Junior Professional in Innovative Optical Payloads for Future EO Missions
Job Requisition ID: 19527
Date Posted: 15 May 2025
Closing Date: 5 June 2025 23:59 CET/CEST
Publication: Internal & External
Type of Contract: Junior Professional
Directorate: Earth Observation Programmes
Workplace:Noordwijk, NL
Grade Band: A1 - A1
This post is part of ESA’s Junior Professional Programme. We are looking for enthusiastic candidates with up to 2–3 years of relevant professional experience after their Master’s degree to join ESA for a four-year assignment. During this time, you will be actively working and learning on the job and will benefit from valuable mobility and developmental opportunities that will prepare you for a successful career at ESA. Subject to performance, it is therefore the intention to offer you an indefinite contract which will start at the end of the four years.
The selection process for the 2025 cohort of Junior Professionals will take place during Spring 2025, with a projected start date in October or November 2025.
Recruitment will take place at the A1 grade. At the end of the fourth year and if you are offered an indefinite contract at the end of your Junior Professional assignment, you will be upgraded to the A2 grade.

DESCRIPTION

As a Junior Professional Engineer in EO small and innovative optical payloads in the Future Missions and Instruments Division, Future Missions and Architecture Department, Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes, you will report to the Head of the Optical Instruments Section and be involved in the development of innovative Earth observation (EO) optical instruments.
The types of payload involved will include EO multispectral imagers, imaging spectrometers and Fourier-Transform spectrometers for ocean, land and atmosphere sensing, along with active laser payloads for surface and atmosphere sensing, covering the full wavelength range from ultraviolet to far infrared, as well as quantum sensors.

The role of the Future Missions and Instruments Division is to prepare the Earth observation missions, instruments and technologies of the future, encompassing a wide range of research missions (Earth Explorers missions, Missions of Opportunity, Scout missions) and operational missions (Copernicus Sentinels and meteorology missions). The work carried out is mainly related to:

• the end-to-end definition of space missions, including orbits, instruments, platforms, end-to-end performance, data flow, launcher interfaces and ground processing to meet the observation requirements.
• the definition and pre-development of optical instruments, including breadboarding of critical elements for technology development and risk retirement.
• the performance modelling and development of tools in order to assess new instrument concepts and their feasibility.

You will work in close cooperation with specialists in the different technology domains, as well as with the scientists and/or data users that are proposing the mission or are expected to use its results.

EDUCATION

A Master’s degree in optical engineering or physics is required for this post.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

You should have between two and three years of professional experience, preferably in a relevant domain, after completion of your Master’s degree.
Familiarity with small satellites.
Familiarity with photonics and emerging technologies.

DUTIES

You will be involved in the study and pre-development of one or several payloads and you will be expected to contribute to a dynamic and creative environment engaged in the preparatory phases of EO missions.

Over time, you will assume responsibility for the following main tasks:

• supporting the evaluation of proposals for small satellite missions that will fly compact optical instruments;
• studying or defining and initiating feasibility/assessment studies on innovative and compact optical payloads with potential for research-oriented missions such as SCOUT missions, or for commercial initiatives such as those under NewSpace;
• defining, developing, maintaining and upgrading optical payload performance models and tools in order to assess new instrument concepts and their feasibility;
• maintaining knowledge of relevant technology developments inside and outside ESA, reviewing and assessing the potential for photonics and emerging technologies to be used in future EO small satellite missions.

The role of the Future Missions and Instruments Division is to prepare the Earth observation missions, instruments and technologies of the future, encompassing a wide range of research missions (Earth Explorers missions, Missions of Opportunity, Scout missions) and operational missions (Copernicus Sentinels and meteorology missions). The work carried out is mainly related to:

• the end-to-end definition of space missions, including orbits, instruments, platforms, end-to-end performance, data flow, launcher interfaces and ground processing to meet the observation requirements.
• the definition and pre-development of optical instruments, including breadboarding of critical elements for technology development and risk retirement.
• the performance modelling and development of tools in order to assess new instrument concepts and their feasibility