Researcher (SDC-33)

Köln

Full-time

Temporary

GESIS – Leibniz-Institute for the Social Sciences is an internationally active research institute, funded by federal and state governments and member of the Leibniz Association.

Starting on 1 October 2026 our Department Survey Data Curation, Team National Studies located in Cologne, is looking for a

Researcher
(Salary group 13 TV-L, working time 100 %, fixed-term from 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026)

The department „Survey Data Curation“ processes and prepares social science research data across a diverse range of data types to support sociological and political science research, especially in comparative perspectives across space and time. The curated data include long-running national (e.g., ALLBUS, GLES) and international (e.g., ISSP, CSES) survey programs, which are documented and curated to the highest quality standards, but also research data products derived from or connected to these surveys, such as geo referencing services or trend files.

Your tasks will be:

Developing a concept for anonymising sensitive regional data in social science surveys for provision via Remote Desktop
Implementing the anonymisation concept on the relevant survey data
Assessing re-identification risks across different regional classification levels
Documenting the developed procedure in accordance with social science metadata standards (in particular DDI)
Coordinating with the units involved (e.g., the Secure Data Center)

Your profile:

Completed academic university degree (Master’s/Diplom) in sociology, political science or a related social science discipline with a quantitative-empirical focus; PhD of advantage
Extensive experience in survey research and sound knowledge of conducting representative surveys
Advanced knowledge of Stata and/or SPSS; knowledge of R and/or Python desirable
Pronounced expertise in the regional classification levels of the Federal Republic of Germany (e.g., federal states, administrative districts, districts (Kreise), municipalities/AGS)

Our Benefits:

Collaboration on a flagship project of the German-speaking social sciences (ALLBUS)
A dynamic academic environment with diverse interdisciplinary cooperation opportunities (e.g., Computational Social Sciences)
Flexible working hours and regulations for mobile working
Very good conditions for reconciling work and family life, e.g. subsidies for childcare for children who have not yet attained the age of compulsory schooling
Holistic company health management and discounted participation in the university's sports programme
Generous support for your pension provision as a direct insurance policy
Promotion of your skills through further training measures

Contact

For further information concerning the tasks please contact Pascal Siegers via phone 0221 47694 419 or via E-Mail (pascal.siegers@gesis.org). If you have questions about the application process, please contact Franca Tosetti via E-Mail (franca.tosetti@gesis.org).

Interested?

Please apply via our Online-application portal until 18.08.2026.
Our reference number is: SDC-33

About us

GESIS is one of the world's leading social science infrastructure facilities, supporting researchers at all levels of their research projects with expertise and infrastructure services. We help ensure that socially relevant questions can be answered based on reliable data, the latest scientific methods and research information. We help with study planning and data collection, provide high-quality research data, support with data preparation and analysis, and finally with data archiving.
GESIS helps you gain further qualifications. We offer our employees a wide range of career opportunities in an appealing work environment with a high degree of personal responsibility and creative freedom. With us, you will work in an international environment in the heart of Mannheim and Cologne and benefit from a flexible work environment as well as internal and external networks.
GESIS ensures compliance with the guidelines for the severely disabled and promotes professional equality between women and men.
Full-time positions can also be filled on a part-time basis.
As a family-friendly employer, we have been certified by the “berufundfamilie” audit since 2010.
Further information on working at GESIS can be found here.