Marine and Aquatic Organisms Technician

European Bioinformatics Institute; Hinxton; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Private medical insurance

30 days annual leave

Campus life: shuttle & facilities

Pension scheme

Family benefits

Job summary

EMBL is seeking staff to join the Laboratory Animal Resources team in Hinxton. You will perform daily care, welfare checks and general husbandry of aquatic species and their environment, reporting to the Marine Facility Supervisor.

Experience in a similar facility, good interpersonal skills, teamwork, attention to detail and flexibility are essential. The contract is 3 years, renewable to 9 years; the monthly salary starts from EUR 3.534,47 after tax with additional benefits.

Qualifications

• Experience in a similar facility, preferably marine or aquatic.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work as a team member in a complex environment.
• Positive attitude towards learning and developing new skills.
• High level of flexibility.
• Ability to follow instructions and very good attention to detail.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to communicate in English in a professional environment.
• Knowledge of German is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Care for various laboratory species and their environment (including jellyfish, soil microbes, Nematostella, laboratory fish).
• Adhere to EMBL regulations and policies on the use of animals in research.
• Monitor environmental conditions in assigned areas.
• Maintain accurate records.
• Prepare food and feed various species.
• Clean and maintain living environments.
• Provide technical and experimental support to scientists using laboratory animals.
• Participate in weekend duty rotation.

Skills

Teamwork

Attention to detail

English communication

Flexibility

Following instructions

Basic IT skills

German knowledge

Interpersonal skills

Aquatic facility experience

Job description

Our Laboratory Animal Resources (LAR) consist of several organizational units providing service to EMBL investigators.

Working under supervision, you will be involved in the daily care, welfare checks and general husbandry of different mostly aquatic species and their environment. You will perform basic experimental procedures and keep necessary records.

Your role:

As part of a team you will be accountable for performing a full range of tasks involved in the care of various laboratory species and their environment (including, but not exclusively jellyfish, soil microbes, Nematostella, laboratory fish). You will report to the Marine Facility Supervisor.

• Adhering to EMBL regulations and policies on the use of animals and other species in research
• Monitoring of environmental conditions in assigned areas
• Maintenance of accurate and up-to-date records
• Preparation of food and feeding of various species
• Cleaning and maintenance of their living environment
• Provision of technical and experimental support to scientists who use laboratory animals for research
• Participation in the weekend duty rotation

You have:

• Experience in a similar facility, preferably marine or aquatic
• Good interpersonal skills
• Ability to work as a team member in a complex environment
• Positive attitude towards learning and developing new skills
• High level of flexibility
• Ability to follow instructions and very good attention to detail
• Basic computer skills
• Ability to communicate in English in a professional environment
• Knowledge of German is advantageous

Contract length: 3 years, renewable to a maximum of 9 years.

Salary: Grade 3 or 4, monthly salary starting from EUR 3.534,47 (after tax, and before 12.99% EMBL social security deductions) plus other paid benefits.

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 and child allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, 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
• Campus life: Free shuttle bus (some sites only), on-site library, subsidised 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
• For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here

What else you need to know

• 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

31/08/2026