Administrative Asssistant Office for Science Garching

The Office for Science (OfS) supports all scientists based at ESO Garching. The Administrative Assistant provides essential administrative support to the ESO Astronomy Faculty, Students, Fellows, and Visiting Scientists. Key responsibilities include organising colloquia, seminars, and talk series (including preparing and maintaining related information online) and providing general support to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the OfS. The role also assists the Head of the Office for Science Garching and their Deputy in day-to-day activities.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide administrative support to incoming and outgoing post-doctoral Fellows, Students, Interns, and Science Visitors, acting as their primary contact and coordinating their onboarding in collaboration with Human Resources (e.g., hardware, facilities, and essential information).
• Coordinate and process travel and accommodation arrangements for Fellows, Students, and designated DSC Staff Astronomers, liaising with the in-house travel agencies at headquarters and in Chile, as well as logistics groups across ESO sites.
• Support the Science Visitor Programme by preparing invitation letters, managing office space and hardware, welcoming visitors, maintaining relevant web pages, arranging monthly allowance payments, and overseeing the final settlement of expenses.
• Assist with the organisation and administration of short-term science visits and provide support to the designated science contact at ESO.
• Contribute to the planning and execution of events for Fellows, Students, and Visitors, including the IMPRS workshop, ORIGINS Excellence Cluster activities, and the Summer Research Programme.
• Provide administrative and organisational support for the various science talk series (e.g., Lunch Talks, Informal Discussions, Journal Clubs, Munich Joint Colloquia/JAC series), including coordination with organisers and assistance to invited speakers.
• Prepare budget reports, compile statistics on request, maintain and update a dedicated database of scientific personnel and visitors at ESO, update relevant web pages and documentation, and contribute input for routine reporting such as the Quarterl y Report and STC Report.
• Act as the back-up for the other Administrative Assistant within OfS as well as the Administrative Assistant for the Director for Science. Administrative Assistant
• Work in close contact with the Human Resources Department, the Office for Science in Chile, the Director for Science office and with, or as part of, a group of Administrative Assistants for general administration across the Organisation.

The above responsibilities are not exhaustive, and a flexible approach and willingness to adapt to operational needs are required.

Reports to:

Head of Office for Science, Garching

Key Competences and Experience:

Essential:

• Demonstrated professional experience (minimum three years) in a similar role providing structured administrative support to a diverse group and with a strong user-support background and service-oriented mindset.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage competing priorities and conflicting demands, applying a structured and proactive approach to workload planning and delivery.
• Apply logical and structured thinking to organise tasks, solve problems, and ensure accuracy and efficiency in administrative processes.
• Communicates information clearly, concisely, and in a timely manner, both orally and in writing, adapting style to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrates learning agility through a proactive approach to acquiring new skills and maintaining up-to-date knowledge of tools, systems, and ways of working.
• Proven ability to work autonomously while contributing effectively within a team, particularly in an international and multicultural environment.
• Build effective working relationships through strong interpersonal skills, demonstrating discretion, diplomacy, and the ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality.
• Demonstrates strong digital literacy, with practical experience using standard office tools (e.g. Microsoft Office suite) to support administrative, organisational, and reporting activities.

Desirable:

• Experience providing administrative support to early-career professionals (e.g. Students, Fellows), preferably within an international, academic, or research environment.
• Demonstrates adaptability to new procedures and actively contributes to process improvements by identifying and implementing more efficient ways of working.
• Ability to research, analyse, synthesise, and present information in a clear, structured, and user-oriented manner.
• Demonstrates a results-oriented and proactive approach, managing multiple concurrent tasks and delivering high-quality outcomes under time constraints.
• Experience working with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems (e.g. Microsoft Dynamics or Oracle) to support administrative and financial processes.
• Experience using web content management systems (e.g. AEM) to maintain and update digital content.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate must have completed secondary school education. An administrative diploma is considered an asset.

Language skills:

The position requires fluency in English, both written and oral. Basic knowledge of German and Spanish would be an advantage.

Remuneration and Contract:

We offer an attractive remuneration package including a competitive salary (free of income tax for applicants from ESO member states), a comprehensive pension scheme and medical, educational and other social benefits, as well as financial help in relocating your family and support to place your child/children in daycare.

Our Salary Structure

ESO's salary structure is based upon a range of career paths which reflect the nature and level of our jobs. Each career path is made up of two or three grades which are used to further reflect experience. Please follow this attached link for more details https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/intstaff/salary-structure/ ESO aims to support members of personnel in maintaining a good work-life balance (https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/intstaff/#work-life-balance) between their professional and private life. ESO is also committed to offering family-friendly support (https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/intstaff/#family-friendly-support), creating a work environment and policies which allow staff to balance their professional and private responsibilities through flexible working arrangements and financial support for families.

The contract is for a fixed term duration of three years and is subject to successful completion of the probation period. There may be a possibility of extension(s) subject to individual performance and organisational requirements, and as defined in the applicable policies and staff rules and regulations. For any further information, please visit ESO's conditions of employment. Please note that the contract policy and in particular the regulations concerning fixed-term and indefinite contracts are currently under review which may lead to changes in the contractual conditions applicable to this position.

Duty Station:

Garching near Munich, Germany

Career Path: II

Application:

If you are interested in working in areas of frontline science and technology and in a stimulating international environment, please visit http://www.eso.org for further details. Applicants are invited to apply online at http://jobs.eso.org/. Applications must be completed in English and should include a motivation letter and CV. Within your CV, please provide the names and contact details of three persons familiar with your work and willing to provide a recommendation letter upon request. Referees will not be contacted without your prior consent.

Closing date for applications is 30 April 2026.

Interviews are expected to start soon after this date.

ESO Values

An important element in any successful employment relationship is harmony in values between an organisation and its people.

In 2021 ESO updated its values through a comprehensive project.

The ESO Values are:

ESO strives for excellence through innovation.

ESO provides outstanding services to its communities.

ESO fosters diversity & inclusion.

ESO believes in the key role of sustainability for its future.

Achieving the above are recognized as only possible on the basis of personal values and attitudes that we expect from our employees: respect, integrity, accountability, commitment, collaboration, and clear & open communication.

Applicants to any ESO role are asked to reflect on their affinity with these values and advised they may be asked about them if called for interview.

Diversity

ESO has established diversity as an important value of the Organisation, is committed to providing an equal opportunities environment and is actively seeking to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. Please visit https://www.eso.org/public/about-eso/sustainability/dei-at-eso/ for further details.

Nationality

No nationality is excluded, however non-Chilean applicants must have a pertinent working permit, according to Chilean regulations, at the time of the application. The post is equally open to suitably qualified candidates irrespective of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion.