The German Centre for Higher Education and Science Research GmbH (DZHW) is a non-university, non-profit research institution funded by the German federal and state governments with headquarters in Hanover and a location in Berlin. The institute, which employs around 200 staff, is a national and international centre of excellence for higher education and science research. The scientific departments of DZHW conduct knowledge- and problem-oriented research on current and long-term developments that concern all levels of higher education and science.
We are recruiting for employment in the Research Department “Educational Trajectories and Employment” (start date: 01.04.2026)
Data Scientist TVöD 13, 80% (m/w/d)
The position is part of the research project EUROGRADUATE 2026 Germany and limited until 28.02.2029. EUROGRADUATE 2026 will carry out the data collection on German higher education graduates as the German contribution to the third round of the European graduate survey funded by the European Commission. The project works in close cooperation with DZHW’s Student Life Cycle Panel Study, which gathers national longi-tudinal data on higher education graduates. Within the broader EU initiative, EUROGRADUATE 2026 Germany will analyse data on German graduates in comparison with the participating European countries, drawing on the integrated dataset. The position is located at the Hanover site of the DZHW and is advertised subject to final funding approval.
Your profile:
- You have an excellent master’s degree in a discipline relevant to higher education research (preferably in economics, psychology, or sociology).
- You have a strong background in quantitative methods of empirical social research, with advanced skills in data collection, data processing, and data analysis (ideally with Stata).
- You have already gained some experience working in survey projects, analysing large data sets.
- Ideally, you have some experience working on international research projects and research interests in the field of higher education, skills development, or the labour market.
- You enjoy collaborating in a team, and independent scientific work is a standard for you.
- You have an excellent command of English (competence level C1 or C2).
Accordingly, your interests are either:
- In a versatile position, you will play a key role in conducting the data collection and analysis for Germany in EUROGRADUATE 2026.
- You will reach out to and support higher education institutions in contacting graduates, be involved in preparing the questionnaire and online survey, monitor the field work, and process the survey data.
- You will analyse the data for scientific and transfer publications within the project goals and within the broader EU initiative.
- You will communicate with the international coordination of EUROGRADUATE and participate in project meetings and webinars.
We offer you:
- a varied and challenging position in a working atmosphere which is team- and research-oriented,
- opportunities for pertinent further education and training,
- a high degree of autonomy in your research activities with opportunities for individual development,
- remuneration according to German collective agreement for the public service of the Federation (TVöD) pay grade E13,
- a company pension scheme VBL and
- flexible working hours.
Are you interested?
Then we would like to meet you in person. For any questions, please contact Dr. Kai Mühleck (phone +49 (0) 511-450670-156). Please use the online form to submit your application by 11.02.2026.
We are committed to diversity and equal opportunities.
Our aim is to increase the proportion of women particularly in areas in which women are underrepresented and to promote their careers. We therefore strongly encourage highly qualified women to apply. We particularly welcome applications from qualified severely disabled persons and persons of equal status.
