HR Officer (Maternity Cover)

Your role

Joining us as HR Officer (B5) you will be part of the HR Operations team and work closely with the HR Business Partners to support the Centre’s staff in Bonn. You serve as the first point of contact for routine staff inquiries regarding working conditions, contractual matters, and other employment-related issues. You will also be responsible for all aspects of HR administration, including the maintenance and organisation of staff records and data in our ERP system. As part of our HR team you collaborate closely with the organisation to address both day-to-day demands of the organisation and our staff. Our HR Operations team is central to ensuring that core HR processes are executed efficiently and reliably.

About the HR Team

The effectiveness of the organisation relies on strong HR professionals who work closely with line management to address both operational and strategic people matters. The central HR Operations team plays a key role in ensuring that core HR processes are delivered efficiently and consistently. The HR Officer in Bonn will be an integral member of the HR Operations team, working closely with colleagues in Reading and collaborating across locations to provide mutual support and ensure service continuity.

Your responsibilities

• Act as first point of contact for routine staff questions on employment conditions, the ECMWF staff regulations and procedures, contractual matters, entitlements and benefits, escalating complex issues as appropriate.
• Draft and issue statutory correspondence and formal HR communications.
• Liaise with the relevant German authorities as appropriate.
• Manage the Protocol ID card application process for new staff and process change of circumstances for existing staff.
• Coordinate and process contractual changes requested by departments.
• Prepare employment offers, contracts of employment and related documents.
• Support the offer management process by liaising with successful candidates on all matters relating to their appointment prior to their commencement of employment.
• Coordinate the onboarding and induction process for newly recruited staff.
• Assist staff with applications relating to local registrations and administrative requirements.
• Perform ERP data entry, including payroll-related inputs, in close collaboration with the Payroll Manager, ensuring a high level of data accuracy and integrity.
• Monitor sick leave and absence records in line with organisational procedures.
• Contribute to HR projects and continuous improvement initiatives as required.

About ECMWF

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is a world-leader in weather and environmental forecasting. As an international organisation we serve our members and the wider community with global weather predictions and data that is critical for understanding and solving the climate crisis. We function as a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions, holding one of the largest meteorological data archives in the world. The success of our activities builds on the talent of our scientists and experts, strong partnerships with 35 Member and Co-operating States and the international community, some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, and the use of innovative technologies and machine learning across our operations.

ECMWF has also developed a strong partnership with the European Union and has been entrusted with the implementation and operation of the Destination Earth Initiative and the Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services of the Copernicus Programme. Other areas of work include High Performance Computing and the development of digital tools that enable ECMWF to extend provision of data and products covering weather, climate, air quality, fire and flood prediction and monitoring.

The Our vision: The strength of a common goal.
Our mission: Deliver global numerical weather predictions focusing on the medium-range and monitoring of the Earth system to and with our Member States.

ECMWF is a multi-site organisation, with a main office in Reading, UK, a data centre/supercomputer in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany. We appreciate the need for flexibility in the way our staff work and staff have the option to mix office work and teleworking (up to 10 days/month).

See for more info about what we do.

About the Copernicus Programme

Copernicus is the earth observation component of the European Union (EU) space programme. Based on the exploitation of space based and in situ (earth-based) observations and scientific models, Copernicus provides information services for land, marine, atmospheric and climate monitoring, as well as emergency management and security. These services, and their free, open and quality assured data and tools, support a range of environmental and security applications across sectors and policy domains. For details, see

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) service provides consistent and quality-controlled information related to air pollution and health, solar energy, greenhouse gases and climate forcing, everywhere in the world. For details, see

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) service provides authoritative information about the past, present and future climate, as well as tools to enable climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies by policy makers and businesses. For details, see

What we're looking for

• Strong relationship management skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility quickly while maintaining strict confidentiality.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver to tight deadlines.
• High level of attention to detail and accuracy.
• Proactive approach, with the ability to work independently with limited supervision.
• Strong IT skills, with a willingness to fully utilise ERP systems.
• Collaborative team player, capable of leading on specific tasks while supporting wider team objectives.
• Solution-oriented and pragmatic mindset, with a focus on continuous process improvement.

Education

• Candidates should have a higher standard of education (EQF Level 4).

Experience, Knowledge, Skills

• Strong experience of working in an HR administrative capacity, ideally in an international environment.
• Experience of providing HR support to line managers and individuals.
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word and Excel) is required.
• Strong written communication skills to draft and respond to correspondence and enquiries.
• Effective organisational and time management skills.
• Candidates must be able to work effectively in English.
• Fluency in German (spoken and written) is required given the required interactions with German authorities.

Other information

Grade remuneration The successful candidate will be recruited according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations. ECMWF offers a generous benefits package - full details of salary scales, allowances and conditions of employment are available on the ECMWF website at

Starting date: 1 October 2026

Location: Bonn, Germany. Candidates are expected to relocate to the duty station.

Interviews will take place via videoconference (MS Team). If you require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment process, please contact us via email:

Who can apply

At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive environment as key for our success. We are dedicated to ensuring a workplace that embraces diversity and provides equal opportunities for all, without distinction as to race, gender, age, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity and culture. We value the benefits derived from a diverse workforce and are committed to having staff that reflect the diversity of the countries that are part of our community, in an environment that nurtures equality and inclusion.

Applications are invited from nationals from ECMWF Member States and Cooperating States, listed below, as well as from all EU Member States. In these exceptional times, we also welcome applications from Ukrainian nationals for this vacancy. Applications from nationals from other countries may be considered in exceptional cases.

ECMWF Member States and Co-operating States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.