Laboratory Officer - Genomics technology development

EMBL; Heidelberg; On-site; EUR 42,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Financial incentives

Private medical insurance

30 days annual leave

Relocation package

Campus life

Visa exemption

Job summary

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg is seeking a Laboratory Officer to join Dr. Arnaud Krebs’s Genome Biology Unit. You will coordinate daily lab activities, assist with experiments, manage resources, and mentor students. Fluency in English and a life sciences qualification are essential.

We offer a 3-year renewable contract and competitive benefits. International and multicultural team with a strong emphasis on collaboration and innovation.

Qualifications

• Master or PhD in life sciences is required.
• Experience in day-to-day management and operations of a laboratory.
• Expertise in molecular biology and mammalian cell culture.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to work autonomously.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English is required.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate day-to-day laboratory activities and provide hands-on support to projects.
• Assist with experiments, troubleshoot and optimise protocols.
• Oversee quality control and benchmarking of reagents and workflows.
• Manage laboratory stocks, budgets, equipment and resources.
• Maintain orderly laboratory environment and documentation.
• Train new group members and mentor students and visitors.

Skills

Molecular biology

Mammalian cell culture

Lab management

English proficiency

Organisational skills

Education

Master's or PhD in life sciences

Job description

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is one of the highest ranked scientific research organisations in the world. The Headquarters Laboratory is located in Heidelberg (Germany), with additional sites in Grenoble (France), Hamburg (Germany), Hinxton near Cambridge (UK), Monterotondo near Rome (Italy) and Barcelona (Spain).

The EMBL in Heidelberg, is looking for a Laboratory Officer to join Dr. Arnaud Krebs’s group within the Genome Biology Unit. The group develops and applies genomics technologies to understand basic mechanisms regulating gene expression in higher eukaryotes. The group works in an interdisciplinary manner across divers projects, integrating experimental and computational biology approaches.

Your role

Primary responsibilities include:

• Coordinating day-to-day laboratory activities, ensuring the smooth running of experiments, and providing hands-on technical support to research projects;
• Assisting lab members with experiments, troubleshooting and protocol optimisation;
• Coordinating quality control and benchmarking of key reagents; and contributing to the implementation and evaluation of new tools, reagents and experimental workflows, particularly in next-generation sequencing and other high-throughput technologies;
• Managing laboratory stocks, budgets, equipment and resources;
• Maintaining laboratory organisation;
• Training new group members; and teaching and mentoring students and visitors.

You have

• A Master or a PhD degree in life science;
• Proven experience in the day-to-day management and operations of a laboratory;
• Expertise in molecular biology, mammalian cell culture;
• Excellent organisational skills, ability to manage competing priorities and delivering outcomes with a high degree of autonomy;
• The successful candidate must be proficient in spoken and written English.

You may also have

• Prior experience with next generation sequencing is a plus.
• Experience working in an international or multicultural environment.

Contract length: 3 years (renewable for up to 9 years)

Salary: Grade 5 (salary starting from EUR 4.147,92 after tax, plus generous benefits and financial allowances based on individual circumstances. Excluding 12.99% personal pension and insurance contributions.

Onsite interviews are foreseen to take place during the week of 7 December 2026.

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation.

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances
• Flexible working arrangements
• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)
• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to public holidays
• Relocation package including installation grant (conditions apply)
• Campus life: Library, on-site cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)
• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances
• Benefits for international newcomers: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.
• For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Visit our International Applicants page, to find out more.
• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.
• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.

Closing Date

23/11/2026