LCNS Ground Segment and Operations Manager

Vacancy in the Directorate of Operations.

ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.

This post is classified A2-A4 on the Coordinated Organisations’ salary scale.

Location
ECSAT, Harwell, United Kingdom

Description

LCNS Ground Segment and Operations Manager in the Solar System and Exploration Missions Division, Mission Operations Department, Directorate of Operations (D/OPS).
You will be assigned as integrated support to the Moonlight/LCNS (Lunar Communication and Navigation System) Project Team in the Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communication (D/CSC).
You will functionally report to the Moonlight Programme Manager and hierarchically to the Partnership & Opportunity Satellite Programme Manager. You will be responsible for the management of the overall Ground Segment and Operations activities of the Moonlight/LCNS Partnership Project.
You will manage the cross-functional and cross-directorate joint Ground Segment Team in the Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communication, the Directorate of the Navigation (D/NAV) and further Technologies and Product activities related to the Ground Segment and Operations. You will liaise closely with the LCNS System Manager, the LCNS Space Segment Manager and the Directorates of Operations and Technology, Engineering and Quality (D/TEC), and will coordinate closely with industry teams for the LCNS Project.

Training and familiarisation with the parent Department's mandate, processes and procedures will be provided at the beginning of the assignment.

Duties

Your main tasks and duties will include:

• managing the cross-functional and cross-directorate joint LCNS Ground Segment and Operations Team;
• managing the activities relating to LCNS Ground Segment and Operations adaptation/development, including mission operations, service management, network operations, communications management, navigation management, data processing systems and ground stations, as well as qualification, verification and further Ground Segment technologies, product activities and support products;
• acting as the focal point and assuming responsibility for monitoring industrial activities, including industry-level reviews, relating to the Ground Segment;
• responsibility for Ground Segment requirements and specifications, design drivers, technical and performance indicators and operational concepts, including their consistency with the system requirements and specifications;
• managing the Ground Segment and Operations engineering aspects, such as the performance of COM and NAV elements, budgets, margins and internal and external Ground Segment interfaces;
• managing the activities relating to Ground Segment and Operations manufacturing, assembly, integration and verification and on-ground pre-validation with an emphasis on the end-to-end performance;
• providing support to the System Manager in defining the concept of operations, service and system operational requirements and interfaces, operations processes and procedures, design drivers and operational and performance indicators;
• ensuring the coherence of the Ground Segment and Operations with the security-related aspects and requirements, coordinating with the project-nominated PSSO (Project/System Security Officer), the contractor and the external stakeholders, as well as supporting the successful conduct of the internal ESA security certification process;
• supporting the system end-to-end system integration, testing and service validation in coordination with the System Manager and Space Segment Manager, including COM and NAV chain aspects;
• responsibility for the evolution activities, including maintenance and obsolescence, of the LCNS Ground Segment beyond the in-orbit verification and validation of the first elements, paying due attention to its operational significance for ESA and partner missions and commercial service provision cost-effectiveness;
• supporting the industry tailoring and leading the subsequent application of Ground Segment and Operations-related ECSS, international and industry standards;
• ensuring close coordination and support with other project functions, such as LCNS system- and segment-level reviews and PA&S and security activities;
• technical responsibility for Ground Segment and Operations anomaly-handling, NRBs, the NCR process and RFDs/RFWs, among other things, in close coordination with all other relevant disciplines, notably under the coordination of the PA&S Manager;
• supporting the Moonlight Programme’s Joint Management Team (JMT) for R&D activities complementary to Moonlight, as well as interoperability and standardisation, for example;
• proactive monitoring of relevant schedules, identifying risk and problem areas, providing assessments and proposing mitigation actions from industry and on the ESA side;
• ensuring the completion of the Ground Segment and Operations preparation within schedule, specification and cost;
• identifying, leading and efficiently coordinating specialised engineering support from the Directorates of Operations and Technology, Engineering and Quality in the appropriate areas of competence;
• regular and ad hoc reporting to the Programme Manager.
You will also be responsible for identifying, assessing, managing and reporting the health and safety risks in your area of responsibility.

Technical competencies Management and delivery of ground systems and operations development projects within cost and scheduleExperience with the development and procurement of software- intensive ground systems such as mission operations, network operations and management, and navigation managementExperience with the development and procurement of ground station antennas, RF front-ends and basebandExperience in satellite telecommunications and navigation Knowledge of ESA and industrial development, verification and procurement processesExperience with project risk management processesKnowledge of industrial costs and schedule aspectsExperience with telecommunications/navigation satellite operators

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking

Education

A master's degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant engineering discipline is required.

Additional requirements

You should, in addition, have:

• the potential to manage individuals or a team in a project setting;
• the ability to organise individual and team activities and ensure a motivating work environment;
• strong leadership capabilities, with proven relationship management and communication skills;
• the ability to drive your team’s performance, developing your people by encouraging learning, delegating responsibility and giving regular and constructive feedback;
• strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day operational challenges, together with demonstrated planning and organisational skills;
• a strong result orientation with the ability to set priorities and present practical solutions both orally and in writing;
• the ability to manage challenging situations proactively and constructively and to be customer-focused.

People management experience is an asset, as is international experience, i.e. outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities.

Experience in managing complex space programmes up to launch and in-orbit testing, preferably in the navigation and/or telecommunications domain, is desirable.

Direct experience of working with a commercial telecommunications company and operator will be a distinct advantage. Experience in Public-Private Partnership projects would be an asset.

Other information

For behavioural competencies expected from ESA staff in general, please refer to the ESA Competency Framework.

For further information please visit: Professionals, What we offer and FAQ

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

Applicants must be eligible to access technology and hardware which is subject to European and US export control regulations.

The Agency may require applicants to undergo selection tests.

At the Agency we value diversity and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further please contact us email contact.human.resources@esa.int.

Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to internal candidates and secondly to external candidates from under-represented Member States*.

In accordance with the European Space Agency’s security procedures and as part of the selection process, successful candidates will be required to undergo basic screening before appointment conducted by an external background screening service.

In principle, recruitment will be within the advertised grade band (A2-A4). However, if the selected candidate has less than four years of relevant professional experience following the completion of the master’s degree, the position may be filled at A1 level.

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.