To support ESA’s International Space Stations Increment Operations Services at ESTEC we are looking for: Payloads Operations Manager

Tasks and Responsibilities:

The candidate will coordinate the establishment and implementation of concepts, requirements, plans and procedures for the preparation and implementation of activities related to the Flight Operations Preparation and Control of the ESA owned and/or controlled payloads on the ISS (under the authority of the Head of the USOC Management and Payload Operations Section)

Specific duties include the following:

• Coordinating the development and review of payload operations products (generic, increment- and payload-specific) and supporting material (Generic and Payload -or increment-specific operations concepts, Operations Interface Procedures/Joint Operations Interface Procedures (OIPs/JOIPs), payload-related Flight Rules, Payload Regulations, Ground Rules and Constraints, etc.);
• Supporting the development of ISS increment and stage Planning Products, Planning Requests, Flight Programme Overview, On-orbit Operations Summary (OOS), Increment Definition Requirements Document (IDRD), Feasibility Assessments, ESA Increment Requirements Document (IRD), etc.;
• Coordinating the development and implementation of payload end- to-end scenarios, operations concepts and implementation plans;
• Coordinating and overseeing the operations preparation and implementation activities in the European USOCs;
• Supporting Operations preparation activities on Columbus element level, e.g. topology, payload compatibility, operations and engineering feasibility assessments;
• Providing ESA Payload Operations representation to relevant Working Groups and Teams for ESA Payloads (e.g. ESA Payload Control Board, ESA Mission Management Team (MMT), Increment Integration Team, ESA / NASA working groups, etc);
• Acting as ESA Payload Operations Manager for ESA payload operations on ISS, and in this function:
  • coordinating the operations activities conducted from the European USOCs and User Home Bases, closely following the payload operations implementation by USOC Operations Teams and monitoring the interfaces between USOCs and Columbus Control Centre;
  • interfacing in real time with NASA\'s Payload Operations Organisations;
  • supporting payload anomaly resolution activities;
  • acting as focal point of contact for ISS payload operations for the overall ESA Mission Operations Organisation, USOCs and Columbus Control Centre;
  • participating to operations debriefs and reviewing results/reports;
• Interfacing with the Industrial Operator Service Organisation in preparing and executing the activities for ESA Payload operations.

Skills and Experience:

• University degree or equivalent qualification in engineering or physics
• Considerable experience in working with Space Station users
• Capability to work in a team with other ESA organizations, e.g. the
• Operations Department, as well as with external partners;
• Extensive experience in ISS Payload operations and management of
• industrial activities;
• Fluent in English; knowledge of another ESA member state language is
• an asset.

Starting date: January 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter

An exciting international working environment in a highly innovative and motivated team awaits you!

HE Space Operations is an international human resources company specialised in the space market. We have been providing consultancy services in space engineering and business administration for over 25 years. We generally work directly on-site with our principal customers such as the European Space Agency and EADS Astrium.