Mission Planning Operations Engineer
Mission Planning Operations Engineer
EUMETSAT - European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
Darmstadt, Germany
EUMETSAT is Europe’s meteorological satellite agency - monitoring the weather and climate from space - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
At EUMETSAT, you can make a world of difference and be a part of something that makes a positive impact on society. You will be at the cutting edge of satellite technology, with a meaningful role in an organisation focused on space-based observations of the Earth’s weather and climate.
Background
EUMETSAT operates a growing fleet of Earth Observation satellites in low Earth and geostationary orbits (currently comprising six EUMETSAT Meteosat Second Generation and Metop satellites, and three satellites for the Copernicus Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6 missions). In parallel, EUMETSAT is working towards the launch of the next generation of Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) and Metop Second Generation (Metop-SG) satellites, as well as the new CO2 monitoring (CO2M) mission.
Within the Mission Planning Team of the Flight Operations (FLO) Division, the Mission Planning Operations Engineer will support as required the routine operations of flying satellites (currently Metop, MSG, Sentinel-3 & Sentinel-6), and the development & operations preparation of future missions (currently MTG, Metop-SG & CO2M). An initial focus of the position will be the support to the CO2M mission.
The position will support the Mission Planning manager with the coordination of the Mission Planning service team tasks.
The main duties will be as follows:
- Manage and perform routine Mission Planning operations, including activity scheduling, database maintenance, support for recurrent launches, anomaly tracking and resolution, operational configuration updates, development of operational processes, training of personnel, and the development and maintenance of operational documentation;
- Through close liaison with other teams within EUMETSAT (particularly the Flight Dynamics, Spacecraft Operations, Mission Control Systems and Data Processing teams), understand and implement all Space and Ground segment operational needs that must be met through Mission Planning systems and processes;
- Contribute to evolutions of operational Mission Planning systems, software or processes, from the definition of upgrades/changes arising from evolving user requirements to the verification, validation and acceptance of updated systems. Liaise/support the in-house software maintenance team and external contractors during the upgrade process;
- In support of future missions, participate in the procurement and operations preparation of the Mission Planning systems, related systems and tools, as required. Initially this will be a focus of the position, supporting CO2M operations preparation;
- Coordinate with mission partners such as ESA, CNES, NOAA and NASA to implement mission planning and cross-support agreements.
What we offer
- Excellent salary, of up to Euro 7500/month NET (after tax) based on skills and experience;
- Flexible working time including additional flexi-leave;
- Full medical coverage for employee and family;
- Attractive pension;
- 30 days of annual leave + 14.5 days public holidays;
- Training and development support;
- Relocation allowance and support (if applicable).
Qualifications
- University degree or equivalent in aerospace engineering or other relevant discipline.
Skills and Experience
The following skills/experience are considered mandatory:
- Proven experience in the field of Mission Planning, gained during the operations and/or development of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and/or Geostationary (GEO) satellite missions;
- Experience of LEO or GEO mission planning system specification, development and procurement, preferably including Assembly, Integration and Validation (AIV) related activities (test procedure generation, test campaign supports, requirements implementation tracking/verification/validation, etc.), and liaising with sub-contractors;
- Ability to work proactively in a clear, structured manner with a minimum of supervision, within a small team. Evidence of personal initiative and action orientation in professional experience;
- Ability to synthesise complex technical concepts in clear and concise formal documents and verbal presentations.
The following skills/experience would be advantageous:
- Ability to programme in languages such as C++ or Java (or similar) for Linux and MS Windows;
- Experience producing and maintaining mission planning operational rules using a Java-like Business Rules Management System (e.g. JBoss Drools or ILOG Rules);
- Experience with the Linux operating system, relational databases and sql, preferably involving Oracle and mariadb/mysql;
- Experience of working with files in XML format, including XML file edition, schema validation and related tools (Oxygen and/or XMLSpy), and with Git and Gitlab;
- Experience interfacing with partner agencies and organisations.
APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN ENGLISH. WE WILL BE UNABLE TO CONSIDER APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED IN OTHER LANGUAGES.
EUMETSAT is an international organisation employing staff from across all 30 member states and this role is being advertised on multiple international job boards, but please note that this role would be based in Darmstadt, Germany and would require international applicants to relocate if successful.
More about us
EUMETSAT’s role is to establish and operate meteorological satellites to monitor the weather and climate from space - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This information is supplied to the National Meteorological Services of the organisation's Member and Cooperating States in Europe, as well as other users worldwide.
EUMETSAT also operates several Copernicus missions on behalf of the European Union and provide data services to the Copernicus marine and atmospheric services and their users.
As an intergovernmental European Organisation, EUMETSAT can recruit nationals only from the 30 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom).
