Copernicus Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-3 Next Generation Optical Principal Instrument Engineer

Job Requisition ID: 18891

Date Posted: 11 September 2024

Application Deadline: 2 October 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
Principal Instrument Engineer for the Sentinel-3 (S3) and Sentinel-3 Next Generation Optical (S3 NGO) missions, presently in Phase D and Phase A/B1, respectively.

You will report to the Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-3 NGO Payload Manager for all technical and programmatic matters and will work within the S3 and S3 NGO Project Team.

For the Sentinel-3C and -3D satellites, you will be responsible for the OLCI (Ocean and Land Colour Instrument) instrument and will support, as required, the SLSTR (Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer) instrument during Phase D/E1, including storage and de-storage where applicable.

For the Sentinel-3 NGO A and B satellites, you will be responsible for the procurement and timely delivery of the AOLCI instrument (Advanced Ocean and Land Colour Instrument) and will support, as required, the procurement of the ASLSTR instrument (Advanced Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer) during Phase A/B1/C/D/E1.

You will work in close cooperation with other engineers working on the S3 and S3 NGO projects and will coordinate specialised technical support from the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality (D/TEC).

Duties
Under the supervision of the S3 and S3 NGO Payload Manager, you will hold technical responsibility for the OLCI and AOLCI flight model delivery.

Your responsibilities will include the follow-up of the development, verification, calibration and final validation of the instruments during the in-orbit commissioning, as well as monitoring the compliance of their performance with the requirements and interfaces.
Your duties will also involve proactive and close cooperation with members of the satellite and system teams. Specialised engineers will provide functional support, in particular for optical, mechanical, thermal and electrical engineering.

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 OLCI and AOLCI instruments hardware and software and the associated ground support equipment, including coordination across functional teams and end-user organisations and operators throughout the project lifetime, from ITT to flight commissioning;
• leading the AOLCI instrument requirements and specifications, technical budgets, design drivers, internal and external instrument interfaces, level instrument performance and operational concepts and ensuring their consistency with the mission requirements, specifications and technical budgets;
• ensuring that the experience and lessons learned from the OLCI instrument are incorporated into the AOLCI design and verification plans;
• monitoring industrial progress and design evolution at instrument and equipment levels, ensuring they remain consistent with the technical and programmatic requirements;
• monitoring and supporting all AOLCI technology enhancement-related activities, such as bread-boarding, pre-developments, developments and qualifications and assessing the performances, readiness status, suitability, schedule and risks for the Sentinel-3 NGO mission;
• monitoring industrial verification activities to ensure proper verification, including resolving non-conformances, and supporting the assessment of deviations and waivers;
• 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;
• proposing mechanisms to ensure optimisation of the payload’s assembly, integration, verification, calibration and validation, ensuring consistency with the technical specification and with project needs and constraints, including timely availability to the spacecraft;
• coordinating the instrument AIV activities and supporting the spacecraft AIV activities, the preparation of the launch campaign and the in-orbit commissioning of the instrument;
• in support of the S3 and S3 NGO System and Operations Manager and Performance Engineer, monitoring budgets and key instrument and mission performances, ensuring timely delivery of instrument data and tools produced by industry as required to support the development or updating of ground processing algorithms and instrument performance simulation, and participating in the Mission Advisory Group (MAG) as required;
• providing technical coordination for the specialised engineering support provided by the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality and the Directorate of Operations.

Technical competencies
Multidisciplinary technical knowledge and experience in your area of responsibility, in particular regarding spectrometer engineering

Knowledge and experience of the design, development, integration, verification, characterisation and testing of optical space-borne instruments

Knowledge and experience of project risk management processes

Knowledge and experience of space system development and product assurance (PA) standards

Experience of managing technical interfaces between subsystems both within an ESA project team environment and with the industrial consortium

Knowledge of industrial costs and schedule aspects

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 scientific or engineering discipline is required for this post.

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.

Who we recruit »

Recruitment Process »

What we offer »

Life at ESA »

FAQ »

Apply now »