EO Systems Architect Officer

Description

We are looking for an Earth Observation Systems Architect Officer who will report to the Head of the System Architect Office.

The European Earth observation ecosystem of today has emerged from a range of programmatic foundations, including research missions, operational missions, multilateral, national and commercial systems, non-orbiting platforms, and in-situ assets and their synergies.

ESA requires a forward-looking system-of-systems architectural framework for the 2035–2060 timeframe, not to replace the real-world European EO ecosystem, but to offer a coherent, system-level perspective to guide its strategic evolution notably in the context of machine learning/artificial intelligence numerical, weather, ocean and climate prediction systems.

By providing architectural coherence, reference capabilities and trusted coordination across institutional, national and commercial actors, ESA enables Europe to preserve scientific credibility, policy relevance and strategic autonomy in an increasingly complex and contested environment.

As part of the System Architect Office team and working across the Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes, you will foster the unique role of the European Space Agency as a neutral architect and long-term steward of Europe’s EO capability. You will develop and drive activities that will explore diverse architectural elements to evolve and maintain a reference architecture up to 2060. Your work will map the EO programmatic vision of Member States and stakeholders and, using different scenarios for a future world, you will develop architectural approaches to optimise the future EO ecosystem. As part of your work, you will conduct periodic EO gap analyses and impact studies, and explore new and future EO domains with an observatory function.

Duties

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• in close dialogue with users and stakeholders, developing and driving activities to explore diverse architectural elements in order to evolve and maintain a European Earth Observation Ecosystem Reference Architecture (blueprint) for the 2030–2060 timeframe;
• preparing new architectures addressing the paradigm shifts in Earth observation driven by artificial intelligence/machine learning in the upstream (i.e. on board spacecraft) and downstream (e.g. numerical prediction application) domains;
• conducting periodic observation gap analyses and/or impact studies to support the formulation of architectural options for the European EO strategy;
• establishing high-level user needs, constraints and interests for different mission types across a wide spectrum of different actors (including national and commercial entities) to inform architectural options;
• identifying programmatic capacities, overlaps and links, and the means to foster their transformation into synergies;
• leveraging active external networks, exploring new and future EO domains with an observatory function, permanently searching for innovation and gathering information on technology evolution, including benchmarking activities in relation to other organisations/systems;
• analysing technical and economic issues and trends under new EO sector initiatives to assess the relevant feasibility, i.e.:
  • estimating the scientific, operational, strategic and economic impact of new services and products and their applications;
  • trading off different scenarios in terms of cost, risk, affordability and available programmatic lines to facilitate integration into existing infrastructure;
  • identifying an appropriate procurement scheme and private sector involvement.

Technical competencies

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 engineering, mathematics or physics is required for this post.

Additional requirements

• A minimum of five years of experience in EO activities is required.
• Demonstrated ability for the collection, analysis and synthesis of information that pertains to various fields (technical, scientific or economic) and is drawn from various sources.
• Experience of machine learning/artificial intelligence for numerical, weather, ocean and climate prediction systems.
• A thorough knowledge of synergies between complementary Earth observation techniques would be an asset.
• You will be familiar with current and future planned satellite missions including instruments, technologies, user and stakeholder needs/plans, both within ESA and within relevant international programmes and commercial Earth observation entities.
• Particular importance will be attached to your capabilities to work closely with international experts, relevant scientific/industrial and political organisations and bodies, as well as to function in a team environment.
• Familiarity with the programmatic outlook in the ESA FutureEO, Earth Watch and Copernicus domains will also be a key asset.