Technical Specialist / Technical Assistant – NMR & Spectroscopy (f/m/d)

Instrument reliability, troubleshooting, and laboratory stewardship

• Perform daily and periodic instrument checks, monitor cryogens where applicable, handle probes and accessories safely, and coordinate preventive maintenance and service visits
• Conduct first-line troubleshooting of sample, software, automation, probe, tuning/matching, temperature-control, and basic hardware issues; escalate appropriately and document corrective actions
• Maintain instrument performance records, SOPs, work instructions, logs, reference samples, consumables, and laboratory inventories
• Contribute to safe laboratory operation, risk assessments, chemical handling practices
• Provide technical support for complementary spectroscopic techniques such as ATR-IR, UV–Vis, and circular dichroism, with training provided where needed

User support and capability development

• Advise scientists, students, and collaborators on sample preparation, experiment choice, realistic turnaround times, and data-quality expectations
• Train authorized users in safe instrument operation, routine acquisition, data handling, and good NMR practice; help maintain concise training materials
• Contribute to workflow improvement, automation, booking and sample-tracking processes, reusable parameter sets, and service documentation
• Collaborate with scientists and technical colleagues on method transfer, feasibility studies, and the introduction of new NMR capabilities

Essential

• Completed vocational training as a chemical or physics laboratory technician, comparable technical qualification, or a Bachelor's degree/diploma in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, physics, or a related discipline
• Substantial hands-on experience with solution-state NMR in an academic, research, or industrial laboratory, including sample handling, instrument operation, and spectral processing
• Practical understanding of locking, shimming, tuning/matching, probe and sample limitations, chemical-shift referencing, and common causes of poor spectral quality
• Ability to work safely, reliably, and independently within defined procedures
• Confident use of laboratory software and structured electronic file management; commitment to accurate, traceable documentation
• Good working knowledge of English and German language

Preferred additional NMR expertise

• Independent setup and optimization of standard 1D and 2D experiments, for example ¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁹F, ³¹P, DEPT/APT, COSY, TOCSY, HSQC, HMBC, NOESY/ROESY, and selective experiments

• Experience with multinuclear NMR, heteronuclear decoupling, variable-temperature experiments, water or solvent suppression, reaction monitoring, or kinetic measurements

• Practical knowledge of quantitative NMR (qNMR), including suitable internal or external standards, relaxation-delay considerations, integration quality, and uncertainty-aware reporting

• Experience with diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY), mixture analysis, or other advanced experiments relevant to small molecules, polymers, catalysts, or functional materials

• Advanced spectral processing and evaluation using software such as Bruker TopSpin, MestReNova, or comparable platforms, including phasing, baseline correction, referencing, peak picking, integration, and publication-ready export

• Experience with automated sample changers, cryoprobes, temperature-control units, probe changes, instrument performance tests, parameter-set administration, or basic user and queue management

• Ability to recognize common artifacts and diagnose issues systematically

• Experience developing, validating, or transferring fit-for-purpose NMR methods and documenting acceptance criteria in a quality-conscious research environment

• Exposure to solid-state NMR or NMR of challenging sample classes is an additional advantage

• The opportunity to support groundbreaking research and contribute to the CTC's growth on its path toward becoming one of the largest research centers for chemistry in Europe

• The chance to work in a dynamic, collaborative, and international environment embedded in a highly motivated team

• A high degree of personal responsibility and the freedom to pursue independent research ideas

• Opportunities for supervisory responsibility and leadership development

• Individual support services fostering professional and personal growth

• Access to strong scientific and economic networks at regional, national, and international levels

• Public-sector employment conditions and social benefits, including 30 days of vacation (based on a five-day workweek), annual special payments, and additional pension benefits (VBL)

• Subsidy for a public transport job ticket

The CTC strives for gender equality and diversity. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. We are committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in our workforce and therefore encourage qualified individuals with disabilities to apply. Furthermore, the CTC seeks to increase the number of women in areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply.

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