Vacancy in the Directorate of Science.
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 Organisationsโ salary scale.
Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands
Description
As part of the LISA team, in the Projects Department of the Science Directorate, you will report functionally to the LISA Project Manager.
LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) is a mission comprising a constellation of three spacecraft tasked with detecting and measuring gravitational waves with precision. It will become the first ever space gravitational wave observatory. It will deliver world-class science and will have significant public and strategic impact. The mission itself is hugely complex, involving 19 institutes from ten European countries as well as a significant involvement by NASA that will provide telescopes, lasers and electrostatic dischargers under a partnership agreement with ESA.
ESA is responsible for the mission as a whole, including the procurement of three spacecraft and of the launch vehicle, and the development of the payload and ground segment. For LISA, ESA will take additional responsibility, leading payload system design and programmatic, including performance, responsibility.
The role of the LISA Mission and Performance Manager is to manage the mission performance and ensure the establishment and tracking of all relevant development and operational interfaces within both the operations ground segment and the science ground segment.
You will manage a team composed of ESA staff and engineers and/or scientists from the LISA Mission Consortium seconded to ESA. You will liaise closely with the spacecraft and payload teams.
Duties
Your tasks and responsibilities will include:
- coordinating, with support from the spacecraft and payload teams, the devolution of the mission requirements into the requirements applicable at space segment, operations and ground processing level, ensuring their coherence and justification;
- acting as a custodian of the LISA mission requirements justification files;
- monitoring and assessing, together with the spacecraft and payload teams, the coherence of the technical and programmatic interfaces of all project segments, including their implementation and verification;
- monitoring all of the system budgets;
- developing and maintaining LISA performance simulators and performance models at different levels of accuracy and complexity to meet the various project needs;
- acting as the day-to-day project interface to the performance and operations group of the LISA Mission Consortium;
- defining and supervising the interfaces of the space segment with both the ESA Mission Operations Centre (MOC) and the ESA Science Operations Centre (SOC);
- monitoring the progress of the LISA ground segment software development, including ground data processing, relevant instrument simulators, quick-look systems, the call for proposal system and the mission planning system;
- monitoring and contributing to the ESA SOC-led ground segment test campaign up to launch;
- monitoring the progress of the MOC-based mission control system;
- ensuring the timely availability of all documentation, such as flight operation manuals, flight operations procedures and databases, as required to support the development of the operational part of the ground segment;
- managing the verification of mission performance requirements and budgets in close cooperation with the ESA scientist and with the support of the spacecraft and payload teams;
- contributing to the definition of calibration activities, both on-ground and in-flight, to ensure consistency and completeness;
- contributing to the end-to-end performance verification of the payload and the spacecraft;
- managing system commissioning of the overall mission with support from the spacecraft and payload teams;
- planning and implementing the mission-level reviews;
- contributing to the technical assessment of the project risks;
- supporting technical and scientific communication with the general public.
You will also be responsible for identifying, assessing, managing and reporting the health and safety risks in your area of responsibility.
Technical competencies Experience with scientific and payload performance analysisExperience in managing and interacting with scientific space developments with multiple interfaces (PI, scientific consortium, project, industry)Experience with definition of payload and spacecraft calibrationExperience with payload in-orbit commissioning and performance verification will be an assetExperience in any aspects of operations is an asset
Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward ThinkingEducation
A master's degree in engineering is required.
Additional requirements
A minimum of ten years of experience in space science.
Experience in the development of complex payload and/or the management of scientific consortiums is an asset.
You should further have:- the potential to manage individuals or a team in a project setting;
- the ability to organise their activities and ensure a motivating work environment;
- strong leadership capabilities, with proven relationship management and communication skills;
- the ability to drive your teamโs 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;
- strong results 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.
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 Agencyโs 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 masterโs degree, the position may be filled at A1 level.
*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.