{"id":2001503,"url":"https://alion.io/job/embl-purchasing-assistant","title":"Purchasing Assistant","company":{"id":6973,"name":"EMBL","domain":"embl.org","url":"https://alion.io/company/embl","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":null},"role":"Operations","role_family":"Operations","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Heidelberg, Germany"],"countries":["DE"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":38000,"max_usd":79000,"period":"year","method":"role_country_seniority_unknown","sample_n":262},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Microsoft Office","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-07T11:39:51Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-07","last_verified_at":"2026-10-11T20:03:52Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":4,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":4},"description":"We are looking for a dedicated, energetic and flexible Purchasing Assistant with the right mindset to join and strengthen our purchasing team (7 members in Purchasing and 4 members in the Stores) based at the EMBL headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany. The position has a fixed-term period of one year.\nWithin the Administration, the EMBL Purchase Department handles all purchase related activities according to the best-value-for-money principle in an international environment and provides state-of-the-art service to the scientific and administrative community. This position reports to the Head of Purchase Department in Heidelberg.\nEMBL has embarked on a journey towards a more efficient, more streamlined and connected future by implementing the Workday cloud-based platform across its HR, Finance and Procurement areas; a cutting-edge solution that promises to redefine the way EMBL’s administration operates and interacts and enhance collaboration across the organization.\nThe Workday solution will replace the current SAP ERP system (SAP Material Management module) in February 2027.\nThe Procurement team is currently dedicating significant resources to the project implementation. To ensure uninterrupted support to our scientific community, we are seeking a Purchasing Assistant to provide operational purchasing support during this transition.\nIn this role, you will ensure the timely processing of orders for scientific and administrative departments while most of the core Procurement team will focus on the Workday implementation project.\nDue to the upcoming ERP transition, the position requires mastering computing tools and the successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate a strong interest and affinity for digitization and to embrace change.\nDuties and Responsibilities\nProcess purchase orders for laboratory chemicals and consumables, Amazon and other routine goods and services in SAP and in Workday from February 2027.\nEnsure timely and accurate order placement.\nMonitor order confirmations, deliveries and resolve routine purchasing queries.\nLiaise with scientific departments, suppliers and internal stakeholders regarding procurement requests.\nSupport the Procurement team with administrative purchasing activities and documentation.\nContribute to day-to-day procurement operations to ensure continuity of service during the ERP transition.\nProvide general administrative support to the Procurement team as required.\nYou have\nPrevious experience in purchasing, procurement, administration or a similar operational role.\nExcellent organisational skills and attention to detail.\nAbility to manage multiple tasks and prioritise effectively.\nStrong customer-service orientation and communication skills.\nGood knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.\nExperience with SAP MM module and/or experience with Workday. Financials/Procurement solution.\nFluency in German and English.\nContract duration: 1 year fixed term (Supernumerary)\nSalary: Grade 3 (starting salary 3.534,47 EUR or higher, depending on experience and qualifications; after tax and before deductions from the German social security of approx. 28%)\nWhy join us\nEMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation.\nWe encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team - we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.\nCampus life & benefits:\nAttractive income tax free salary and full inclusion in the national system including related benefits\n\nFlexible working arrangements - including hybrid working patterns\n\nGenerous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to public holidays\n\nCampus life: Free shuttle bus to campus, library, on-site sports activities, cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)\n\nFamily benefits: On-site Kindergarten (Heidelberg), maternity leave and holiday clubs on campus\n\nWhat else you need to know\nEMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.\n\nDiversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.\n\nHow to Apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date shown below.\n\nClosing Date\n31/10/2026","description_format":"text","description_chars":5122,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"German","level":"Advanced (C1)","optional":false},{"language":"English","level":"Advanced (C1)","optional":false}]},"benefits":["Annual leave","Cafeteria","Flexible schedule","Hybrid work","Sports activities"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"Germany","iso":"DE","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Biotechnology","Science & Engineering","Bioinformatics"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-07T11:39:51Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":2,"expected_fill_days":24,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-10T05:45:15Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/embl-purchasing-assistant","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/embl-purchasing-assistant.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-11T21:06:44Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":9724,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-12T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":6973},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=6973"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fembl-purchasing-assistant"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fembl-purchasing-assistant"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fembl-purchasing-assistant"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/embl-purchasing-assistant\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fembl-purchasing-assistant"}]}