Research Software Engineer / Data Scientist (m/f/d, Berlin)

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy seeks applications for a full-time position (located in Berlin.) as Research Software Engineer / Data Scientist (subject to project approval) . The position is part of a new Leibniz-funded transfer project on AI and structural economic models for economic policy.

Your Role

You develop research software together with economists and model developers. Your tasks include:

• backend development (e.g., in Rust, Go or C++);
• integration of large language models;
• connecting existing economic model code (e.g., in R and Julia);
• interfaces, reproducible workflows and deployment;
• testing and documentation.

Your Profile

• A master’s degree in computer science or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Several years of professional experience in backend development.
• Very good skills in Rust, Go or a similar compiled, statically typed language (e.g., C++, Swift, Kotlin).
• Experience with containers (Docker), Linux, CI/CD and automated testing, and with API design (REST/OpenAPI).
• Experience building applications on large language models.
• Very good English. German is useful but not required.
• Experience with R, Julia, Python, MATLAB/Octave or GAMS is an asset.
• Interest in economic or scientific models is an asset.
• Experience with deployment and IT security is an asset.
• Experience maintaining open-source projects and basic frontend skills (TypeScript) are an asset.

We are offering

The contract runs for the duration of the project (up to 36 months) and starts as soon as possible. The salary follows the German public sector pay scale (TV-L E13, 100%), approximately €56k–€79k gross per year depending on experience, with full social security coverage, including health insurance. Part-time work, flexible working hours and partial remote work are possible. The Institute offers a family-friendly environment, including paid parental leave in line with German law.

For this position, you must either be an EU citizen or hold a work permit that is valid for the entire duration of the contract. Please familiarize yourself with the process for applying for a work permit and the relevant requirements before applying. Please also note that the application process can take up to three months.

Please submit your application online using ID-No. “SHAIRPA_RSE”. Please include (i) a letter of interest, (ii) your CV, (iii) links to code you wrote (e.g., GitHub, GitLab), as well as (iv) relevant certificates and transcripts. The deadline for applications is 30 November 2026 (23:59 CET). Application photos should not be included.

For additional information, please contact Prof. Dr. Julian Hinz.

For questions regarding this position please contact

-

Prof. Dr. Julian Hinz

Research Director

+49 (431) 8814-507

Julian.Hinz@kielinstitut.de

At a glance

Located in Berlin

Full-time position

Contract runs for duration of the project (up to 36 months)

Salary be based on the German public sector pay scale at grade EG 13 TV L

ID-No. “SHAIRPA_RSE”

Deadline for applications is November 30, 2026.