Career support at the HZI
The HZI not only offers a wide range of career opportunities but also a broad range of career support services. Our goal is to provide all employees with good opportunities for further qualification so that they can fully utilize and continuously expand their professional and personal potential. In addition to numerous in-service training and education opportunities (training on the job), the HZI also offers dedicated positions that are work on overarching career support topics. These positions are bundled in the Young Scientist Support team in the People & Culture department.
Welcome Office
The Welcome Office aims to support newly arriving international employees even before they start their jobs at the HZI. The Welcome Office takes on numerous pre-boarding tasks and helps new employees to create good and legally secure conditions for starting their work at the HZI. The Welcome office provides support on topics such as:
- Letters of invitation and hosting agreements for visa applications
- Registration and residence permits in Braunschweig and Wolfenbüttel
- Contact with guest houses in Wolfenbüttel for temporary accommodation
- Advice and assistance with various administrative procedures
- Advice and assistance with opening a bank account
- Advice and assistance with the German health insurance system
- Information and assistance with all work-related matters
- Tips and information on all practical problems associated with moving to Braunschweig and the surrounding area: public transport, finding a doctor, shopping and leisure opportunities, etc.
In addition, the Welcome Office also acts as the Euraxess Center of the HZI and offers all researchers information and support related to the topic of mobility in science.
Family Office
The Family Office is a service point for all employees of the HZI and its locations. It is always available for all employees to advise, support and mediate on all matters relating to the compatibility of career and family.
- Information for working mothers-to-be and employees with children
In addition to the pregnancy itself, there are numerous administrative and organizational challenges to overcome for working mothers-to-be and their families. The Family Office offers advice and supports all parents in the three phases of pregnancy, birth, and re-entry into working life, it highlights opportunities and will give advise on maternity protection, parental leave and parental benefits. - Holiday care at the HZI
The HZI offers a total of up to six weeks of holiday childcare for school children aged 6-12 years. The holiday childcare takes place directly at the HZI and is provided by trained personnel during core working hours from 8 am to 4 pm. The children experience a varied program with themed activities, excursions and trips. - Parent-child room and breastfeeding rooms at the HZI
The HZI has a parent-child room that allows employees to bring their children to work and take care of them themselves in the event of short-term care emergencies. The room is equipped with a workstation and a small play area. In addition, the HZI has several quiet rooms that can be used as nursing rooms. - Advice and information on caring for relatives
The Family Office offers advice and support when a close relative unexpectedly needs care or assistance. The Family Office provides detailed information on topics such as care periods and family care periods and gives an overview of the existing legal regulations. - Cooperation with a family service provider
The HZI also works with a well-known German family service provider that supports employees with parenting, childcare, education, and caring for relatives. All HZI employees have access to a completely confidential and free service portal that offers both personal advice and a nationwide referral service for assistance. As the employer, the HZI covers the costs of advice and referrals.
Postdoc Office
The Postdoc Office is the HZI’s central contact and service point for all matters relating to career development in the postdoc phase. The Postdoc Office is well aware of the opportunities but also of the challenges of this crucial, exciting, demanding and precarious career phase. Therefore, the Postdoc Office advises and supports postdoctoral researchers from all HZI locations in all aspects of their career and skills development. In order to support the advancement of the postdoc’s career, the Postdoc Office aims to
- create optimal conditions for the advancement of their career,
- support their scientific, professional as well as personal growth,
- encourage their early-on preparation for the next career step,
- help making informed decisions about their professional future,
- provide guidance on viable career paths within and outside academic world.
To do so, the Postdoc Office provides a toolbox of resources, training as well as qualification opportunities to meet the needs of the postdoc’s individual career development, such as:
- Workshops and courses on scientific, professional and personal skills
- Information and offers on career-relevant programs
- Individual guidance for postdocs on all career related issues
- Networking opportunities within the HZI and beyond
Structured mentoring and career development programs for postdocs are currently being developed.
In addition to the services and goals described above, the Postdoc Office also serves as a contact point for other postgraduate researchers, such as junior research group leaders (R3a) and (senior) scientists on permanent positions (R3b).
The Postdoc Guidelines of the HZI provide more information on the HZI’s definition of the postdoc phase as well as the career support provided during the postdoc phase. It also outlines the roles and responsibilities of postdocs, PIs and the HZI in detail.
Strategic Personnel Development
The main tasks of strategic personnel development at the HZI is to support all employees in the development of their personal skills as well as in the acquisition of necessary qualifications to fulfil their tasks and objectives in the workplace.
To this end, the current qualification requirements are regularly determined. Based on this, personnel development measures such as training courses, workshops, and seminars are organized and implemented. The aim is to be able to optimally support employees at the HZI in their career development and to promote specific skills and competences that are important both for the HZI and for the individual's professional development.
The human resources development of the HZI is based on the overall strategy of the center and follows the recommendation of the last administrative assessment.
The activities of human resources development relate to the entire center, to sub-areas (science, administration, science management, technical infrastructure) as well as to individual departments, teams and all employees. They are based on systematic analyses of personnel requirements used to identify suitable, strategy-led personnel development measures and implement them in a targeted manner, taking into account the necessary change processes.
