Job Description

Science Archives Development and Operations Manager

Job Requisition ID: 20147

Date Posted: 21 January 2026

Closing Date: 18 February 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication: Internal & External

Type of Appointment: 4 years, extendable to indefinite

Directorate: Science

Workplace:

Villanueva de la Cañada, ES

Grade Band: A2 - A4

Location
ESAC, Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain

Description

The European Space Agency maintains a world-leading Science Programme with missions in heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics and fundamental physics. Its mission is to “empower Europe to lead space science”.

The Science Operations Department (SCI-S), within ESA’s Directorate of Science, hosts the scientists and engineers who oversee the space missions from study to the end of operations, develops the science operation systems for the missions and operates the missions in space, and archives and curates their data during operations and beyond. Its main objective is to maximise the scientific output of the missions for the benefit of humankind.

You will be assigned as the Head of the Science Archives Development and Operations Section, also known as the ESAC Science Data Centre (ESDC) in the Data Science and Archives Division within SCI-S, under the direct responsibility of the Head of the Division.

Duties

You will be responsible for the planning, development and operations of the Directorate’s missions’ science archives at the ESAC Science Data Centre throughout each mission’s duration, from development to operations, post-operations and legacy phases, following for each mission the requirements and plans set by the relevant science ground segment teams. You will represent the Department and the Directorate in internal and external science data management and archive-related activities, such as international alliances, working groups, conferences and workshops.

You will be in charge of managing the ESDC team, consisting of scientists and software engineers, and in performing these tasks, you will work in close collaboration with other Department and Directorate entities, including all mission stakeholders, as well as the Department’s Product Assurance team and the programmatic IT unit.

Your duties will include:

developing and implementing a strategy for the science archives of the Directorate;
identifying and managing technical and scientific synergies across archives;
implementing the missions’ archive plans and Virtual Observatory data services following the missions’ requirements, planning and reporting on the resources, schedules, constraints and internal and external interfaces for each mission, following recommendations from the Archives User Groups;
managing the many interfaces with the ESDC stakeholders, both internally within the Department and within ESA as well as with external partners on archival matters;
managing the Directorate’s contribution to ESA’s Heritage Space Programme;
representing ESA and the Department in international data alliances worldwide, such as IVOA, IPDA and IHDEA, at scientific and technical workshops and conferences relating to science data archiving and management;
promoting the ESA Science Archives within the scientific community and engaging in collaboration with external data centres;
ensuring that ESDC personnel maintain scientific and technical proficiency for their duties.

Technical competencies

Experience in scientific data management and archiving systems geared towards the scientific community

Experience in developing and operating scalable and distributed systems for big data

Proven experience in people management, preferably in an international environment

Experience in stakeholder management and negotiations (mission teams, scientific consortiums, end users, service providers, etc.)

Experience in leading multi-disciplinary groups of experts

Experience in collaborating with the scientific community and international partners

Behavioural competencies

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

For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook

Education

A master’s degree in computer science, space sciences or engineering is required for this post.

Additional requirements

As a manager at ESA, you should also have:

the potential to manage individuals or a team of experts in a relevant field;
the ability to organise individual and team activities and ensure a motivating work environment;
strong leadership capabilities, with proven relationship management and communication skills;
the ability to drive your team's performance, developing your people by encouraging learning, delegating responsibility and giving regular and constructive feedback;
strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day operational challenges, together with demonstrated planning and organisational skills;
a strong result orientation with the ability to set priorities and present practical solutions both orally and in writing;
the ability to manage challenging situations proactively and constructively and to be customer-focused;
people management experience is an asset, as is international experience, i.e. outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities.

The following are assets for this position:

experience in agile and DevOps methodologies, human factor engineering (UX design) and associated technologies and their use in modern software engineering;
knowledge of cloud computing technologies applied to data processing, archiving and dissemination;
understanding user needs in complex software systems;
understanding of system requirements and interfaces;
management of service contracts;
experience in science operations, preferably in the context of ESA missions;
a PhD in physics, space science or a closely affiliated research field.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.

At the Agency we value diversity, and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact us via email at contact.human.resources@esa.int.

Important Information and Disclaimer
In principle, recruitment will be within the advertised grade band (A2-A4). However, if the selected candidate has less than four years of relevant professional experience following the completion of the master’s degree, the position may be filled at A1 level.

Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations.

During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures.

Note that ESA is in the process of transitioning to a Matrix setup, which could lead to organisational changes affecting this position.

The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have.

Nationality and Languages
Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.

According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to internal candidates and secondly to external candidates from under-represented Member States*.

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.