Observing Programme Office Astronomer

The core mission of the Observing Programme Office (OPO), within the Directorate for Science, is the handling of the ESO observing programmes, from the preparation and issuing of the Call for Proposal to the organization of the Observing Programme Committee (OPC) meeting, and the delivery of the final ranking lists for the preparation of the telescope schedules.

OPO is also responsible for interacting with representatives of the ESO community for the coordination of observing time (e.g., Guaranteed Time Observations, Public Surveys), for handling the Director Discretionary Time Proposals and for providing statistics on time demand and allocation to ESO Governing Bodies and to high-level officials in the Members States.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

The Astronomer within OPO is responsible for supporting the preparation and selection of observing proposals, contributes to the formulation of time allocation policies, and assists in the development of a modern proposal handling system. This includes the study and implementation on AI-based algorithms to facilitate the distribution and review process. The OPO Astronomer will oversee the handling of the Phase 1 proposals and will support users during the Phase 1 proposal preparation and submission phase. They will prepare telescope time allocation statistics and monitor the performance of the Panel and Distributed Peer Review processes. Further to this, the OPO Astronomer will support the recruitment of the Observing Programmes Committee and Panel members, and will actively participate to the implementation of the upcoming Yearly Cycle and the Fast Track Channel. They will also be responsible for fostering strong key relationships and maintaining good communication with the following key stakeholders:

• Internal: Office of the Director General, VLT, VLTI and ELT Programme Scientists, User Support Department, Paranal Science Operations, Software Engineers, ESO Archive;
• External: Principal Investigators, Observing Programmes Committee, ESO Council, ESO Scientific Technical Committee, ESO Users Committee, Member-state institutes, High-level academic or governmental officials in the Member States.

As a member of the ESO Astronomy Faculty, the OPO Astronomer is expected and encouraged to conduct a strong personal research programme and to participate actively in the scientific life of ESO.

The tasks are not limited to the above and a flexible approach and willingness to adapt are required.

Reports to:

Head of the Observing Programmes Office

Key Competences and Experience:

Essential Competences and Experience

• Strong active research programme and robust publication record;
• Gained a minimum of one postdoctoral position in a scientific research institute;
• Experience at a large, international scientific facility;
• At least three years of demonstrated user experience with the ESO workflow, telescopes and instrumentation;
• Demonstrated experience with general Optical and NIR observing techniques;
• Proficiency in working with relational databases, SQL and Python scripting;
• Strong communication skills with the ability to interact effectively, respectfully, and with integrity, with internal and external stakeholders;
• Ability to deliver clear and concise written and verbal communications, identifying key issues, evaluating options, and proposing actionable solutions;
• Demonstrated capacity to build strong collaborative relationships with geographically dispersed teams and individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Desirable Competences and Experience

• Demonstrated experience in providing user support;
• Experience in modern observatory operations;
• Demonstrated experience with peer-review processes;
• Demonstrated experience with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, particularly their applications to textual analysis;
• Ability to understand the perspectives of key decision-makers and partners - considering their needs and interests to also identify underlying drivers and motivations;
• Positive problem-solving attitude with a proactive approach to examining logical courses of action and assessing their overall impact;
• Commitment to fostering an open and positive team environment by sharing information, ideas and learning opportunities;
• Willingness to acquire new skills, stay up-to-date with the tools and technologies used in the daily work, adapt to new procedures, and identify means to optimize daily workflows.

Qualifications:

PhD in Astronomy or equivalent.

Language skills:

Excellent command of the English language is essential. Additional knowledge of other European languages would be an advantage.

Remuneration and Contract:

We offer an attractive remuneration package including a competitive salary, comprehensive pension scheme and medical, educational and other social benefits, as well as financial help in relocating your family and support to place your child/children in daycare.

Our Salary Structure

ESO's salary structure is based upon a range of career paths which reflect the nature and level of our jobs. Each career path is made up of two or three grades which are used to further reflect experience.

Please follow this attached link for more details https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/intstaff/salary-structure/

ESO aims to support members of personnel in maintaining a good work-life balance (https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/intstaff/#work-life-balance) between their professional and private life. ESO is also committed to offering family-friendly support (https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/intstaff/#family-friendly-support), creating a work environment and policies which allow staff to balance their professional and private responsibilities through flexible working arrangements and financial support for families.

The contract is for a fixed term duration of three years and is subject to successful completion of the probation period. There may be a possibility of extension(s) subject to individual performance and organisational requirements, and as defined in the applicable policies and staff rules and regulations. For any further information, please visit ESO's conditions of employment (https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/). Please note that the contract policy and in particular the regulations concerning fixed-term and indefinite contracts are currently under review which may lead to changes in the contractual conditions applicable to this position.

Serious consideration will be given to outstanding candidates willing to be seconded to ESO on leave from their home institutions. The grade may be subject to change according to qualification and the number of years of experience.

Duty Station:

Garching near Munich, Germany with regular duty trips to all ESO sites in Chile as required.

Career Path: V

Application:

If you are interested in working in areas of frontline science and technology and in a stimulating international environment, please visit http://www.eso.org for further details.

Applicants are invited to apply online at http://jobs.eso.org/. Applications must be completed in English and should include a motivation letter, and a CV containing a publication list and a research statement. Also required are the names and contact details of three scientists familiar with your work and willing to provide a recommendation letter. Referees will be automatically invited to submit a recommendation letter. However, applicants are strongly advised to trigger these invitations (using the web application form) well in advance of the application deadline.

Deadline for applications is 12 February 2025.

Interviews are expected to start soon after this date.

ESO Values

An important element in any successful employment relationship is harmony in values between an organisation and its people.

The ESO Values are:

ESO strives for excellence through innovation.

ESO provides outstanding services to its communities.

ESO fosters diversity and inclusion.

ESO believes in the key role of sustainability for its future.

Achieving the above are recognized as only possible on the basis of personal values and attitudes that we expect from our employees: respect, integrity, accountability, commitment, collaboration, and clear and open communication.

Applicants to any ESO role are asked to reflect on their affinity with these values and advised they may be asked about them if called for interview.

Diversity

ESO has established diversity as an important value of the Organisation, is committed to providing an equal opportunities environment and is actively seeking to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. Please visit https://www.eso.org/public/about-eso/sustainability/dei-at-eso/ for further details.

Nationality

No nationality is in principle excluded from employment at ESO, however, recruitment preference will be given to nationals of our Member States, host states and strategic partners: Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Chile, irrespective of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion.