities in company principles.
Gender Equality
We are aware of the structural hurdles that women encounter in the scientific system, and we are actively working to minimize and dismantle them. With our mission to contribute effectively to the solution of major societal challenges and to shape change, we have both a vested interest and a particular responsibility to ensure that women can participate in shaping this change on an equal footing. Therefore, the effective promotion of women in science and leadership positions is an important goal for us, which we are tackling through targeted measures that are bundled in our equality plan (PDF summary or PDF detail document).
The initial appointment programme (W2/W3) of the Helmholtz Association is also specifically aimed at excellent female scientists.
Further information:
Location Jülich
The campus of the research centre is located in the green belt of Jülich, near the triangular conurbation of Aachen-Cologne-Düsseldorf. Here, most of the scientific institutes and central areas are located, along with the Institute for Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW) in the nearby Brainergy Park.
Jülich (33,000 inhabitants) is an important research location with the FH Aachen, a solar thermal power plant and the Technology Centre (TZJ).
University and large cities in the area
The region offers attractive housing, a good range of educational and leisure opportunities, a cosmopolitan neighbourhood, and numerous cultural facilities. From Jülich, cities in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France are easily accessible.
Our additional locations
The research centre, in addition to its Jülich location, has several other smaller external sites. These include Berlin, Rostock, Garching, Münster, Düsseldorf, Erlangen-Nürnberg and Bonn
Entry as a Professional
We offer numerous entry opportunities in the fields of administration and services, labs, technology and IT, science and science management. Whether it's starting your career straight after training or university, having finished your PhD, with work experience in science or as a leader – your opportunities to shape change with us are varied!
Science
Scientists, Postdocs, and leaders with a background in natural, engineering or computer science actively shape change within socially relevant research topics.
Science Management
In science management, employees take on project management, a role as representative or work with the Jülich Project Sponsor. They contribute their scientific expertise and their technical know-how and support research and innovation with their organisational and project management skills.
Labour, Technology and IT
Staff in laboratories, workshops, technical infrastructure and IT provide important contributions to research. Thus, they ensure a functioning infrastructure and create important conditions for successful science.
Administration & Services
Employees in administrative and service-oriented areas support important processes and experience the varied working day in research.
Entry as a doctoral candidate
More than 1,000 doctoral students from over 50 countries conduct their research at Jülich. They receive extensive supervision in the institutes and further training through JuDocS, which also offers conflict counselling. The DocTeam facilitates networking and discussion.
Starting as a student
Do you want to gain practical experience alongside your studies and expand your knowledge? Do you want to make a meaningful contribution to socially relevant topics through your work? We offer you the opportunity to participate in interesting scientific projects or to support us in the technical or administrative infrastructure.
Holiday schools and laboratory courses
Our institutes offer holiday schools and laboratory courses, often in cooperation with universities, to give students practical insights into multidisciplinary research. These courses also offer international networking opportunities.
Information for students from abroad
Funding programmes make it easier for international students to get started in research in Germany. The International Advisory Service is available to assist with labour law and social security issues.
Questions about entry opportunities for pupils and trainees
Benefits
In addition to exciting tasks and a collegial togetherness, we offer you much more!
Interdisciplinary and international teams
Interdisciplinary teams consider questions from different perspectives - almost 50% of our researchers come from abroad.
Scientific Infrastructure
Supercomputer, magnetic resonance imaging scanner, scanning electron microscopes, clean rooms and so on, as well as a (digital) central library
Promotion of young talent
Career support through the Career Centre, Postdoc Office and JuDocs – the Jülich Centre for Doctoral Students and Supervisors
Continuing and further education
Internal & external trainings such as language courses, interdisciplinary further education and competency trainings (e.g. leadership, project management) and much more
Events
Interdisciplinary exchange and shared activities, e.g. during the Aachen Corporate Run, Carnival celebration, Day of Curiosity or Info-Lunches.
Induction
A structured onboarding process, welcome guide, welcome day, and onboarding mentors make the job entry as pleasant as possible.
Home office
Depending on the operational requirements, work mobile or from home
Sports facilities
Attractive sports facilities including a beach volleyball court, outdoor fitness equipment, running groups, yoga classes, and corporate sports association.
Health
First aid ambulance, healthcare and preventions, occupational health screenings and workplace assessments.
Canteen
Lakeside casino with a diverse selection of food (including vegetarian & vegan) and a view of the lake.
Holiday
Up to 30 days of paid holiday (depending on the days of the week worked) and a policy for free bridge days as well as the days between Christmas and New Year.
Pension provision
Additional occupational pension scheme (VBL), where the employer pays a large part of the contributions (also for research staff with fixed-term contracts).
Become part of the research centre too and benefit from the above-mentioned and other advantages!
Application Tips
Cover Letter
Your application should consist of a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, as well as copies of all certificates and qualifications relevant for the position, further training, and so on. Please preferably apply online, submitting the relevant documents as PDFs via our online application system.
