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Mission Control Systems Engineer

Darmstadt, Germany, Terma [19_002-1]

Field(s) of expertise
Aerospace Engineering
Job type
Permanent
Education
Bachelor
Deadline
Closed

About this job

For our customer, EUMETSAT in Darmstadt, Germany, we are seeking experienced Mission Control Systems engineers (MCSE) to support existing and future satellite missions operated by EUMETSAT. The MCSE performs tasks related to ensuring mission control operations during the satellite routine operations phase. The MCSE contributes to the maintenance, update, validation and documentation of missions control applications software. The position entails a significant level of responsibility and autonomy.

Responsibilities

As a member of the Mission Control Applications and Tools (MCAT) team at EUMETSAT, you will perform system engineering tasks in support of maintenance and evolution of EUMETSAT’s mission control systems software. Typical activities to be undertaken are:

Mission Control System Operations

  • Tasks related to mission control system operations and engineering:
  • For Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission: for routine Sentinel-3A operations, as well as for the commissioning phase for Sentinel-3B leading to the routine operations phase for the dual satellite system;
  • For the Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission: for routine operations of S6.
  • Performing mission control system operations, including:
  • Scheduling and coordination of daily operations;
  • Monitor the status of the mission control system and perform daily checks to confirm nominal status and performance;
  • Monitor the status of the mission control system interfaces to other facilities;
  • Perform anomaly investigations;
  • Provision of support, as required, to critical and/or special operations;
  • Contribute to the design, development, documentation and maintenance of mission control operations procedures identified from operational needs;
  • Contribute to the design, development, documentation and maintenance of system and ground segment procedures identified from operational needs
  • Contribute to the design, development, documentation and maintenance of specific tool/scripts identified from operational needs;
  • Provision of expertise in operational ground segment operations;
  • Contributing to raising, processing and coordinating anomalies, their documentation, investigation, classification and resolution/mitigation, including participation in relevant Anomaly Review Boards;
  • Contributing to coordination and implementation of modifications to the mission control system, including their documentation, approval, implementation, testing and training, including participation in Change Review Boards, as well as TRR, TRB, ORR as needed;
  • Contributing to the operations boards, technical meetings, formal reviews, and scheduling and planning coordination meetings.
  • Participation in mission control system operations team meetings and associated activities and reviews where required.
  • Provision of on-call support, on an “as needed” basis. This will be coordinated with the service manager through the normal on-call process;
  • Provision of training, through written materials, practical demonstrations and presentations, to other parties involved in Operations (including controllers, analysts and engineers).
  • Undertaking training identified as necessary to become familiar with the system and be able to perform their tasks;
  • Contributing to any other tasks needed to support or restore operations as specified by the Mission Control System Operations team leader.

Operational Monitoring and Reporting

  • Contributing to the design, development, documentation and maintenance of tools that provide statistics reports and support the monitoring and operations of the mission control system, as requested;
  • Contributing to reporting on mission control system activities and of anomalies to the Central Operations Morning Meeting;
  • Contributing to the generation of reports, as necessary.

Operational Documentation

  • Contributing to the generation, maintenance and update of mission control system operations related design, user documentation, procedures or operations guides, for example as a result of a system update or a validation activity, in accordance with the established EUMETSAT Operations Department configuration management and quality assurance practices.
  • Performing operational validation of the operational procedures and coordinate specific operational validation test (OVT) campaigns, resulting in new or updated operational documentation;
  • Provision of expertise to the update of other inter-organisation documentation, including but not limited to Joint Operations Rules and Procedures (JORP) or Operational Interface Control Documents (OICDs), Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA).

Interface with other teams and partners

  • Liaise and coordinate as required with the ground segment facility operations teams and system operations analysts to ensure the continuity and optimisation of ground segment and mission operations (through procedure and operations guide updates, configuration changes, database or user interface changes etc.);
  • Liaise and coordinate as required with the spacecraft operations teams to ensure the continuity and optimisation of spacecraft monitoring and control activities (through procedure and operations guide updates, configuration changes, database or user interface changes etc.);
  • Liaise and coordinate as required with external operational partners and service providers to ensure optimised performance, including participating in the definition and implementation of any changes and joint anomaly resolution;
  • Liaise and coordinate as necessary with other service providers.

