Head of the working group “Data and Modeling Infrastructure for Living Labs” (m/f/d)

Müncheberg

Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF) e.V.

The mission of the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) as a nationally and internationally active research institute is to deliver solutions for an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable agriculture – together with society. ZALF is a member of the Leibniz Association and is located in Müncheberg (approx. 35 minutes by regional train from Berlin-Lichtenberg). The institute also maintains locations in Dedelow and Paulinenaue.

From 2026, ZALF will be expanded to include an “Innovation Center for Agricultural System Transformation” (IAT), which will focus on research in, with, and about regional living labs in agricultural landscapes. The initial living labs will be established in five pilot regions in Brandenburg and Hesse and aim to promote innovation in agricultural systems in collaboration with various stakeholders. 17 new working groups will be established, which will conduct research following co-design principles (https://www.zalf.de/en/struktur/iat/Pages/default.aspx).

The service group “Data and Modeling Infrastructure for Living Labs” expands the existing services at ZALF for research data management (RDM), data analysis, and modeling for the particular needs of living labs research in cooperation with scientists and stakeholders. The working group is the central unit for providing the IAT's data infrastructure and supports integrated modeling. For the real-world laboratories, the working group supports the creation of RDM plans, cooperation and data usage agreements, data integration, as well as the publication and provision of data according to the FAIR and Open Science principles. Through programming, consulting, and training, the working group provides flexible support for scientific work in model simulations and data analyses on social and natural science issues, also for the purpose of communication with non-scientific stakeholders. The work builds on close collaboration with the RDM Service Working Group, the IAT Service Working Group for Socio-Ecological Monitoring, and the IAT research groups for method development. The services support the research of ZALF and the three partner universities in Hesse (Giessen, Kassel, Geisenheim) in the real laboratories.

We are offering a full-time position starting January 1, 2026, initially limited to two years with the prospect of permanent employment at our location in Müncheberg.

Head of the working group “Data and Modeling Infrastructure for Living Labs” (m/f/d)

44-2025

Your tasks:

• Technical management and personnel responsibility for the working group (approx. 4 permanent employees)
• Conceptual design and development of the IAT's data infrastructure for the needs-based collection, quality control, processing, and provision of multimodal ecological and socioeconomic data in close cooperation with the existing RDM groups at ZALF.
• Support for integrated modeling in collaboration with the IAT research groups for method development
• Documentation, curation, linking, and publication of heterogeneous research data
• Data analysis, modeling, visualization, and training with data science methods for IAT participants
• Participation in data analysis and modeling at the IAT according to open science and FAIR principles
• Development of a platform for decision support focused on problem-solving through data and modeling, in close cooperation with IAT research groups on method development
• Provision of tools to support participatory modeling together with stakeholders and in cooperation with other IAT groups
• Promotion of open science and research data management at ZALF with the service working groups
• Participation in the design of the IAT and data services at ZALF

Your qualifications:

• Doctorate in a scientific discipline related to ZALF
• Experience in integrated modeling and analysis of heterogeneous data
• In-depth knowledge of data analysis and programming technologies (e.g., Python, R, GIS, databases)
• Relevant experience in data collection, data analysis, and research data management
• Understanding of the national and international scientific environment and experience in writing scientific publications, project proposals, and statements
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary field and to communicate between different scientific disciplines
• High degree of initiative, willingness to cooperate, excellent communication and teamwork skills in an interdisciplinary and international environment
• Fluent spoken and written English (C1), at least basic knowledge of German (B2) and willingness to further develop skills
• Knowledge of how to handle sensitive data (ethical aspects, data protection, anonymization)

Desirable qualifications

• Leadership skills, management training, and experience in leading teams
• Experience in data analysis and modeling for agricultural and environmental sciences or social sciences
• Experience with software development and modeling platforms
• Experience with modern software development practices (e.g., agile methods, TDD, CI/CD, DevOps)

What we offer:

• Long-term prospects and a salary structure according to the TV-L, up to E-14 collective agreement for the German states.
• The opportunity to contribute to the development of a new organizational unit with considerable creative freedom.
• A collegial and open-minded working environment in a dynamic research institution.
• Career support through continuing education, leadership development, and coaching.
• Work-life balance, certified by the Work and Family Audit.
• Excellent connections to Berlin with the offer of a job ticket (Germany Ticket subsidy).

Women are particularly encouraged to apply. Applications from severely disabled persons with equal qualifications are favored. The filling of the position in part-time is possible in principle. Please send your application preferably online (see button online application below). For e-mail applications, create a PDF document (one PDF file, max. 5 MB; packed PDF documents, archive files like zip, rar etc. Word documents cannot be processed and therefore cannot be considered!) with the usual documents, in particular CV, proof of qualification and certificates, stating the reference number 44-2025 until 15th of September 2025 to (see button e-mail application below). Interviews are expected to take place on October 10, 2025 in Münchberg.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: Dr. Holger Döring (holger.doering@zalf.de * Tel. 033432/82-499) and Prof. Dr. Katharina Helming (helming@zalf.de).

For cost reasons, application documents or extensive publications can only be returned if an adequately stamped envelope is attached.

If you apply, we collect and process your personal data in accordance with Articles 5 and 6 of the EU GDPR only for the processing of your application and for purposes that result from possible future employment with the ZALF. Your data will be deleted after six months.