VN 25/46 System Operations Engineer
EUMETSAT operates a fleet of over ten Earth Observation satellites in low Earth and geostationary orbits, including three Copernicus Sentinel satellites (Sentinel-3A, -3B and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich), and is preparing for the launch of several next-generation satellites in the next few years, including the Copernicus Sentinel-6B satellite at the end of 2025.
Within the Real-Time Services and System Operations (RSO) Division, the System Operations Engineer will coordinate routine operations primarily of the Copernicus Altimetry missions (Sentinel-6, Jason-3 and SARAL) and will support the evolutions of EUMETSATโs ground segment systems. The engineer will also support system operation preparations activities for future satellite systems.
Duties
- Coordinate the operational Copernicus Altimetry services and systems and ensure compliance with the mission requirements and technical and operational interface agreements with international partners such as ESA, NASA, NOAA, CNES;
- Analyse and monitor the performance of the operational end-to-end systems raising Anomaly Reports and Engineering Change Proposals where necessary and contribute to the periodic mission operation reviews (e.g. mission exploitation review, Mission Performance Review);
- Propose evolutions to the operational systems or their interfaces, where relevant, in coordination with the Copernicus Programme Office and coordinate the implementation and testing of system changes;
- Coordinate the update of operational procedures and training of the operations teams for the relevant operational missions;
- Ensure all operational activities are coordinated within the overall Operations Department medium- and long-term planning, including supporting the relevant FAMBs (Functional Area Management Boards) and System Operations authority Group (SOG);
- Support the operations preparation activities for recurrent satellites and new Copernicus missions (e.g. Sentinel-6B, Sentinel-3C, Sentinel-4, Sentinel-5 and CO2M);
- Provision of System Operations engineering expertise to support the early phase activities of future missions and task forces (e.g. CRISTAL/CIMR/Future Altimetry missions);
- Support the Copernicus Programme office with the preparation of the Quarterly and Annual Reports for the activities falling under the Copernicus Programme, including the periodic production of Key Performance Indicators. Provide timely inputs for periodic EUMETSAT system and services reporting.
LOCATION Darmstadt, Germany
QUALIFICATIONS
University degree or equivalent experience in a relevant subject (Telecommunication, Mathematics, Electronic, System or Software Engineering).
LANGUAGES
The official languages of EUMETSAT are English and French. Candidates must be able to work effectively in English and preferably have some knowledge of French.
DEADLINE
1 September 2025
Duties
- Coordinate the operational Copernicus Altimetry services and systems and ensure compliance with the mission requirements and technical and operational interface agreements with international partners such as ESA, NASA, NOAA, CNES;
- Analyse and monitor the performance of the operational end-to-end systems raising Anomaly Reports and Engineering Change Proposals where necessary and contribute to the periodic mission operation reviews (e.g. mission exploitation review, Mission Performance Review);
- Propose evolutions to the operational systems or their interfaces, where relevant, in coordination with the Copernicus Programme Office and coordinate the implementation and testing of system changes;
- Coordinate the update of operational procedures and training of the operations teams for the relevant operational missions;
- Ensure all operational activities are coordinated within the overall Operations Department medium- and long-term planning, including supporting the relevant FAMBs (Functional Area Management Boards) and System Operations authority Group (SOG);
- Support the operations preparation activities for recurrent satellites and new Copernicus missions (e.g. Sentinel-6B, Sentinel-3C, Sentinel-4, Sentinel-5 and CO2M);
- Provision of System Operations engineering expertise to support the early phase activities of future missions and task forces (e.g. CRISTAL/CIMR/Future Altimetry missions);
- Support the Copernicus Programme office with the preparation of the Quarterly and Annual Reports for the activities falling under the Copernicus Programme, including the periodic production of Key Performance Indicators. Provide timely inputs for periodic EUMETSAT system and services reporting.
Skills and Experience
- In-depth experience in developing, testing and/or operating real-time space or ground segment systems;
- Experience of real-time ground segment systems monitoring;
- Thorough understanding of geographically-distributed systems operations, including networking, distributed applications, and interactions with external operations entities;
- Experience in provision of real-time data services and end-to-end services;
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a proven ability to apply these to interactions within a team and between teams;
- Proven experience in international cooperation with external entities.
- Technical / Project Management and coordination would be an advantage.
Employment Conditions
The initial contract will be of 4 yearsโ duration, with subsequent 5 year contracts being awarded thereafter, subject to individual performance and organisation requirements. There is no limit to the amount of follow-up contracts a staff member can receive up to the EUMETSAT retirement age of 63 and there are certainly opportunities to establish a long career perspective at EUMETSAT.
This post is graded A2/A4 on the EUMETSAT salary scales. The minimum basic salary for this post is EURO 7340 per month (net of internal tax but excluding pension contribution and insurances) which may be negotiable on the basis of skills and experience. The salary scale provides for increments on the anniversary of taking up employment, and scales are reviewed by the EUMETSAT Council with effect from 1 January each year. In addition to basic salary, EUMETSAT offers attractive benefits. Further information, including salary details, is available on the EUMETSAT web site.
EUMETSAT is committed to providing an equal opportunities work environment for men and women.
Please note that only nationals of EUMETSAT Member States may apply. The EUMETSAT Convention requires that Staff shall be recruited on the basis of their qualifications, account being taken of the international character of EUMETSAT. Applicants are required to disclose all nationalities they have held and currently hold in order to determine whether they can exercise the role as advertised in compliance with applicable export control regulations.About EUMETSAT
EUMETSAT is Europeโs meteorological satellite agency. Its role is to establish and operate meteorological satellites to monitor the weather and climate from space - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This information is supplied to the National Meteorological Services of the organisation's Member States in Europe, as well as other users worldwide.
EUMETSAT also operates several Copernicus missions on behalf of the European Union and provide data services to the Copernicus marine and atmospheric services and their users.
As an intergovernmental European Organisation, EUMETSAT has 30 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.)