In this episode of the ‘amtlich voran’ podcast, I speak to Tobias Lück, Deputy Head of the Central Services Department at the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) – Germany’s domestic intelligence service. Tobias has been with the BfV for almost 25 years – with an exciting spell at Autobahn GmbH, where, amongst other things, he helped to develop the company’s employer brand, marketing, recruitment and corporate security. Today, he is responsible for areas such as recruitment, staff development, marketing, training, as well as construction and property management.
One sentence from our conversation has particularly stuck with me:
“We need to create more visibility.”
At first glance, this sounds like a given for employer branding. But what do you do when you’re not allowed to show real employees, behind-the-scenes glimpses or a large part of the actual work? That’s precisely what makes employer branding at the Office for the Protection of the Constitution so special. Among other things, we discussed the following topics:
🕵️ Employer branding without genuine testimonials?
Simply putting staff in front of the camera? That’s generally not an option at the BfV. Tobias explains how his team nevertheless creates a sense of connection and captures people’s attention through creativity, humour, carefully chosen imagery and sometimes even a ‘unicorn picture’.
🔐 When security starts right from the recruitment stage
Anyone wishing to work for the intelligence service needs the highest level of security clearance – and special rules also apply in their day-to-day work, for example when travelling or working from home. This makes it all the more important to give applicants as realistic a picture as possible right from the start.
🚀 Modernising administration – under special conditions
The BfV is growing, welcoming many new colleagues, digitising processes and continuing to develop organisationally. Tobias shows how transformation and innovation can work whilst simultaneously meeting the highest security requirements.
🔗 Further links
Tobias Lück on LinkedIn
Careers at the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
All the information on the
‘amtlich voran’ forum on 1 October 2026 in Berlin can be found HERE
You can find the ‘amtlich voran’ Spotify playlist with all previous episodes HERE
🎧 Curious about how employer branding works when confidentiality is part of the job? – Then have a listen to this episode: