About this job

ESA is looking for a LIDAR Principal Engineer.
Description
You will report to the EarthCARE Payload Manager (EOP-PXP). EarthCARE is the third Earth Explorer Core mission designed to help determine the Earth radiation budget by providing global observations of vertical profiles of clouds and aerosols. As LIDAR Principal Engineer, you will support the system integration, testing and verification of the ATLID Payload on the spacecraft, including verification of its performance and development of its L0 and L1 data processors. You will participate in the preparation and execution of the in-orbit commissioning phase. In addition, you will support other ongoing and future LIDAR-based Earth Observation missions.

Responsibilities

The principle tasks and responsibilities will include:

• Engineering and Data Analysis for the EarthCARE ATLID Payload, including verification and performance monitoring activities, as well as analysis and test during the satellite level test campaign;
• Participate in system-level reviews (space/ground segments when relevant) to assess ATLID performance against instrument and mission requirements;
• Support the preparation and execution of the EarthCARE Calibration/Validation activities and support campaign results analysis;
• Support the development and verification of the ATLID level 0 to level 1 processor, including reference test data sets and verification with instrument data;
• Support the development of level 2 processors using ATLID data, in particular with respect to their interaction with instrument performance and level 1 products;
• Support the preparation and validation of ATLID Flight Control Procedures, for the instrument on-ground and in-orbit operations including commissioning and initial validation activities;
• Support the execution of the ATLID in-orbit commissioning activities, in particular at payload/satellite/data processing level;
• Support/execute in-house independent verification of new ATLID software modules developed by industry/science institutes as part of the EarthCARE End to End Simulator;
• Support maintenance of the ATLID instrument simulator and performance model by liaising and collaborating with the End-to-End Performance Simulator Engineer and Performance & Science Products Coordinator on all ATLID aspects;
• Liaise and collaborate with in-house and external EarthCARE science experts on all ATLID aspects;
• Support the operations of current and development of future LIDAR-based Earth Observation Missions with LIDAR expertise covering LIDAR payload system and detailed design, performance analysis and data products processing.

Profile

Technical competencies
Multi-disciplinary knowledge of area of responsibility
Knowledge and experience in development of optical Earth Observation payloads
Experience of managing technical interfaces between subsystems both within ESA project team environment and for the industrial consortium
Experience in spaceborne, LIDAR based optical instrument development
Experience in performance modeling and simulation and data processing for LIDAR based optical instruments
System engineering
Experience in mission, spacecraft and/or payload operations
Knowledge of ESA and industrial development, verification and procurement processes
Education
A Master’s degree in scientific/engineering discipline is required.
For a complete job description and to apply, click on “apply”.
The closing date for applications is 28 February 2021.
At the Agency we value diversity and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further please contact us at contact.human.resources@esa.int. —————————————————————————————————————————————————– Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada and Slovenia. According to the ESA Convention the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to internal candidates and secondly to external candidates from under-represented Member States. (http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/careers/NationalityTargets.pdf)
We offer
The European Space Agency (ESA) is an equal opportunities employer that offers competitive salaries exempt from national income tax and excellent employment conditions, such as allowances for expatriates and relocation support.For more information: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA
About us
We are the European Space Agency. Our mission is the peaceful exploration and use of space for the benefit of everyone. We watch over the Earth, develop and launch inspiring and unique space projects, train astronauts and push the boundaries of science and technology, seeking answers to the big questions about the Universe. We are a family of scientists, engineers and business professionals from all over Europe working together in a diverse and multinational environment. We are dedicated to united space in Europe and united Europe in space. Learn more: http://www.esa.int/