Working and living in Oldenburg

Your career location for environment, planning and geodata

An overview of the city

Oldenburg, the district-free city in northwestern Lower Saxony with around 170,000 inhabitants, is a lively university town between Bremen and the North Sea coast. As a former residential town and today's cultural and economic center of the region, Oldenburg combines northern German tradition with a student atmosphere. The city impresses with its old town, the castle, the castle garden and its location between Ammerland and the coast. As a university town with the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg and other universities, and as a location with a focus on environmental and sustainability research, Oldenburg offers a dynamic scientific landscape. Oldenburg stands out as a place of work with the University of Oldenburg with a focus on the environment and sustainability, the Department of Applied Geography and Environmental Planning, and a lively research landscape. Living in Oldenburg means a northern German way of life, short distances, affordable housing and a city with a high quality of life. The city is a good choice for professionals who want to combine a career in Oldenburg with a down-to-earth attitude and environmental research in Oldenburg.

Labor market for environmental and planning occupations

The Oldenburg job market offers good prospects for specialists in the environmental, planning and geodata sectors. The City of Oldenburg operates the Geoinformation and Statistics Department with the Surveying, GIS and Statistics teams. The GIS team manages the municipal spatial information system and provides geodata in the GeoPortal. The city offers dual studies in Applied Geodesy and Geoinformatics. GIS Jobs Oldenburg benefit from the open data portal “Open Data Oldenburg” and the modern geodata infrastructure. Environmental planners in Oldenburg find jobs at the city, in the district of Oldenburg with GEOSUM (GeoInformation System Umwelt) and at planning offices such as NWP Oldenburg and IBL Umweltplanung — one of the leading environmental planning offices in Northwest Germany with almost 40 years of experience.

Oldenburg's particular strength lies in sustainability research: The University of Oldenburg conducts research with the guiding theme “Environment and Sustainability” and the TRUST @UOL center. The Department of Applied Geography and Environmental Planning (Prof. Dr. Ingo Mose) researches sustainable spatial development, coastal regions and biosphere reserves. Geodata jobs in Oldenburg are created by the city, at the LGLN (State Office for Geoinformation and State Surveying of Lower Saxony) cadastral office in Oldenburg and at engineering offices. Surveyors in Oldenburg are trained in dual studies. Vacancies in Spatial Planning Oldenburg include positions with the city and planning offices. Geoinformatics Oldenburg is well positioned with geoinformatics courses thanks to the university and the Jade University of Applied Sciences. The combination of sustainability research, proximity to the coast and affordable living makes Oldenburg an attractive location.

Quality of life and infrastructure

Working in Oldenburg means living in a lively but manageable university town. The cost of living is moderate. Living in Oldenburg is affordable compared to major western German cities. The transport links are good: Oldenburg is located between Bremen (45 min.) and the North Sea coast. Oldenburg's work-life balance benefits from the location: Ammerland, the North Sea, the Netherlands and Bremen are on the doorstep. Oldenburg is culturally lively: The state theatre, the castle, museums and a student cultural scene shape the city.

career prospects

Oldenburg has good job opportunities for specialists in the environmental, planning and geospatial sectors. Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg is researching biodiversity, energy of the future and sustainability with the main topic “Environment and Sustainability.” The Department of Applied Geography and Environmental Planning offers degree programs in Sustainability Economics and Management, Landscape Ecology, and Water and Coastal Management. The career of environmental engineer Oldenburg is supported by research and practice. Vacancies Spatial Planning Oldenburg are created through urban development and research. The proximity to Bremen expands the job market. For qualified specialists, Oldenburg is therefore a university town with a focus on sustainability, proximity to the coast and northern German quality of life.