Description

Spacecraft Operations Engineer in the Earth Observation Missions Division, Mission Operations Department, Directorate of Operations.

The Earth Observation Missions Division is responsible for the design, implementation and operations of the flight operations ground segment and the satellite mission operations for all ESA Earth Observation satellites, typically from the start of phase B through in-flight commissioning to routine mission operations until the end of mission.

Duties

You will initially be assigned to the EarthCare/SMOS/AEOLUS Missions Operations Unit within the Earth Observation Missions Division and will report hierarchically to the Head of Unit and functionally to the Spacecraft Operations Manager (SOM) of the EarthCare Mission.

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• assisting the SOM/Head of Unit in the definition, preparation and execution of the missions operations assigned to the Unit, including nominal, special and contingency operations, spacecraft and ground segment anomaly investigation and resolution, performance evaluation and reporting.;
• assisting the SOM/Head of Unit in the specification, development, validation, maintenance and evolution of the ground segment systems and operational products required to conduct mission operations;
• interfacing with other areas within the Agency, industry, the user community, external centres and/or agencies for all aspects related to your area of responsibility;
• providing support to the Head of Unit in discharging the Unit’s mandate and preparing for new missions to be operated by the Unit(s)/Division. This may include participation in reviews, preparations and operations of other missions delegated to the Unit, the Division or the Department and support for other Directorate or ESA activities;
• improving reliability and efficiency of payload operations, both for missions in preparation and missions in flight.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

A Master’s degree in engineering, mathematics or physics is required for this post.

Additional requirements

You should also have:

• a minimum of five years of direct experience in flight operations;
• demonstrated experience in planning tools used for multi-instrument planning, including development, tailoring/configuration, setup and automation;
• demonstrated experience in interfacing with external and international partners for matters related to instrument operations;
• a strong capacity for teamwork;
• a high level of self-motivation and autonomy and the ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team.