Head of the Earth Observation Mission Management and Product Quality Division

Job Requisition ID: 18802

Date Posted: 16 October 2024

Application Deadline: 6 November 2024 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication: Internal & External

Type of Contract: Permanent

Directorate: Earth Observation Programmes

Workplace: Frascati, IT

Grade Band: A5 - A5

Location
ESRIN, Frascati, Italy

Description
Reporting to the Head of the Mission Management and Ground Segment Department, you will be responsible for the management of Earth Observation (EO) missions during their exploitation phase (Phase E2 and beyond), for the procurement of third-party missions’ capacity and for the EO product quality of the missions.

Duties
Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• managing the ESA EO missions, i.e. the Earth Explorer and Earth Watch missions in Phase E2;
• managing the Copernicus missions handled by ESA, i.e. Sentinel missions in Phase E2;
• ensuring the exploitation, operations and evolution of the above missions in line with the mission requirements and evolving user or service needs together with the ESA Ground Segment and Data Management Division and the Copernicus Ground Segment and Data Management Division;
• ensuring the overall EO product quality of the above missions, including product and processor performance and evolution, calibration and validation activities;
• managing the activities relating to the procurement of third-party mission capacities, including the ESA customer role with EO commercial missions, as part of the Copernicus Contributing Missions and the ESA Earthnet programme, and the ESA data access agreements with EO national and international missions;
• managing the activities relating to the ESA EO heritage mission data;
• elaborating, together with the ESA Ground Segment and Data Management Division and the Copernicus Ground Segment and Data Management Division, future scenarios for mission, ground segment and EO data management in view of the expanding EO data framework, data volumes and variety and user needs;
• contributing to the further integration and increased efficiency of the Department in accordance with its objectives;
• supporting increased cooperation with the other departments of the Directorate, in particular efforts towards increased end-to-end mission coherency.

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

Technical competencies
Broad understanding of the overall Earth Observation domain

Solid experience with Earth Observation data exploitation and user communities in both the scientific and the operational applications domains

Sound knowledge of Earth Observation programmes at European, national and international levels

Acquaintance with operators of Earth Observation missions in the public and commercial domains, and with their stakeholders

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

Education
A PhD or master’s degree in a natural science or in engineering is required for this post.

Additional requirements
The following competencies are considered assets:

• Extensive experience of project management in an international context;
• Ability to communicate and promote the achievements of Earth Observation in general and ESA missions in particular;
• Ability to promote performance and foster cooperation within and across teams in a matrix organisational context.

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 reach 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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