Mission Control and Operations Manager in EPS-Sterna

As part of the next generation of EUMETSAT satellite programmes, the EUMETSAT Polar System Sterna (EPS-Sterna) programme aims at complementing and expanding the Microwave Sounding capability of EPS-SG and JPSS by implementing a constellation of small microwave sounding satellites, which will improve the accuracy of numerical weather prediction (NWP) models globally as well as providing frequent observations for Nowcasting especially at high latitudes which are not well covered by the geostationary satellites (i.e. MSG and MTG).

EUMETSAT will be responsible for the development and operation of the EPS-Sterna System, while the satellites will be procured in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA), as the EPS-Sterna satellites will be recurrent models of the ESA Arctic Weather Satellite (AWS) with minor adaptations. The initial constellation will be composed of 6 satellites in three different orbital planes that will be replenished throughout the mission lifetime of thirteen years. The EPS-Sterna programme will build on a number of existing assets from the EUMETSAT ground segment infrastructure as well as from the AWS development. This is done to ensure the overall mission affordability as well as a timely delivery of the initial constellation in orbit by 2029.

Interview of this post will be conducted during the first half of 2025. However, the contract for the successful candidate will only be issued after obtaining formal approval of the EPS-Sterna Programme by EUMETSAT Member States, expected in early-July 2025.

Duties

• Management of the EPS-Sterna Mission Control Operations (MCO) sub-segment, ensuring an overall coherence of the MCO architecture with system architecture and with the common cross-mission available solutions and products, design and interfaces, including coordination of production and maintenance of the MCO technical baseline and documentation by the Technical Lead;
• Definition and maintenance of specifications for the MCO in consistency with the Ground Segment level requirements;
• Supervision of activities on all sub-elements of the MCO, in coordination with Technical and Scientific Support (TSS) Department as well as the Operation and Services to Users (OPS) Department;
• In coordination with the Ground Segment Lead, supervise and contribute to analysis and trade-offs and detailed design of the EPS-Sterna MCO supported by the technical experts in the TSS and OPS departments;
• Organise MCO level reviews as necessary;

• In coordination and with the support from the MCO Technical Lead:
• Manage the EPS-Sterna MCO development activities with responsibility to orchestrate and ensure adequate inputs to MCO reviews as well as lower-level reviews, maintaining the MCO baseline in alignment with the ground segment and system baseline;
• Manage the engineering and IV&V activities for MCO (including associated test tools) in consistency with the MCO versioning and deliveries;
• Contribute to successful implementation of ground segment and system level IV&V activities in coordination with the IV&V Lead to ensure consistency of the sub-segment and lower level IV&V activities with the overall IV&V strategy;
• Management of the procurement activities for the MCO, ensuring in particular technical management of industrial contracts including their planning, deliverables and implementation of the contract in coordination with the EPS-Sterna Ground Segment Lead and the Administration Department;
• Support of EPS-Sterna System and Ground Segment activities including risk management, preparation of budgets and human resource planning in concerned areas, support to prospective studies and maintenance of knowledge and skills.

Skills and Experience

• Proven experience in the field of Earth Observation ground segment systems specification, design, implementation, integration and testing and technical management experience in the development of complex Ground Segment systems;
• Experience in Satellite and Mission Operations Systems for polar and/or geostationary missions. Additional experience in Mission Control Systems used for constellations would be considered an advantage;
• Strong experience in procurement of complex systems and with management of associated contracts;
• Experience with working in a formal development environment, following methodologies, standards and processes; with knowledge of development standards and approaches used by EUMETSAT and ESA (European Space Agency) would be advantageous;
• Experience in leading teams of engineers would be advantageous;
• Knowledge or previous experience with Agile and/or DevOps development methods and/or experience with software engineering would be considered an advantage;
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills, and strengths in analysis, synthesis and presentation of complex problems and solutions.

Employment Conditions

The initial contract will be of 4 years’ duration, with subsequent 5 year contracts being awarded thereafter, subject to individual performance and organisation requirements. There is no limit to the amount of follow-up contracts a staff member can receive up to the EUMETSAT retirement age of 63 and there are certainly opportunities to establish a long career perspective at EUMETSAT.
This post is graded A2/A4 on the EUMETSAT salary scales. The minimum basic salary for this post is EURO 7,340 per month (net of internal tax but excluding pension contribution and insurances) which may be negotiable on the basis of skills and experience. The salary scale provides for increments on the anniversary of taking up employment, and scales are reviewed by the EUMETSAT Council with effect from 1 January each year. In addition to basic salary, EUMETSAT offers attractive benefits. Further information, including salary details, is available on the EUMETSAT web site.

EUMETSAT is committed to providing an equal opportunities work environment for men and women.
Please note that only nationals of EUMETSAT Member States may apply. The EUMETSAT Convention requires that Staff shall be recruited on the basis of their qualifications, account being taken of the international character of EUMETSAT. Applicants are required to disclose all nationalities they have held and currently hold in order to determine whether they can exercise the role as advertised in compliance with applicable export control regulations.

About EUMETSAT

EUMETSAT is Europe’s meteorological satellite agency. Its 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 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 has 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.)