Description

Ground Operations and ESTRACK Service Officer in the Near-Earth Services Section (OPS-ONO) of the Ground Facilities Operations Division, Mission Operations Department, Directorate of Operations.

You will report to the Head of the Near-Earth Services Section. The Section is responsible for the operations, engineering and provision of ground facilities operations services to ESA Earth observation, astronomical and fundamental physics missions, and in support of such missions for delegated EU or national programmes. The Section is also responsible for providing training and simulation campaigns in preparation of the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) or mission critical events for all missions operated from ESOC.

Duties

You will be the primary technical interface for ESA and external missions providing ESA Tracking Station Network (ESTRACK) services, as well as Operational Control Centre (OCC) and ICT infrastructure ground facilities.

Your main duties will include:

• coordinating requirements engineering, the generation and maintenance of cost-at-completion data, mission-specific system engineering, steering of the required technical work and operations preparation activities relevant to ground facilities and associated services;
• ensuring the implementation and validation of relevant ground segment elements and their final ‘delivery’ to missions, balancing quality, time and resource considerations;
• initiating and following-up mission or service-specific tailoring, modifications or upgrades of the ground facilities infrastructure and services provided;
• defining and coordinating the execution of related test and validation programmes such as RF compatibility, mission readiness, station performance and tracking campaigns;
• supporting the preparation and execution of Launch and Early Orbit Phases and other mission-critical phases as a member of the Operations Management Team;
• coordinating ground facilities scheduling, operations and services to relevant missions during all mission phases, including interfacing with the Network Operations Centre (NOC);
• providing regular and event-driven reporting to the customer mission and line management;
• participating in project reviews and anomaly and configuration control boards, acting as the user representative in the development process of relevant ground systems;
• engaging in business development initiatives to expand ESTRACK telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) utilisation;
• supporting the amendment and enhancement of ESTRACK services, for example by procuring commercial tracking capacity;
• driving the commercialisation of ESTRACK tracking services and its expansion in favour of European industry, in particular New Space companies;
• interfacing with international institutional partners and third-party organisations and supporting the establishment and execution of related cross-support agreements, implementation arrangements and contracts;
• managing payload acquisition services and TT&C services on behalf of internal customers;
• providing support to other internal units, for example FMO, as required;
• supporting the training and simulations process in the context of the preparation and implementation of mission operations courses;
• supporting the training and simulations process in the context of the preparation and implementation of LEOP and critical activity simulation campaigns;
• supporting the Head of Section in activities, processes and projects relating to multi-mission ground facilities infrastructure and services.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

A master’s degree in a relevant domain is required for this post.

Additional requirements

You should also:

• have the ability to work independently and to present complex technical issues, paired with resource considerations, clearly and convincingly;
• be proactive, able to multitask and have strong self-motivation;
• possess good communication skills in order to handle a broad range of international interfaces and the ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary team;
• have strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day operational challenges, together with demonstrated planning and organisational skills;
• demonstrate a strong result orientation with the ability to set priorities and present practical and sound solutions both orally and in writing by considering quality, time and resources;
• have the ability to manage challenging situations proactively and constructively and to be customer-focused;
• possess knowledge of the Agency and its internal processes.