ESS/Instrument Engineer

Serco is a leading Space Services Provider with thousands of skilled resources that has supported over 50 space missions on behalf of more than 10 Space or Government agencies around the globe, including the ESA and NASA.

Serco Italia S.p.A. is one of the top 50 World Space Manufacturing and Service companies with a long history of providing Earth Observation operations, maintenance and front-end services to the European Space Agency. The company also offers vast experience to a huge number of IT and space markets including: central governments, defence organisations, the aerospace industry and commercial companies.

We are currently seeking an experienced and dynamic ESS/Instrument Engineer in the frame of the PDGS Engineering Support Service.  You will have the opportunity to support the Data Quality Manager, covering aspects related to Instrument Performance, Operational Processors (particularly  L1) and Calibration (particularly offline calibration). It spans starting from phase  E2.

As a ESS/Instrument Engineer you will concentrate your activities on the following:

• Operational Processors support communication between all stakeholders in  Phase E2 using collaborative tools.
• Reviews related to L1 processors and offline calibration processors.
• Planning and Preparation of documentation during the phase E2 data quality activities (including processor maintenance and evolution as well as product  monitoring)
• Support for the testing and acceptance of Level 1. Testing is considered white-box testing, i.e., an understanding of the processing algorithms and detailed working of the processors shall be acquired. 
• Review of documentation from various sources: ESA, Industry during the  project phases dealing with sub-systems implementation and testing. 
• Generation of technical notes whenever needed during the relevant project  phases.
• Providing support to instrument anomaly investigations. This will specifically involve tracing anomalies from the instrument back to L1b data.
• Operations of the various supporting tools for the part relevant to the  processing functionality 
• Support the investigation of anomaly mitigation either on instrument settings or calibration processors.
• Support to the updates of the Offline Calibration Processors and in particular the derivation and provision of updated instrument and CCDB settings.
• Interact with the Mission Post Launch Support and associated industry as  well as the DISC.
• Participate in progress and planning meetings relevant to the tasks.
• Participation and support to the Mission Advisory Groups and Quality Working Groups upon request.
• Workshop planning,
• Support the integration of the processors within processing centre. 
• Definition of integration and validation tests.
• Run of integration and validation tests procedures.
• Test results analysis.
• Test reporting.
• Support review of products Quality Control and Instruments Monitoring  baselines.
• Support for processing algorithms definition and review. 
• Support to products format definition review.
• Ad-hoc development of tools for the accomplishment of the PDGS testing  and validation. 

Do you think you are the person we are looking for? See below what experience or knowledge you should bring:

The following skills and experience are mandatory: 

• University master degree or equivalent qualification, preferably  in Remote Sensing and Earth Observation. 
• Good understanding of and background in geophysical sciences 
• and/or specific instruments as LIDAR, Radiometer and MultiSpectral Imager.
• Experience in instrument development and on-ground testing.
• Experience in the development of instrument L1 ATBD.
• Experience in instrument and data monitoring. 
• Experience in data quality control. 
• Experience in operational processors development. 
• Experience in calibration activities.
• Fluent English language (oral and written). 
• Autonomous in writing technical notes, specifications and reports in  English. 
• You have good inter-personal skills and team spirit.

The following skills would be highly desirable:

• Good knowledge of the ESA Earth Explorers missions (and instruments) and processes related to their PDGS development. 
• Programming skills in order to develop tools for the accomplishment of the engineering, testing and validation activities.
• A sound knowledge of containerization technologies and virtual  environment.
• Knowledge of the ECSS standards and documentation and configuration control management techniques. He/she will be requested to travel on mission.

DE&I:Within Serco we believe there is a place here for everyone. Diversity & Inclusion at Serco is based on a culture where every voice is heard, and every employee feels valued. Working together as one team, we can enhance the experience of our people and teams, improve the value of our solutions to better serve the missions of our customers, and make a difference in our world. We are enthusiastic and passionate about our work which is infectious. We allow our employees to take responsibility for their work and promote a positive working culture. 
What we offer:

• Competitive Salary.
• Comprehensive package of benefits offered by the company.
• Assistance with relocation can be provided, details available upon request.
• Engaging company events to foster team spirit.
• Company contribution towards a pension scheme.

About Serco:

Serco is a leading Space Services Provider with thousands of skilled resources that has supported over 50 space missions on behalf of more than 10 Space or Government agencies around the globe, including the likes of ESA, CNES, EUMETSAT, EUSPA, ASI and NASA. We offer space capabilities across the full space lifecycle from satellite testing to Launch services, LEOP to spacecraft operations, space surveillance to data management, and supporting downstream application development. With over 55 years history in the space sector Serco is well placed to contribute to National strategies across Europe and the globe We work within the heart of the space sector so understand the challenges our customers face. When it comes to recruitment we are experts in sourcing the very best talent within space engineering, earth observation, satellite communications and cyber security. We have placed hundreds of people from post graduates through to C-suite executives into space agencies, satellite operators, manufacturers, system integrators, consultancies, earth observation/remote sensing, launch providers and much more.

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