Harmony Lead Principal Instrument Engineer

Harmony Lead Principal Instrument Engineer

Description

The Harmony mission is an Earth Observation research mission selected as the 10th Earth Explorer mission. The mission is composed of two satellites orbiting in formation with one of the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites to address key scientific questions related to ocean, ice and land dynamics. Each Harmony satellite will carry a receive-only synthetic aperture radar (SAR) as its main instrument that will work together with Sentinel-1’s radar. Both Harmony satellites will also carry a multi-view thermal-infrared instrument (TIR) to measure sea-surface temperature differences and cloud-top motion.

During the mission, the Harmony convoy will switch between two formation configurations to address different science goals. The mission will include the first- and fifth-year cross-track interferometric phase covering land application. In the intervening three years, the mission will be reconfigured to fly in a stereo formation over the ocean.

As Harmony Lead Principle Instrument Engineer, you will report directly to the Harmony Payload Manager. You will be responsible for the development of the Harmony thermal-infrared instrument. You will work in close cooperation with other engineers on the Harmony project, and will coordinate specialised technical support from the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

Duties

Your principal tasks and responsibilities, within the project guidelines and constraints defined by the Harmony Payload Manager, will include the following:

• Contributing to the management of the industrial activities by leading the specification, design, procurement, development and verification/acceptance of instrument hardware and software, including coordination across functional teams, and with scientists of the Mission Advisory Group/end-user organisations/operators throughout the project lifetime, from ITT to flight commissioning.
• Leading and coordinating the instrument requirements and specifications, technical budgets, design drivers, internal and external payload interfaces, spacecraft-level payload performance, operational concepts, including their consistency with the mission requirements, specifications and technical budgets.
• Monitoring the industrial progress and design evolution at instrument and equipment level, ensuring it remains consistent with the technical and programmatic requirements.
• Monitoring instrument competitiveness/roadmap as necessary and following up all best practice procurements.
• Monitoring industrial verification activities to ensure proper verification including resolving non-conformances; supporting the assessment of deviations, waivers.
• Providing regular reporting to payload management and identifying technical risk areas, proposing and monitoring mitigation measures.
• Contributing to the management of the schedule for TIR and proposing schedule risk mitigation actions.
• Coordinating instrument components procured from ESA Member States (such as detectors or a CFI) to ensure compatibility with overall instrument development needs.
• Coordinating with product assurance and safety processes for TIR development.
• Coordinating the instrument AIV/AIT activities and supporting the spacecraft AIV activities, the preparation of the launch campaign and the in-orbit commissioning of the instrument.
• Monitoring the definition and execution of instrument calibration, ensuring availability of relevant data for ground processing.
• Ensuring the provision of necessary instrument inputs for the development of level 1 processing tools/algorithms and the associated ground processor prototype.
• Ensuring the timely availability of inputs for on-ground characterisation and in-orbit commissioning campaigns.
• Participating in instrument and satellite project reviews, coordinating all technical aspects relating to the instrument.
• Monitoring instrument performance and associated performance assessment tools, as well models used in industry or internally, and supporting analyses of impacts on the mission performance resulting from deviations during the development of the instrument or of the system.
• Coordinating a team of engineers and specialised engineering support from the ESA Directorate of Technology, Engineering, Quality and the Directorate of Operations in the relevant areas of responsibility.
• Supporting general project reporting tasks, such as weekly reports.
• Liaising closely and proactively with the rest of the project team and with colleagues from the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality, and the Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes, as needed.

Your duties may also include supporting other activities of the Earth Observation Projects Department that are within your field of competence.

Technical competencies

• Experience in spaceborne optical instrument development
• Experience in the management and monitoring of industrial activities
• Technical knowledge of optical instruments
• Experience in instrument performance, verification and in-orbit commissioning
• System awareness (such as accommodation of instrument on the satellite and end-to-end aspects)
• Knowledge of industrial costs and schedule aspects
• Environmental testing for space hardware

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

A master’s degree in engineering or physics is required for this post.

Additional requirements

Project experience on Optical Instrument development, in particular in Phases B2/C/D/E1.
Experience in the procurement, and development for space instruments/payloads. Strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day challenges, together with demonstrated planning and organisational skills. Strong result orientation with the ability to set priorities and present practical solutions. The ability to manage challenging situations proactively and constructively. Extensive expertise in multiple technical domains (e.g., optics, mechanical, thermal, performance, etc.) and industrial experience at instrument/payload level in the space domain are considered a strong asset.

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 contact.human.resources@esa.int.

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 information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions 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 are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.

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.