Evolutions of the Ground Segment Systems

  • Acquiring and maintaining an operational view of the ground segment, in particular the space and ground segment operational needs for mission control;
  • Revision any planned changes or evolutions to the system configurations for the ground segment to assess potential operational impacts with respect to the mission control system;
  • Acting as interface with teams responsible for the implementation of system upgrades to support major operations projects, including System Mid-Term Evolution Plan, recurrent satellites, and any System hardware and operating system obsolescence upgrades.
  • Liaise and coordinate as required with the maintenance teams in support of engineering changes to the ground segment;
  • Liaise as required with the security teams in support of security related changes;
  • Participation in the operational validation of system upgrades and evolutions, both standalone and in the context of an overall ground segment.
  • Contributing to the integration and validation of components deliveries, as well as implementation of new products, including configuration control activities;

Operations Build up

  • Supporting the operations build up;
  • Contributing to validation campaigns, including operations validation tests, participating in the co-ordination, planning and execution of these campaigns as needed, including TRRs/TRBs/FATs/OSATs/ORR, etc for ground segment components and operations;
  • Participation to commissioning reviews and commissioning operations to ensure smooth handover from the commissioning phase to nominal operations;
  • Participation and coordinate the joint test campaigns with the operational partners during the operational build up phases of Sentinel-3B (LEOP, commissioning, SIOV, Ramp-up) and Jason-CS/Sentinel-6.
  • Following EUMETSAT processes and working practices. This implies participation in daily operations coordination meetings and daily technical reporting via EUMETSAT tools.
  • On-call support.

This is a full-time position to be located at EUMETSAT’s premises in Darmstadt with the planned start ASAP. Please note this position may entail standby support and call-out support.

Profile

Applicants shall have a university degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline.

Essential skills are:

  • At least 3 years’ in-depth professional experience operating and/or maintaining spacecraft monitoring and control systems based on SCOS-2000;
  • Experience defining and implementing the verification and validation of operational spacecraft mission control systems software;
  • Experience developing and/or maintaining operational software systems based on a Linux operating system.
  • Fluent written and spoken English;
  • Ability to conduct all activities in an orderly and disciplined manner, able to work under pressure and with a minimum of supervision.

The following experience would be an additional asset:

  • Experience defining and executing spacecraft and related ground segment system operations;
  • Experience of spacecraft and ground segment operations preparation and early operations activities, including operations procedure development and system validation, and commissioning;
  • Low Earth Orbit (LEO) spacecraft and related ground segment system operations;
  • Network Interface System (NIS) and its operation in support of the interface between the MCS and TTC ground stations;
  • Satellite simulator operation;
  • Programming languages (C++, Java, XML);
  • Scripting languages and databases (e.g. Perl, Python, shell, MySQL);
  • Knowledge and/or experience of quality control and configuration management.

You must be able to fulfil the assigned tasks with a minimum of supervision, have a systematic approach to work, be able to plan your work and cope with tight schedules and multiple tasks. You will have the capability to write accurate and consistent technical documentation. Good communication skills (verbal and written) are important. You shall be willing to work in a team of engineers and in cooperation with industry and partner agencies.

What can Terma offer
At Terma, we consider skilled employees, enthusiasm and job satisfaction as the very foundation of our success and as a prerequisite for the development of the “best-in-class” solutions that Terma provides. We lead the way in applying new technology, offering a wide range of growth opportunities for each individual and emphasizing mutual respect across the board in our workplace.

Terma offers you a pleasant working environment at the customer site, where you will be able to take on challenging tasks and responsibilities in a highly professional company.

  • Great opportunities for training and personal development
  • Challenges in advanced technical environment
  • International and cosmopolitan working atmosphere
  • An employment contract with an attractive package with extra-legal benefits
  • Highly competitive salary

Recruitment is depending on successful selection by the customer.

Additional information
For further information, please contact Mrs. Raluca Moise by telephone [+49 6151 860050] or by email [recruitment.de@terma.com].
To ensure that your application will reach us and is properly processed please apply through the link below with a Cover Letter and a up-to-date Curriculum Vitae in Europass format (https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/home):
https://www.terma.com/working-at-terma/apply-for-a-job/open-positions/?hr=show-job%2F41546%26locale%3Den_US
Please note that applicants must hold all appropriate documentation and permits to work in Europe.

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