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Working at ESO
Are you interested in working in areas of frontline technology and in a stimulating international environment? Do you feel your profile matches our requirements? Learn more about our current vacancies and apply online. Read more..
The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries.
ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in northern Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor (home to ALMA), and the ESO Headquarters are located in Garching, near Munich, Germany.
At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory, and will host and operate the southern array of the Cherenkov Telescope Array, the world's largest and most sensitive high energy gamma-ray observatory. ESO is a major partner in ALMA. On Cerro Armazones, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky" and whose operations will be fully integrated into the Paranal Observatory.
The ESO Systems Engineering Department (SEN), within the Directorate of Engineering (DoE) at its Headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany, is advertising the following opportunity
The Systems Engineering Department comprises a team of 30 engineers, distributed over 3 groups. The department provides Systems Engineering expertise to ESO's projects, in particular for the development of the Extremely Large Telescope and its sub-systems and for the design and development of advanced optical and infrared instrumentation for the telescopes of ESO's La Silla-Paranal Observatory.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
You are a specialist in Systems Engineering with a focus on system verification. Depending on the organizational needs, you will be engaged in some of the following activities:
- Verification planning and controlling of the level 1 requirements of the ELT, in preparation of the first light and subsequent handover to operations,
- Supporting the definition, controlling and reporting of the test and verification campaigns of the sub-systems for the ELT, with a focus on checking and ensuring compliance of in-house and externally designed systems with the requirements specifications and the relevant standards,
- Participate to design reviews, acceptance-, performance- and interface-tests at ELT suppliers' premises, as well as in-house at ESO Headquarters in Garching and at the observatory in Chile.
- Further develop the verification process and relevant tools at ESO.
You are interested not only in new technical and managerial challenges, but also in developing your interpersonal skills within an international environment.
Reports to:
The Head of the Observatory Systems Group.
Experience:
You shall have at least 3 years of experience in
- Systems Engineering for complex Opto-Mechanical Systems.
- Working in multi-disciplinary and multi-national teams.
- Verification planning, execution, controlling, and reporting. Fluent in relevant standards, workflows, tools and methods.
- Knowledge of telescopes and scientific Instrument systems in an advantage.
Key Competences:
- Having to interact with internal and external partners, you excel at building strong and effective links with other teams from different cultural backgrounds and disciplines, and be prepared to reach consensus without losing sight of the main goal of the project.
- Ability to work both autonomously and constructively within a team, able to prioritise and manage own work delivering high quality work towards project deadlines. .
- Flexibility to changes of requirements and priorities.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
- Ability to establish and maintain a strong team-spirit within the team.
Qualifications:
A university degree in engineering or physics with a minimum of 3 years of experience (PhD level) in Systems Engineering.
Language Skills:
ESO is an international organization where the official language is English. The position requires excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
Remuneration and Contract:
We offer an attractive remuneration package including a competitive salary, comprehensive pension scheme and medical, educational and other social benefits, as well as financial help in relocating your family and the possibility to place your child/children in daycare.
Our Salary Structure
ESO's salary structure is based upon a range of career paths which reflect the nature and level of our jobs. Each career path is made up of two or three grades which are used to further reflect experience.
Please follow this attached link for more details https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/intstaff/salary-structure/
ESO aims to support members of personnel in maintaining a good work-life balance (https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/intstaff/#work-life-balance) between their professional and private life. ESO is also committed to offering family-friendly support (https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/intstaff/#family-friendly-support), creating a work environment and policies which allow staff to balance their professional and private responsibilities through flexible working arrangements and financial support for families.
The contract is for a fixed term duration of three years and is subject to successful completion of the probation period. There may be a possibility of extension(s) subject to individual performance and organisational requirements, in particular for the ELT Programme, and as defined in the applicable policies and staff rules and regulations. For any further information, please visit ESO's conditions of employment (https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/). Please note that the contract policy and in particular the regulations concerning fixed-term and indefinite contracts are currently under review which may lead to changes in the contractual conditions applicable to this position.
Duty Station:
Garching near Munich, Germany with regular duty trips to ESO sites in Chile. Frequent travel to scientific institutes and companies within Europe and to the observatories in Chile will be necessary. Temporary transfer or / and long missions to Chile might be needed.
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 CV. Within your CV, please provide the names and contact details of three persons familiar with your work and willing to provide a recommendation letter upon request. Referees will not be contacted without your prior consent.
Closing date for applications is 31 May 2025.
Interviews are expected to start soon after this date.
An important element in any successful employment relationship is harmony in values between an organisation and its people.
The ESO Values are:
ESO strives for excellence through innovation.
ESO provides outstanding services to its communities.
ESO fosters diversity & inclusion.
ESO believes in the key role of sustainability for its future.
Achieving the above are recognized as only possible on the basis of personal values and attitudes that we expect from our employees: respect, integrity, accountability, commitment, collaboration, and clear & open communication. Applicants to any ESO role are asked to reflect on their affinity with these values and advised they may be asked about them if called for interview.
Diversity
ESO has established diversity as an important value of the Organisation, is committed to providing an equal opportunities environment and is actively seeking to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. Please visit https://www.eso.org/public/about-eso/sustainability/dei-at-eso/ for further details.
Nationality
No nationality is in principle excluded from employment at ESO, however, recruitment preference will be given to nationals of our Member States, host states and strategic partners: Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Chile, irrespective of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion.