Head of the Earth and Mission Sciences Division

Job Requisition ID: 19115

Date Posted: 7 November 2024

Application Deadline: 28 November 2024 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication: Internal & External

Type of Contract: Permanent

Directorate: Earth Observation Programmes

Workplace: Noordwijk, NL

Grade Band: A5 - A5

Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Description
Reporting to the Head of the Climate Action, Sustainability and Science Department, you will be responsible for the scientific evaluation of proposed mission ideas or approved candidate mission concepts, ensuring their scientific maturity and integrity, and for reviewing the conformance of proposed or approved missions with scientific and/or other user community requirements.

You will convene mission-specific advisory groups (MAG) and establish and maintain the mission requirement documents and the science support plans. You will ensure coherence of implementation with approved mission objectives for all phases of all missions. You will also manage scientific studies and campaigns supporting all mission phases, assigning dedicated mission and campaign scientists for each mission and actively driving calibration/validation and derived product definitions, as well as the definition of derived processing methodologies.

In addition, you will manage the Advisory Committee for Earth Observation (ACEO) Secretariat and will be responsible for organising its activities, including the management and implementation of the scientific selection procedure for research missions in accordance with the ESA Earth Observation Science Strategy.

Duties
Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• managing the mission science-related activities of the Earth Observation (EO) programmes, including provision of the mission and campaign scientist leadership and expertise guiding the study and implementation of EO missions;
• managing the generation and maintenance of mission requirements in all phases of mission development, from pre-Phase A to commissioning;
• developing, maintaining and implementing appropriate science support plans for all EO missions (unless excluded by programme declarations);
• conducting and supervising relevant in-house and external scientific studies as needed to support EO mission implementation;
• managing international science and mission advisory groups as needed to support selected missions within all EO programmes;
• contributing to the elaboration of candidate EO mission and payload documents as well as the associated requirements;
• leading the scientific evaluation and contributing to the technical evaluation of EO mission proposals and to the selection of missions for implementation;
• supervising geophysical algorithm research and development in support of EO missions;
• leading and conducting all measurement campaigns concerned with the calibration, validation and exploitation of EO missions;
• contributing to the Agency's outreach and communication on EO;
• supporting the work of Young Graduate Trainees and Research Fellows in cooperation with nominated tutors, as applicable;
• reporting on the activities of the Division, including to Member States;
• being part of the Department’s executive leadership team, thereby contributing to overall cohesion and coordination across divisions, as well as vis-à-vis other departments;
• as appropriate, representing ESA at relevant international forums and in cooperative frameworks with partners;
• coordinating with the other Directorates of the applications area (D/NAV, D/CSC, D/CIC), as well as D/SCI and D/TEC, on topics of common interest.

You will also be responsible for identifying, assessing, managing and reporting on the health and safety risks in your area of responsibility.

Technical competencies
Knowledge of the scientific discipline and observational techniques

Knowledge of a strategic vision of the area of Earth Observation

Experience in the management and monitoring of research and development activities

Knowledge of major international and cooperative initiatives relating to Earth Observation at international, European and national level

Experience in people management and leading change

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

For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook

Education
A PhD degree in physics, engineering or a relevant Earth science and applications discipline is required for this post.

Additional requirements
Previous experience working on a multi-agency, cooperative programme is an advantage.

You bring solid experience as a team leader, with an extensive understanding of management and procurement processes.

Importance will be attached to your personal credibility with leading scientific authorities in the field.

Furthermore, you should have:

• proven experience of leading, motivating and developing a team in a project environment;
• the ability to provide strategic direction to the individuals and teams within the Division and to relate team objectives to the overall, evolving organisational goals and context;
• the ability to drive performance and foster cooperation within and across teams throughout the organisation;
• demonstrated excellent leadership, relationship management and communication skills, both oral and written;
• a proven track record of representing the Agency’s interests to external interfaces;
• excellent cognitive, analytical, delegation, planning and organisational skills;
• the ability to anticipate problems, resolve complex issues and relate situations to their context;
• the ability to make solution-oriented, pragmatic and timely decisions of a high standard and with integrity as well as to support others, such as team members, upper management and other stakeholders, in this process.

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.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
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.

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 via email at [email protected].

Important Information and Disclaimer
During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures.

Note that ESA is in the process of transitioning to a Matrix setup, which could lead to organisational changes affecting this position.

The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have.

Nationality and Languages
Please note that applications can only be 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*.

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.

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.

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