Research associate Collaborative digital knowledge infrastructures

The German Maritime Museum – Leibniz Institute for Maritime History (DSM) is one of eight research museums belonging to the Leibniz Association. Its exhibition and research programme focuses on the study of maritime technologies and the relationship between humans and the sea. With around 100 employees and trainees and approximately 8,000 square metres of exhibition space, it is one of the largest maritime museums in Europe.

In the "Documentation and Provenance" department, two positions are available, preferably starting on 1 January 2026 Research assistant (f/m/d) (TV-L- 13, up to 100% depending on previous qualifications, initially limited to 2 years until 31 December 2027, with the possibility of extension and, if applicable, subsequent conversion to a permanent position). The department is part of the DSM's collection research focused Programme Area II "Ships as Knowledge Repositories".

With this newly established department, the DSM aims to enable a diverse, participatory and lively generation and networking of knowledge and to highlight both existing gaps in knowledge and new connections. The aim is to arrive at new perspectives for collection research by incorporating current debates on power relations and visibility in data infrastructures as well as ethically responsible data use and networking.

Research associate Collaborative digital knowledge infrastructures

Tasks

• Digital provision and utilisation of the DSM's maritime artefacts for networking with and researching other museum collections and data sets
• Critical further development of documentation and research data management, taking into account the FAIR, CARE and TRUST principles
• Enrichment of data in the sense of Linked Open Data (LOD) for the interoperable networking of museum data with national and international repositories
• Application of digital methods for quantitative and qualitative analysis and processing of research data
• Consulting and support for researchers and assistance in the creation of data management plans
• Coordination with external IT service providers and close cooperation with the internal IT department in the further development of digital infrastructure
• Design and implementation of participatory collection development projects in cooperation with international partners

It is possible that the specific tasks or individual areas of focus may change in the future in consultation with the department management.

Profile:

• Completed degree in digital humanities, cultural informatics, information sciences, media informatics or a comparable subject with a strong IT focus and an interest in museum and collection topics, or in a historical, art, cultural or media studies subject with a focus on the research area of digital humanities or cultural informatics content, or equivalent experience demonstrated by several years of professional experience and further training
• Experience with databases, ideally with museum/collection management systems and archive indexing programmes

• Very good knowledge of database management, data cleansing (including migration processes), standardisation and standard data enrichment (GND, Wikidata, VIAF)

• Very good knowledge of relevant metadata standards, ontologies, and query and markup languages for museums, archives and libraries (e.g. LIDO, CIDOC CRM, Dublin Core, EAD, RDF, SPARQL, JSON-LD)

• Knowledge of techniques and programming languages relevant to the analysis of research data (e.g. SQL, Python, R) is advantageous
• Experience with AI-supported tools for collection work (indexing, keywording, transcription, data analysis) is desirable
• Knowledge of content management systems (such as Typo3, Drupal, WordPress), experience with project management tools and data analysis instruments (e.g. Matomo, social media insights) is desirable but not essential
• We are looking for a person with strong communication skills who is interested in interdisciplinary collaboration in different teams

• Very good written and spoken German and English skills are required
• Willingness to travel on business

What we offer

• Flat hierarchies and short decision-making processes
• Flexible working hours and remote work options
• 30 days of annual leave
• Company pension scheme
• Employee benefits

Interested? Then we look forward to receiving your application!

Please send your digital application, quoting reference number 202510-A, to personal@dsm.museum by 31 October 2025 at the latest.

Please provide us with all documents (cover letter, CV, references, recommendations and other supporting documents, if applicable) in a single PDF file.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Dr Antje Schmidt (Head of Documentation and Provenance) at a.schmidt@dsm.museum .

Remuneration is based on the TV-L (collective agreement for civil servants) depending on your qualifications, up to a maximum of pay grade 13. In addition to the usual benefits, which are comparable to those in the public sector, we attach particular importance to the compatibility of work and family life. The position is generally suitable for part-time work and working from home.

The German Maritime Museum strives for gender equality and equal opportunities in all areas. We therefore welcome all qualified applications, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual identity. Applications from people with a migrant background are expressly welcome. Severely disabled applicants will be given priority if they have essentially the same professional and personal qualifications.