Executive Assistant (m/f/d)

Max Planck Society; Dresden; Hybrid; EUR 52,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Two-year contract

TVöD Bund EG8

Home office possible

Professional development

Public service benefits (VBL, etc.)

Job summary

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden seeks an Executive Assistant to provide comprehensive support to the Scientific Director and research group leaders. You will be the primary contact, coordinating schedules, travel, and events, while maintaining confidentiality and professional communication in English and German.

The role demands multitasking, intercultural competence, and strong organizational skills.

Qualifications

• Professional training/education as an executive assistant, events manager, foreign language assistant, or similar
• Excellent written and spoken English and German (the latter at B2 level or higher)
• Proactive mindset with very strong time management skills and structured work style
• Ability to multitask and prioritize a diverse and changing workload
• Intercultural competence and organizational talent
• Good software skills, especially Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and in-house databases

Responsibilities

• Directorial support: organize admin logistics for the Scientific Director, including scheduling, communication, events and travel
• Provide proactive oversight and support for the director
• Draft and proofread responses in English and German, preserving confidentiality
• Coordinate with German communications and handle meeting minutes
• Organize tasks for 2–3 group leaders, prepare agendas and minutes, manage visits and events
• Assist with personnel matters and onboarding/offboarding processes
• Support committees and quality improvements, coordinate office supplies and repairs

Skills

English proficiency

German proficiency

Time management

Multitasking

Intercultural competence

Office software

Education

Executive assistant training

Tools

Microsoft Office

In-house databases

Job description

Organisation & Administration Dresden

Developmental and Evolutionary Biology & Genetics Neurosciences Structural and Cell Biology

Job Code: 2026-ExecutiveAssistant-Homebase-6000

Job Offer from October 23, 2026

The successful candidate will provide comprehensive assistance to a homebase, including a Scientific Director and associated Research Group Leaders. Fulfilling an important role at the intersection between scientists and administration, you will provide a professional, efficient and courteous first point of contact, often requiring a high level of creativity and tact. The job will benefit from someone with a service-oriented mentality, attention to detail, and excellent communication skills.

Main Responsibilities

• Director Support
  • Organize and plan administrative logistics for a Scientific Director, including scheduling, communication, events, and travel
  • Provide proactive oversight and support for the director
  • Prioritize messages for action, draft and proofread responses in English and German, preserving confidentiality
  • Facilitate interactions and communication in German
  • Prepare agendas and take high quality minutes, follow up for the director
• Group & Institute Support
  • Organize administrative tasks for the director’s homebase (2-3 additional group leaders), focusing on scheduling, communication, events, and travel
  • Support for institute committees, prepare agendas and minutes, follow up tasks
  • Coordinate guest researcher visits and events (e.g. meetings, seminars, summer schools, alumni events)
  • Assist with personnel matters (supporting initial contract requests and extensions, onboarding and offboarding)
  • Engage with fellow executive assistants regarding work matters, quality improvement, and continued personal development
  • Organizing office supplies, filing systems and other equipment
  • Arranging repairs or replacements together with the responsible departments

Your Profile

• Professional training/education as an executive assistant, events manager, foreign language assistant, or similar
• Excellent written and spoken English and German (the latter at B2 level or higher)
• Proactive mindset with very strong time management skills and structured work style
• Ability to multitask and prioritize a diverse and changing workload
• Intercultural competence and organizational talent
• Good software skills, especially Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and in-house databases

Desirable qualities

• Ideally over 3 years of experience working in a comparable environment
• Experience in developing internal processes and filing systems
• Excellent interpersonal skills and customer-service orientation
• Creativity, optimism, and motivation in problem-solving

What we offer

• an initial 2-year contract, with prolongation contingent on mutual agreement
• remuneration based on qualifications, activities, and experience in accordance with TVöD Bund, up to EG8
• a varied, interesting, and crucial role in a modern, scientific, and international environment
• opportunities for regular professional growth and exchange, individual training, and personal development
• social benefits of the public service (company pension scheme (VBL), annual special payment, subsidy for VVO job ticket, group accident insurance)
• active measures to promote company health management and work-life balance
• possibility for home office and mobile work upon agreement

Initial questions about the position can be addressed to Brian von Rueden, Head of Human Resources, via [e-mail].

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics

Pfotenhauerstr. 108

01307 Dresden, Germany

http://www.mpi-cbg.de

• The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, and other components of identity.
• The Max Planck Society specifically aims to increase the proportion of women in the areas in which they are underrepresented. We therefore explicitly invite women to apply.
• The Max Planck Society is further committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals.
• The Max Planck Society supports the compatibility of family and career and is certified according to the "berufundfamilie" (“job and family”) audit.
• When you submit a job application to MPI-CBG, you are transmitting personal data. Please refer to our privacy notice for information on how we collect and process personal data in accordance with Art. 13 of the Datenschutz-Grundverordnung. By submitting your application you confirm that you have taken note of the information in our privacy notice.