HR Officer

In a new post which responds to increased demand for services, the HR Officer will mainly focus on learning and development initiatives and on recruitment activities. ESO has recently launched a new Learning and Development policy and has established a ''Corporate Development Plan'' (CDP) which it is embarking on, rolling-out with various training course for staff in Chile and Germany. Furthermore, there are a high number of recruitment campaigns planned in the coming years for scientific, engineering and technical staff, as ESO work towards the start of ELT operations

This role is an excellent opportunity for an early career HR professional with 2-5 five year's professional experience to work in an Intergovernmental Organization, which operates in a distinctive way from the private sector or national public sector, to gain valuable HR experience in a dynamic multi-cultural environment. Supporting operations in two counties, the ESO HR Department operates as one international team working between Germany and Chile across different time zones.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Working closely with colleagues in the HR team, the selected candidate will be responsible for:

Learning and Development support:

• Sourcing, promoting and implementing training activities in Chile (i.e identification of internal and external resources for training and developing staff according to organizational and personal needs) in order to meet the goals and objectives of the CDP and new learning policy.
• Support in the design and preparation of internal L&D material, presentations and internal communication, acting as the facilitator in some HR related trainings.

Recruitment and talent sourcing

• The selected candidate will also be responsible for allocated recruitment and selection processes, working with internal partners to run campaigns on an end to end basis, ensuring that best practice and ESO guidelines are followed thoroughly.
• He/She Will also be involved in promoting diversity-focused recruitment campaigns, ensuring outreach to underrepresented groups.
• Also researching and identifying innovative sourcing channels and assisting in organizing career fairs, and university outreach activities.

The HR Officer is expected to be flexible and available to support other HR projects as may be required.

Reports to:

HR Advisor, Vitacura

Essential competences and experience:

• Proven knowledge of varieties and methods of learning and training in a professional environment and experience of implementing L&D initiatives
• Understanding of principles of effective and equitable hiring practices and experience of organising and running recruitment campaigns
• Confident presenter with the ability to communicate at all levels
• Client and service oriented: good at building productive working relationships
• Ability to work well in a team
• Creative problem solver
• Positive self-starter - organised, confident to work independently, proactive and goal oriented
• Highly proficient with Microsoft Office package, AI tools

Desirable competences and experience:

Effective networker Familiarity with Human Resources operations in international organizations

Qualifications:

Bachelor degree in Human Resources, or a degree where Human Resources has been part of the curriculum (please elaborate in your application). A non-relevant degree with relevant professional experience will also be considered. Evidence of continuing professional development in the field of human resource management e.g in learning and development, hiring and talent management, will be an asset.

Language skills:

English is the official business language at ESO, and the position requires an excellent working level knowledge of English both oral and written which will be tested at interview (please do not apply if you are not proficient in working in English as this is an essential requirement). A good working knowledge of Spanish, though not essential, would be an advantage.

Remuneration and Contract:

We offer an attractive remuneration package including a competitive salary and medical, educational and other social benefits, as well as financial help in relocating your family. ESO aims to support members of personnel in maintaining a good work-life balance via its flexible working and mobile working policies For any further information, please visit https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/localstaff/

The initial contract is for a period of two years with the possibility of an indefinite extension, subject to performance evaluation and operational needs.

Duty Station:

The duty station is Santiago, Chile. Applicants should be resident in Chile, living in or around the Santiago area. You must be willing and able to make regular visits as required to our Observatory sites in remote areas.

Career Path:

This is in Career path IV which covers grades A5-B2. Initial appointment level for this role is foreseen in grade B1.

Application:

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

Applicants are invited to apply online at http://jobs.eso.org/. Applications must be completed in English only and should include a motivation letter and CV. Please provide the contact information (email and phone number) of two professional references in your application, persons unrelated to you, who should be able to comment on your work, and who may be consulted as part of this hiring process. You will be informed beforehand in this case. Please note that whilst the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is acceptable in the formatting of documents, it is expected that the content of those documents is your own.

Please note that you may be required to participate in testing as part of this interview process, and appointments are subject to our standard assessment of medical fitness for work.

Deadline for applications is 9 June 2025

Interviews are expected to start soon after this date.

ESO Values

An important element in any successful employment relationship is harmony in values between an organization 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 excluded, however non-Chilean applicants must have a pertinent working permit, according to Chilean regulations, at the time of the application. The post is equally open to suitably qualified candidates irrespective of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion.