Description

Earth Observation (EO) Product Quality Engineer in the Wave Interaction and Propagation Section, RF Payloads and Technology Division, Electrical Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

The Wave Interaction and Propagation Section provides functional support to ESA projects and carries out technological research (R&D) in the field(s) of:

• wave propagation relevant to space communications, navigation and remote sensing;
• wave interaction for active, passive and combined remote sensing of ocean, land and atmosphere of the Earth and other planets.

This includes:

• modelling and experimental validation;
• the associated mitigation, retrieval, correction and calibration algorithms;
• the related end-to-end performance assessment, including contribution to product quality.

This position is expected to focus on the quality of microwave remote sensing products.

Duties

Reporting to the Head of Section and within the technical fields described above, your overall main tasks and responsibilities will include, in the field of microwave remote sensing:

• providing expert technical support and consultancy to ESA projects, programmes and general studies throughout all project phases;
• participating in feasibility studies, project reviews and the evaluation of procurement proposals;
• identifying critical development problems and assisting in their resolution;
• contributing to the definition of technology development requirements and work plans for the Agency’s technology programmes;
• defining, initiating and managing R&D activities covering both long- and short-term needs;
• fostering new application areas for multidisciplinary activities, placing emphasis on innovative concepts, cutting-edge technologies and system architectures;
• laboratory activities as required;
• monitoring applicable scientific and technological trends and maintaining a state-of-the-art expertise;
• contributing to the dissemination of the results of the activities performed and the transfer of knowledge across the Agency.

Your first assignment will be in ESRIN in the Sensor Performance, Products and Algorithms Section, Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes. You will contribute to the overall quality-related activities of ESA EO data with initial emphasis on the products from the passive and active microwave (MW) missions. You will provide Product Quality and Cal/Val support for the EO missions/data provided by ESA, specifically related to challenges in calibration, validation and product evolutions.

In this assignment, your specific tasks and responsibilities will include:

• supporting the Quality, Calibration and Validation activities related to MW missions; this includes passive MW (e.g. CIMR, SMOS) and active MW (e.g. Sentinel-3/NG altimetry, CRISTAL) with a specific focus on the hydrosphere;
• continuously assessing evolving user requirements regarding current and future MW missions in term of data quality, calibration and validation, exploring potential synergies with other EO missions;
• federating a community effort, bringing together multi-disciplinary, multi-sensory remote-sensing experts 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. Managing R&D activities and ensuring that the outcomes are properly injected into an operational framework. Supporting the preparation of future missions under ESA responsibility especially over 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, aiming to introduce more flexibility in the ESA services to EO end-users;
• fostering the ESA strategy and innovation in terms of algorithm, calibration, validation and product evolution, including the development and operation of related Fiducial Reference Measurements (FRM);
• managing the industrial contracts related to EO sensor data quality, algorithm evolution and Cal/Val activities with an initial focus on MW missions;
• supporting the mission managers for the communication activities, contributing to the preparation of presentations and reports. Publication of papers in peer-reviewed journals is highly encouraged.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

A master’s degree or PhD in a relevant scientific/engineering field is required for this post.

Additional requirements

• Knowledge of scientific discipline in particular in the passive and active microwave domain, and in calibration/validation; state-of-the-art knowledge in the area of responsibility at the required level.
• Experience in managing scientific or technical teams, preferably in an international context.
• Knowledge of open source and open science.
• Sound knowledge of ESA Earth observation programmes and the EO international context.
• Knowledge of the cryosphere and/or hydrology domains, as well as a track record of peer-reviewed scientific publications is considered an asset.