IT Director (m/f/d)

Quick Facts

• Role: IT leadership with strategic and operational responsibility

• Contract: Permanent, full-time (39 hours/week)

• Work style: Flexible working hours and Mobile Office

• Environment: International research institute

Description

You will lead and further develop the institute’s IT department and infrastructure, ensuring reliable operations and future-oriented planning. The role includes building and implementing IT concepts and projects with budget responsibility, with a strong focus on IT security, data protection, compliance, and energy-efficiency. You will also act as an interface for researchers, advising on HPC, data management, AI integration, and specialized software.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional and people leadership for the IT department

• Operate and develop the IT infrastructure, including storage, backup & archive, network, HPC and bioinformatics, communication, IAM, PKI, virtualization, end devices, and media/AV technology

• Develop and implement IT concepts and projects in coordination with research groups and external service providers, including MPG application procedures, with budget responsibility

• Maintain and update the IT security concept; ensure responsibility for data protection, compliance, and energy efficiency up to and including data center modernization

• Advise researchers on HPC, data management, AI integration, and specialized software

• Represent the institute’s IT externally and in MPG committees

Requirements

• Degree in an IT or natural science field (or comparable qualification) or proven comprehensive IT-technical skills and experience

• Several years of professional experience and people leadership experience, ideally in a scientific environment

• Technical expertise in networks, servers, storage, virtualization, IAM, and operating systems

• Project experience in IT service, data center (RZ) planning, security, and compliance

• Expertise in IT security, data protection, and compliance

• German proficiency near native level plus English proficiency for professional use

• Service orientation, strong communication skills, high sense of responsibility, resilience, and teamwork

Benefits

• Permanent full-time contract with TVöD (Bund) compensation

• Flexible working hours and Mobile Office

• Modern IT technologies, room for shaping solutions, and training opportunities

• International research environment