Mechanical Workshop Leader

The successful applicant will be part of the Mechanical Engineering Group within the Maintenance, Support and Engineering (MSE) Department at the Paranal site of the La Silla Paranal Observatory. The MSE Department of the Paranal Observatory with a workforce of 80 engineers and technicians provides maintenance and technical support to the four 8m VLT telescopes, to the VLT Interferometer with its auxiliary telescopes, the VST and VISTA survey telescopes and to all instruments available for scientific observations. Astronomical instruments are large, complex facilities involving advanced technologies in the fields of optics, precision mechanics, electronics, cryogenics, detector acquisition systems and software.

The Paranal Mechanical Engineering (PME) group is comprised of 19 engineers and technicians and is responsible for:

• Maintain in Operational Conditions ('Maintien en Condition Operationnelle MCO') of all mechanical equipment (except Instrument), all cooling equipment (except Instrument), of some coaters and handling equipment, movement/lift of heavy equipment, and work package management of outsourced contract.
• Support to other groups like Instrumentation Group in its fields of expertise and for Instrument movement, project teams for integration and testing of new equipment, and Electronics Group for Power Generation.
• Operation of the mechanical workshop, an advanced manufacturing facility where 4 ESO staff and 5 contractors are employed. The workshop is equipped with several tools (CNC and conventional machines, welding equipment and installations, anodizing plant, metrology laboratory) to manufacture precision pieces needed for the telescopes and to perform repair activities.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

The selected candidate will have the following responsibilities:

• Coordination of the mechanical technicians of the workshop, control of the tools, raw materials, consumables and equipment.
• Organization of the activities and resources with MAXIMO in order to ensure that the manufacturing of the pieces is done on time.
• Ensure the quality control and delivery on time of the produced pieces implementing check and quality procedures.
• Responsible for the tools and machineries of the mechanical workshop, including the relevant maintenance activities.
• To be the interface person with the contractors' company in order to give them the planning of the activities and to control the fulfilment of the objectives in terms of schedule and quality.
• Be the first interface with the project teams when is requested the manufacturing/modification of mechanical Pieces.
• Interact with the designers in order to optimize the design considering the available manufacturing capabilities and production processes.

Outside the workshop, for any assigned system(s):

• Be responsible of all maintenance activities and obsolescence analysis and perform troubleshooting and repair.
• Ensure the availability and performance according to specification.
• Propose change request and implement once approved (analysis, design, implementation, commissioning, documentation).

For any mechanical group support activities:

• Participate to the daily troubleshooting and corrective maintenance.
• AIV of new systems and ensure the transfer of knowledge from project to MCO team.
• Supports Instrumentation and Electronics Group in mechanical field.
• Any critical LPO activities for which your competencies are requested by your manager.

Reports to:

The Mechanical Group Leader.

Experience:

At least 4 years of experience in the field of advanced mechanical workshops, preferably involving CNC machining of accurate and complex mechanical pieces. Experience in the management of small working teams, very good interpersonal skills.

Key Competences:

• Proven knowledge of manufacturing processes and CAD/CAM tools (AUTOCAD as minimum, INVENTOR and ESPRIT desired).
• Willingness to collaborate in the operational activities of the observatory, participation in some of the activities of the mechanical group (troubleshooting, operational tasks, etc).
• Good self-organization.
• Constructively suggest improvements to work processes.
• Plan effectively and monitor progress of work, deliver results on time and to standards.
• Experience in working in a multicultural environment would be an asset.
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office package.
• Desirable experience with CMMS software (ideally MAXIMO)

Qualifications:

University degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Language Skills:

The position requires fluent oral and written communication skills in English.

Remuneration and Contract:

The initial contract is for a period of two years with the possibility of an indefinite extension, subject to evaluation. The title or grade may be subject to change according to qualification and the number of years of experience.

Duty Station:

Paranal Observatory, located 120 km south of the city of Antofagasta, Chile. The working schedule will be 8 days on duty and 6 days off duty (8x6) with accommodation provided on site, after a probation period with 5 days on duty and 2 days off (5x2).

Career Path:

V

Application:

If you are interested in working in areas of frontline technology and in a stimulating international environment, please visit http://www.eso.org for further details.

Applicants are invited to apply online at http://recruitment.eso.org/. Applications must be completed in English and should include a motivation letter and your CV.

Closing date for applications is 13 October 2016.

No nationality is in principle excluded, however applicants, Chilean or of foreign nationality, must have the pertinent working permit, according to Chilean regulations.

The post is equally open to suitably qualified female and male applicants.