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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 APEX), 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, the largest astronomical project in existence. And 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.
ESO and the Government of Chile have an agreement in place to foster collaborations in view of the ELT project. ANID (Agencia Nacional de Investigacion y Desarrollo) is in charge of making regular calls for projects related to astro-engineering where Chilean institutions are encouraged to apply. If a particular project is selected, the Institution can receive support from ESO to hire professionals for that project.
The "University of la Frontera" (UFRO) has been granted funds for a project entitled: '"Desarrollo de un nuevo sistema de control de movimiento para el instrumento SPHERE del Very Large telescope" (ID 25I10075).
In this context, within its Maintenance, Support and Engineering Department (MSE) at the La Silla Paranal Observatory, Directorate of Operations, ESO is advertising a local staff member position of:
Project Engineer - SPHERE Upgrade
Other Chile - Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco
Apply nowDeadline 18/08/2025
The successful applicant will be a Project Engineer working for the Instrumentation Group within the MSE Department of the La Silla Paranal Observatory, based at the UFRO. The MSE Department, with a workforce of 85 engineers and technicians, provides maintenance and technical support to the four 8m VLT telescopes, to the VLT Interferometer (VLTI) with its auxiliary telescopes, the VST and VISTA survey telescopes and to all instruments available for scientific observations. The Instrumentation Group is comprised of 16 engineers and technicians and is responsible for all astronomical instruments at the Paranal Observatory.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
The selected candidate will have the following main duties as Project Engineer:
- Design and implement the control interface, control hardware and control software for upgrading the instrument motor control to a Beckhoff PLC.
- Document the changes and train regular ESO staff for future operations.
Reports to:
The Group Leader of the Instrumentation Group (as functional manager) and the UFRO Project Manager for the actual work.
Experience:
Knowledge and experience in the following areas is highly desirable:
- Astronomical or scientific instrument operations and development.
- Motor control through PLC.
- Programming experience with textual (Structured Text) languages.
Key Competences:
- Strong sense of team spirit with the ability to work effectively in a multi-national and multi-cultural environment
- Well-organised, and ability to work with some autonomy
- Able to plan effectively and monitor the progress of work, delivering results on time and to the required standards.
Qualifications:
University degree in physics, engineering or astronomy.
Language Skills:
ESO is an international organization where the official language is English.The position requires working-level proficiency in oral and written communication in English. UFRO is a Chilean institution where Spanish is used for communication in day-to day business.
Remuneration and Contract:
We offer an attractive remuneration package including a competitive salary and educational benefits, as well as financial help in relocating the candidate's family, where applicable. ESO aims to support its members of personnel in maintaining a good work-life balance. The contract is for a fixed term duration of one year, renewable once.
For further information, please visit https://www.eso.org/public/archives/static/jobs/conditions/brochure-lsm-sp-updated.pdf
Duty Station:
Universidad de la Frontera (UFRO) in Temuco. The working schedule will be 5x2 (Monday to Friday). Occasional work will be performed at the Paranal Observatory with food and accommodation provided on site.
Career Path: V
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 https://recruitment.eso.org/. Your application should be in English and include your curriculum vitae (CV) and a letter of motivation. Please note that interviews will be conducted in English.
Closing date for applications is 18 August 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 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, non-Chilean applicants to this role must reside in Chile and/or have a pertinent working permit, according to Chilean regulations at the time of their application. ESO is committed to equal opportunities. The post is equally open to suitably qualified candidates irrespective of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion.