We invite you to shape your future together with us.
Your Recipe for Success:
You have already taken the initial steps in your career (e.g. university degree or apprenticeship) and now you are looking for a basis for your professional future? You are interested in chemistry and what we make of it? You think you can convince us with your technical skills and strong personality? You are able to work in a team and ready to take on responsibilities? Then join the ALTANA team!
Your Spectrum of Advantages:
In the ALTANA Group, you will work in a unique culture of innovation where the utmost importance is attached to promoting individual ideas and abilities as well as open, trusting interaction. ALTANA offers you a lot of advantages. They include pleasant-sized operations where employees get to know each other personally and exchange ideas, extensive interdepartmental initial training, short information and decision-making paths, comprehensive further education and training offers, flexible working hours with flextime, and impressive compensation with good employee benefits and pension plans.
Application:
Please see our latest job postings to learn more about entry positions or apply initiatively.
Do you have a hard time choosing one specific entry-level position? Would you prefer to get to know a number of different functions (e.g. Innovation or Supply Chain Management), locations, and companies at ALTANA? Then maybe our trainee program is right for you. We design our trainee programs individually according to your qualifications and needs.
A trainee program at ALTANA gives you the chance to prepare for further tasks within the company and allows you to get to know various functions and possibly different divisions. In addition, our trainee programs teach broad knowledge and provide the opportunity to establish a wide network within the company.
Here are a few examples of possible trainee programs:

As Project Chemist Innovation as part of our Cross Divisional Development Program Innovation – or CDDPI for short – you can make an important contribution so that ALTANA can continue to be a technology and market leader in specialty chemistry. Unlike classic direct entry, the program offers you the opportunity to get to know different divisions, sites, and areas of expertise and thus help strengthen a culture of cross-divisional thinking and action.
With this program we orient ourselves to especially curious, dedicated, and flexible young talents with a scientific background. Through various project assignments in the field of innovation at home and abroad, you will be prepared for an exciting specialist or management position after the end of the program.
- Science studies at a university or college of applied sciences
- A PhD or equivalent
- Basic understanding of chemistry
- International experience
- Good knowledge of English
- Entrepreneurial interest
- Communicative, open, curious personality
With this program we orient ourselves to especially curious, dedicated, and flexible young talents with a scientific background. Through various project assignments in the field of innovation at home and abroad, you will be prepared for an exciting specialist or management position after the end of the program.
- Science studies at a university or college of applied sciences
- A PhD or equivalent
- Basic understanding of chemistry
- International experience
- Good knowledge of English
- Entrepreneurial interest
- Communicative, open, curious personality
- Business case: marketing, New Business Development
- Operation topic: R&D, applied technology, product/process engineering
- Strategic topic: knowledge management, innovation models
- Marketing experience: end use, segment, key account
- Personal development: leadership, project management, presentation, communication, conflict management
- Open-ended contract
- Working in a responsible position in the ALTANA Group after the end of the program
- Open-ended contract
- Working in a responsible position in the ALTANA Group after the end of the program
Why did you decide to participate in CDDP Innovation?
I worked at ELANTAS’ Hamburg site in Germany while I was doing my doctorate. Since I generally felt very comfortable in the company, I opted to stay at ALTANA. When I was about halfway through my doctorate, I dealt in more depth with career opportunities at ALTANA that would be suitable for me. I was particularly interested in the field of innovation. Innovation does not only mean gauging the potential of a product and developing it classically in R&D, but also successfully bringing it to production. I consider all of these areas to be equally exciting and equally important. Talks with my former manager Jörg Hinnerwisch also pushed me in this direction. He was the first member of CDDPI, starting in 2007, and he explained the program to me in detail. It appealed to me. Of course, the program has constantly changed in organizational terms since its inception, but the basic idea remains the same – working independently and in a team on innovative projects and creating a network within the company in order to foster synergies between the different divisions.
What competencies are particularly important for one to take part in CDDP Innovation?
I think the most important competencies are strong communication skills and openness. During the two years you work with many colleagues from different areas, sites, and cultures. It is not always easy to understand their standpoints and implement them in your own work, but it is essential. Other general prerequisites for the work are of course analytical and entrepreneurial thinking as well as self-motivation.
Which projects have you worked on during your two-year stint?
Since I have come from Technical Chemistry during my time at CDDPI I accompanied a comprehensive project for the introduction of new process technologies. All of my divisional projects tend to revolve around procedural topics. At ACTEGA Terra in Lehrte, Germany, I synthesized new coatings raw materials and worked on a new manufacturing process. At BYK, primarily in Wesel (Germany), I worked on purifying composite materials that are later to be used in food packaging. The project is an important synergy issue and runs across sites and divisions. At ELANTAS I was involved in a global ALTANA X Lean project that included the optimization of manufacturing processes for two of our bestselling products. During the project I was active locally in Ascoli Piceno (Italy) and Hamburg, and I also cooperated closely with our Indian colleagues. During my last stop, at ECKART in Güntersthal (Germany), I am currently working on new dispersion processes to optimize our coating processes.
What was it like moving to a new place every few months?
It was exciting to get to know the different sites and to work with many different colleagues! But I should add that since I have a “permanent” home near Wesel, during my CDDPI time I didn’t really move in the sense of completely moving out of and into new apartments. But you live out of your suitcase for two years, which is packed for three months.
