Altimetry Data Quality Engineer

Description

Altimetry Data Quality Engineer in the Sensor Performance, Products and Algorithms Section, ESA Earth Observation Mission Management and Product Quality Division, Mission Management and Ground Segment Department, Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes.

You will contribute to the overall quality of the sensor data products provided by ESA in the altimetry domain, with an initial emphasis on the cryosphere and hydrology products of the Sentinel-3 and CRISTAL altimetry missions.

You will also provide product quality and Cal/Val support for the other ESA Earth Observation (EO) missions and data, specifically in relation to challenges in calibration, validation, data processing and product evolutions. 

You will report to the Head of the Sensor Performance, Products and Algorithms Section.
 

Duties

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• supporting the quality, calibration and validation activities related to Sentinel-3 and CRISTAL altimetry missions, including the radar altimetry payload with a specific focus on the hydrology (rivers and lakes) and cryosphere (sea ice and land ice) domains;
• continuously assessing evolving user requirements regarding current and future altimetry missions (such as CryoSat and S3-NG-T) in terms of data processing, data quality, calibration and validation, exploring potential synergies with other EO missions;
• fostering a community effort, bringing together multi-disciplinary, multi-sensory remote-sensing experts, scientists and end-users, to ensure that the most up-to-date EO retrieval techniques are integrated into open science tools and used for the generation of synergetic products;
• contributing to multi-agency cooperation in the domain of polar and hydrology altimetry (such as with EUMETSAT, NASA and CNES);
• managing R&D activities and ensuring that the outcomes are properly injected into an operational framework to support the preparation of future missions under ESA’s responsibility, especially in the cryosphere and hydrology domains;
• proposing innovation in the area of EO product algorithm development, calibration and validation through a collaborative framework with remote-sensing scientists in order to introduce more flexibility in ESA services to EO end-users;
• fostering ESA’s strategy and innovation in terms of algorithms, calibration, validation and product evolution, including the development and operation of related fiducial reference measurements (FRMs);
• managing the industrial contracts related to EO sensor data quality, algorithm evolution and Cal/Val activities with an initial focus on altimetry missions;
• supporting the Mission Managers in communication activities, contributing to the preparation of presentations and reports. Publishing papers in peer-reviewed journals is strongly encouraged.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking
 

Education

A PhD or master’s degree in physics, engineering or Earth sciences with a particular emphasis on data processing algorithms, calibration and validation applied to EO missions is required for this post.

Additional requirements

The following would be considered an asset: 

• At least three years of relevant professional experience 

You should also have:

• a high level of motivation and dedication, with the ability to take ownership and act proactively.
• a proven ability to work effectively within a team and across teams in an international environment.
• strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day operational challenges, together with demonstrated planning and organisational skills.
• strong result orientation with the ability to set priorities and present practical solutions both orally and in writing.
• effective negotiation skills.
• flexibility and the capacity to work on different topics.