VN 26/47 Head of Altimetry Missions Development Division and Ocean Altimetry Programme Manager

VN 26/47 Head of Altimetry Missions Development Division and Ocean Altimetry Programme Manager

The Altimetry Missions Development Division (ALT) at EUMETSAT is responsible for the preparation and development phases of Ocean Altimetry Missions and Programmes. The scope of the division implements the future EUMETSAT Altimetry Programme. The Altimetry Programme encompasses the development and operations preparation of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 Next Generation Topography and the Sentinel-6 Next Generation missions. Members of the Altimetry Division work closely with the Copernicus Mission Development Division, the Copernicus Programme and Service Management Office as well as the PRD Programme Management Office (PMO) and the New Programmes and Services (NPS) division and in collaboration with our partners (ESA, CNES, NASA, NOAA) and our stakeholders.

Reporting to the Director of Programme Preparation and Development (D/PRD), the Head of Altimetry Missions Development Division and Altimetry Programme Manager manages the portfolio of EUMETSAT mission development activities in the field of ocean altimetry, focusing on system and ground segment development, integration and validation.

Duties

• Manage the Altimetry Mission Development (ALT) Division, including management of the staff members within the division, relevant cross departmental matrix support arrangements and contracted service support;

• Plan and manage EUMETSAT’s contributions to the design and development of the next generation Copernicus multi-orbit ocean altimetry missions Sentinel 3NG Topo and Sentinel 6NG, in cooperation with ESA;

• Identify opportunities for improving development and system engineering approaches in the context of the Altimetry missions together with the New Programmes and Services (NPS) division and foster their implementation;

• Provide planning, indicators, assessment of risks and other management information for integration at divisional management level;

• Deliver reporting and planning information to the EUMETSAT Copernicus Programme Office (CPO) and the PRD PMO, as required;

• Prepare documents and make presentations at meetings of the EUMETSAT Council and advisory bodies.

LOCATION

Darmstadt, Germany

QUALIFICATIONS

A University degree in a relevant discipline or comparable qualifications in an engineering field is required.

LANGUAGES

The official languages of EUMETSAT are English and French. Candidates must be able to work effectively in English and have some knowledge of French.

DEADLINE

24 November 2026

Skills and Experience

• In depth knowledge and practice of engineering, development, integration and testing of end-to-end satellite systems, based on relevant standards, with focus on system and ground segment development

• Successful experience of management of development projects for Earth observation satellite systems, including system and/or ground segment developments, preferably in the field of ocean altimetry;

• Extensive people management experience, including proven ability to lead and motivate teams in challenging situations, develop staff and keep business critical skills up to date;

• Proven ability to analyse, synthesise and communicate complex issues, verbally and in writing;

• Strong interpersonal, influencing and communications skills with internal and external stakeholders.

Employment Conditions

The initial contract will be of 4 years’ duration, with subsequent 5 year contracts being awarded thereafter, subject to individual performance and organisation requirements. There is no limit to the amount of follow-up contracts a staff member can receive up to the EUMETSAT retirement age of 63 and there are certainly opportunities to establish a long career perspective at EUMETSAT. This post is graded A4/A5 on the EUMETSAT salary scales. The minimum basic salary for this post is EURO 10,830 per month (net of internal tax but excluding pension contribution and insurances) which may be negotiable on the basis of skills and experience. The salary scale provides for increments on the anniversary of taking up employment, and scales are reviewed by the EUMETSAT Council with effect from 1 January each year. In addition to basic salary, EUMETSAT offers attractive benefits. Further information, including salary details, is available on the EUMETSAT web site.

EUMETSAT is committed to providing an equal opportunities work environment for men and women. Please note that only nationals of EUMETSAT Member States may apply. The EUMETSAT Convention requires that Staff shall be recruited on the basis of their qualifications, account being taken of the international character of EUMETSAT.

Applicants are required to disclose all nationalities they have held and currently hold in order to determine whether they can exercise the role as advertised in compliance with applicable export control regulations.

About EUMETSAT

EUMETSAT is Europe’s meteorological satellite agency. Its role is to establish and operate meteorological satellites to monitor the weather and climate from space - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This information is supplied to the National Meteorological Services of the organisation's Member States in Europe, as well as other users worldwide.

EUMETSAT also operates several Copernicus missions on behalf of the European Union and provide data services to the Copernicus marine and atmospheric services and their users.

As an intergovernmental European Organisation, EUMETSAT has 30 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.)