How will your career continue and what are you doing today?
Right now I will be in the CDDPI program for another three months. But we are already in the preparation phase for my next position, which will also have many interfaces with other sites and divisions
Why did you decide to participate in CDDP Innovation?
I worked at ELANTAS’ Hamburg site in Germany while I was doing my doctorate. Since I generally felt very comfortable in the company, I opted to stay at ALTANA. When I was about halfway through my doctorate, I dealt in more depth with career opportunities at ALTANA that would be suitable for me. I was particularly interested in the field of innovation. Innovation does not only mean gauging the potential of a product and developing it classically in R&D, but also successfully bringing it to production. I consider all of these areas to be equally exciting and equally important. Talks with my former manager Jörg Hinnerwisch also pushed me in this direction. He was the first member of CDDPI, starting in 2007, and he explained the program to me in detail. It appealed to me. Of course, the program has constantly changed in organizational terms since its inception, but the basic idea remains the same – working independently and in a team on innovative projects and creating a network within the company in order to foster synergies between the different divisions.
What competencies are particularly important for one to take part in CDDP Innovation?
I think the most important competencies are strong communication skills and openness. During the two years you work with many colleagues from different areas, sites, and cultures. It is not always easy to understand their standpoints and implement them in your own work, but it is essential. Other general prerequisites for the work are of course analytical and entrepreneurial thinking as well as self-motivation.
Which projects have you worked on during your two-year stint?
Since I have come from Technical Chemistry during my time at CDDPI I accompanied a comprehensive project for the introduction of new process technologies. All of my divisional projects tend to revolve around procedural topics. At ACTEGA Terra in Lehrte, Germany, I synthesized new coatings raw materials and worked on a new manufacturing process. At BYK, primarily in Wesel (Germany), I worked on purifying composite materials that are later to be used in food packaging. The project is an important synergy issue and runs across sites and divisions. At ELANTAS I was involved in a global ALTANA X Lean project that included the optimization of manufacturing processes for two of our bestselling products. During the project I was active locally in Ascoli Piceno (Italy) and Hamburg, and I also cooperated closely with our Indian colleagues. During my last stop, at ECKART in Güntersthal (Germany), I am currently working on new dispersion processes to optimize our coating processes.
What was it like moving to a new place every few months?
It was exciting to get to know the different sites and to work with many different colleagues! But I should add that since I have a “permanent” home near Wesel, during my CDDPI time I didn’t really move in the sense of completely moving out of and into new apartments. But you live out of your suitcase for two years, which is packed for three months.
How will your career continue and what are you doing today?
Right now I will be in the CDDPI program for another three months. But we are already in the preparation phase for my next position, which will also have many interfaces with other sites and divisions.
Send us an unsolicited application to get started as a trainee at ALTANA!
You would like to have a first-hand account on the daily routine of a trainee? These personal experiences offer insights.
If you take the direct path, you learn early on, after an intensive training phase, to take on responsibility. For us, entrepreneurial thinking and acting means making decisions, creating, carrying responsibilities, and refining. To allow our employees to take on this kind of responsibility, we offer jobs with a variety of duties and enough room for personal development.
In order to reach our sales and profit growth goals, we take advantage of the globalization and further develop our foreign operations in particular. Thanks to 66 companies operating around the globe as well as 63 locations for research and application technology, we are able to offer a wide range of development opportunities. A variety of training and continuing education options and a remuneration structure geared towards performance and success open up the best prospects for you. No matter which field you choose, with ALTANA you choose the future!
Please see our latest job postings in our job market to learn more about potential internships or apply speculatively.
You would like to have a first-hand account on the daily routine of an entrant? These personal experiences offer insights.
ALTANA is a focused specialty chemicals company offering its customers highly specialized technological solutions in niche markets. Due to this business model, innovation is an important element of the company’s corporate strategy, ensuring that ALTANA will keep growing in the long term and remain the technology and market leader.
As a research-intensive company, our employees are our greatest success. They work with great commitment, creativity and professionalism on sustainable solutions and products. Each of our areas of operations helps the ALTANA Group occupying a leading position in its target markets with respect to quality, product solution expertise, innovation and service.
Among others, we offer positions in these areas of operations. Get to know more here.
- IT
- Production
- Chemical Laboratory Assistant
- Laboratory Employee
- (Technical) Marketing
- Technical Services
- Research & Development
- Group Financing & Treasury
- Legal Department
- IT
- Purchasing Department
- Taxation
- Finance & Controlling
- Environment, Health & Safety
- Internal Audit
- Corporate Communication
- Innovation
- Human Resources
- Corporate Development / M&A
- Group Financing & Treasury
- Legal Department
- IT
- Purchasing Department
- Taxation
- Finance & Controlling
- Environment, Health & Safety
- Internal Audit
- Corporate Communication
- Innovation
- Human Resources
- Corporate Development / M&A
We are ALTANA
Different personalities
Working together
Cross-cutting projects
The following personal experiences of our employees will give you insight into the different career areas at ALTANA. Employees from a wide variety of areas and cities use this venue to describe their professional experience, the apprenticeship phases at ALTANA, their professional goals, day-to-day tasks, their life alongside their career, and they have even provided some interview advice.