CRISTAL, Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-3 NGO Lead Space Segment Engineer

Job Requisition ID: 18885

Date Posted: 5 September 2024

Application Deadline: 26 September 2024 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication: Internal & External

Type of Contract: Permanent

Directorate: Earth Observation Programmes

Workplace: Noordwijk, NL

Grade Band: A2 - A4

Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Description
Lead Space Segment Engineer for the CRISTAL (Copernicus polaR Ice and Snow Topographic ALtimeter), Sentinel-3 (Sentinel-3C/D) and Sentinel-3 Next Generation Optical missions. The post covers the activities relating to:

• phases C/D/E1 for the first CRISTAL satellite and the recurrent satellites of CRISTAL, including storage where applicable;
• phases D/E1 for Sentinel-3 C/D satellites, including storage;
• phases A/B/C/D/E1 for Sentinel-3 Next Generation Optical (S3NGO) satellites.

You will report to the relevant Satellite Engineering and AIV managers regarding all technical and programmatic matters and will work within the relevant project teams. You will be technically responsible, in particular, for the development of the space segment engineering and relevant sub-systems, and the AIV/AIT definition and implementation. Your responsibilities will include proactively monitoring the platform industrial procurement within the project(s).

You will interface with and receive support from other engineers working on the projects, as well as from specialised technical support from the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality (D/TEC).

Duties
Your main tasks and responsibilities will include:

• contributing to the management of the industrial activities by leading the specification, design, procurement, development, and verification/acceptance of spacecraft, platform and equipment hardware, including ground support equipment, throughout the project lifetime, from ITT to flight commissioning;
• monitoring the industrial progress and design evolution at spacecraft, platform and equipment levels, ensuring it remains consistent with the technical and programmatic requirements, in full coherence with the system requirements and operational interfaces;
• consolidating and maintaining the satellite internal/external interfaces and engineering technical budgets, including the definition of the interfaces to the launcher;
• monitoring industrial verification activities, including definition and implementation of the development AIV and AIT processes, to ensure proper verification, including resolving non-conformances, and supporting the assessment of deviations and waivers;
• coordinating with PA and AIT during integration and testing activities for the resolution of activity deviations;
• contributing to the autonomy and operability concept and supporting the FDIR definition when requested;
• supporting the Ground Segment and Operations teams in the execution of their activities, including SVTs;
• supporting storage and de-storage activities, including preparation, maintenance and verification of system and equipment performance during de-storage;
• providing support to launch campaign preparation and execution and to the platform in-orbit operations up to the end of commissioning;
• providing regular reporting to project management and identifying technical risk areas, proposing and monitoring mitigation measures;
• contributing to the management of the schedule and proposing schedule risk mitigation actions;
• monitoring the industrial preparation for launch and coordinating in-flight spacecraft commissioning and verification activities in collaboration with project and ground teams;
• coordinating various project engineering domains to cover the procurement of the hardware under your responsibility;
• coordinating specialised engineering support from the ESA Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality in the relevant areas under your responsibility.

Your duties may also include supporting other activities within your field of competence in the Projects Department of the Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes.

Technical competencies
Multidisciplinary technical knowledge and experience in your area of responsibility, in particular regarding space segment engineering, including related PA standards

Knowledge and experience in spacecraft design, development, integration and verification

Knowledge and experience in spacecraft launch campaign, LEOP and commissioning definition and execution

Experience of managing technical interfaces between subsystems in an ESA project team environment and/or within the industrial consortium

Experience working in a project environment on the procurement and monitoring of industrial activities

Knowledge and experience of complex project schedule and risk management processes

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 master’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline is required.

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
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.

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

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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