ALMA Development Project Engineer

For its ALMA Development Team (ADT) at its Headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany, ESO is advertising the position of ALMA Development Project Engineer.

The ADT department implements the ALMA2030 vision as described in the ALMA Development Roadmap, and oversees and financially manages the execution of development projects and studies. It strategically plans the European ALMA development priorities and liaises with ALMA partners, industry, and institutes in Europe. The ADT also hosts the European members of the Integrated Development Team (IDT) as well as the European ALMA development manager.

Most of the European ALMA Support Centre (EASC) development activity is currently focused on the ALMA Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU) programme, with the primary objective to broaden the ALMA receiver bandwidth by at least a factor two (x2), with a goal of a factor of four (x4), and to upgrade the associated electronics and correlator. ESO is heavily involved in the WSU, through management of the overall programme and the sub-projects led by ESO, system engineering, technical evaluation, as well as executing and contributing to reviews and participation in working groups. These upgrade activities are executed in close collaboration with the ALMA partners in East Asia and North America as well as the Joint ALMA Observatory located in Chile.

The ADT department is looking for an engineer with a strong background in the area of instrumentation for radio/submillimetre astronomy or related fields. The position holder should be highly motivated to develop, integrate, and oversee innovative technological projects aimed at optimising ALMA's scientific output.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the efficient and successful delivery of ESO's subprojects of the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade;
• Support the assembly and integration of ESO deliverables to the ALMA Observatory and contribute to their verification;
• Establish and maintain a systems engineering and technical framework for the realization of the ALMA development programme;
• Develop and update system requirements, ensuring the compatibility of sub-system designs, and the development of practical implementation plans;
• Provide coordination and guidance to ALMA development projects, including the preparation of technical specifications and statements of work for contracts;
• Interact with collaborating institutes and contractors to address technical and project management questions;
• Provide guidance and input during milestone reviews at the system and the subproject level;
• Depending on experience and qualification: be a member (lead or deputy) of the ALMA Integrated Development Team;
• The tasks are not limited to the above and a flexible approach and willingness to adapt is required.

Reports to:

The post holder reports to the Head of the ALMA Development Team (ADT) Department. The ADT is a department of currently six highly skilled and motivated staff and is part of the ESO ALMA Support Centre (EASC) division.

Key Competences and Experience:

Competencies and experience:

• Engineering experience, preferably in an astronomical radio/millimetre environment;
• Knowledge about instrumentation for radio telescopes, ideally related to radio interferometry;
• Excellent communication skills both oral and written;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team, have an eagerness to contribute to team performance, and a positive approach toward building links across teams in an international multi-cultural environment;
• Pro-active approach to contribute ideas for improvement and future developments;
• Flexibility in adapting to changes of requirements and priorities as well as of assignments;
• Good time-management and prioritisation skills;
• A team-oriented approach.

Note that more junior candidates with a willingness to acquire more knowledge in radio/submillimetre astronomy are also explicitly encouraged to apply.

Qualifications:

Essential educational level: university degree in engineering, physics, astronomy, or equivalent.

Language skills:

The position requires an excellent working knowledge of 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 support 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, 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 frequent duty trips to ESO/ALMA sites in Chile, as well as travel to European institutes and industry and our ALMA partners in North America and East Asia.

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 http://jobs.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.

Deadline for applications is 5 April 2025.

Interviews are expected to start soon after this date.