Please ensure that the data volume of the PDF documents does not become too large (max. 5 MB per document or 20 MB for the entire application portfolio).
You can find out more about the individual documents that should be part of your application below.
Covering Letter
Craft your cover letter concisely, but distinctively (approx. 1 page).
Describe your motivation for working at the Jülich Research Centre, as well as your suitability and the experiences relevant to the advertised position.
In order to better organise the procedure, indicating the earliest possible starting date is helpful.
Curriculum Vitae
Design your CV to be clear, by constructing it, for example, in table form
Please document all stages of your career progression. Provide the employment period, the name of the company / institution and your position, and briefly describe the tasks carried out. Ideally, you would focus on experiences specifically relevant to the advertised position.
Other content of the CV can include: Information about completed training and further education, knowledge of languages, IT and methodologies, or an overview or an excerpt of your publications (for applications for academic positions)
A photo in the CV is not necessary
Attachments
Please provide us with a copy of a certificate, certificate or attestation for each period of education and employment. This helps us gain a comprehensive insight into your previous professional career.
All information should be clearly readable.
Reference letters for applications for a PhD
When you apply for a doctoral position, you can nominate one or more potential referees in the online application form, so we can request a reference letter if necessary. Existing reference letters can be uploaded as an attachment regardless.
Submission of application
We kindly request you to submit your application preferably through our online application system.
If you need to submit a postal application in exceptional cases, please send your application to:
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
Human Resources Department
HR Development and Recruiting (P-E) Wilhelm-Johnen-Street
52425 Jülich
For the following positions, an application is usually not submitted via our online application system.
Jobs at the Jülich Research Centre
Notice: Please also take into account the positions for professorships / joint appointments / business area management / board positions or positions of our partner organisations, which do not appear in the list below.
Would you like to keep up to date? We post all current vacancies on the X-channel FZ Jülich-Jobs. On LinkedIn, you can also find the Professionals-positions from the world of science.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions of our applicants. If you cannot find the answer to your question here, please do get in touch with us
Is there a possibility of doing an internship at the Jülich Research Centre?
Yes, you can find more detailed information on the websites of the Central Vocational Training.
Can I write my Bachelor's, Master's or Doctoral thesis at the Jülich Research Centre?
With us, you have various opportunities to produce academic work as part of a course of study or a doctorate. You can find more information on the following
websites: Current adverts for Bachelor's and Master's papers Current adverts for Doctoral theses
Are there any other locations besides the Jülich Campus?
In addition to its Jülich location, where the majority of employees work, the research centre also has other, smaller, external sites. These include Berlin, Rostock, Garching, Münster, Düsseldorf, Erlangen-Nürnberg, and Bonn. If a job advert is for one of these sites, it is explicitly mentioned in the listing
Are speculative applications worth it
Due to the highly specific requirements for positions at the Jülich Research Centre, a speculative application is often not sensible. Therefore, it's advisable to apply for one of our advertised positions corresponding to your profile, stating the relevant reference number.
For internships, Bachelor's and Master's theses, and doctoral positions, however, you are welcome to submit a speculative application if you do not find a suitable offer among the current listings. To do this, please contact the institute or appropriate business area that you believe to be relevant to discuss the application process, and possibly send your application documents directly to the institute where you would like to write your thesis.
What should my application include?
A complete application should consist of a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, as well as all relevant certificates and proofs of degrees, further training etc. Should a postal application be necessary, we request you to attach copies of the corresponding documents and a cover letter indicating the reference number.
How long does the selection process take
The application processes vary in duration depending on the position advertised, as each application is carefully scrutinised by several individuals in charge. You will be intermittently informed by us via email about the current status and will always be informed at the end of the selection processes.
Where can I get to know the Jülich Research Centre?
We regularly attend trade fairs and events and are happy to answer your questions about getting started at the research centre. In addition, we offer subject-specific tours on our campus, for example for students or postdocs. There are also various online formats through which one can obtain information about the research centre.
Where do I need to sign in if I have an appointment or interview at the Jülich Research Centre?
Applicants initially report to our visitor service at the main entrance. Please present your valid ID there. Please also bring either the invitation letter printed out or digitally on your smartphone. You will then receive a visitor pass. You must return this when leaving the premises.
How much time should I factor in for registration at the main entrance?
Between 8 and 12 o'clock, there may be longer waiting times during registration. Therefore, please definitely plan for 15 to 20 minutes for your stay in the visitor service and the journey to the respective building
How do I find the building where my job interview is taking place?
With the invitation letter, you will receive information regarding the building and room number for the meeting point. In the visitor service, you will receive a site map, on which all buildings of the research centre, along with the respective building numbers, are listed. It may also be helpful to download the documents beforehand. This way, you can familiarise yourself with the route you need to take: Directions and site map. The campus map, the signage system, as well as data and facts about the research centre, are also available in our campus app.
Do you want to learn more about the onboarding at the research center? Check out our Welcome Guide
