Head of the Opto-Electronics Section

Description

Head of the Opto-electronics Section, Mechatronics and Optics Division, Mechanical Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

The Opto-electronics Section provides functional support to ESA projects and carries out technological research and development (R&D) in the field of opto-electronic device technologies and applications. 

In particular, the Opto-electronics Section deals with the specification, development and characterisation of photonic component subsystems and active optical instruments, such as detectors and lasers operating in the UV to FIR wavelength ranges, fibre-optic sensors, lidars, optical communication systems and quantum technologies.

Reporting to the Head of the Mechatronics and Optics Division, you, as Head of the Opto-electronics Section, will be responsible for the management of the Section, its resources, and activities. In addition, you will manage the operational activities within the technical domains of the Section.

Duties

Your duties will include:

• ensuring a positive and motivating working environment for the Section;
• managing the workforce of the Section with accountability for all resources and activities delegated to it;
• maintaining and developing the expertise and technical competence of the Section’s members to meet current and future strategic needs, taking due account of their motivation, aspirations and professional development with appropriate opportunity for laboratory work;
• distributing and assigning the tasks of the Section to its members, monitoring and managing their performance and providing timely and regular feedback;
• anticipating and resolving sensitive or difficult situations, liaising with HR as required;
• negotiating, organising and coordinating the specialist support provided by the Section to ESA projects throughout all phases;
• preparing resource requirements based on needs originating from both inside and outside the Section and resolving conflicting demands on the use of the resources available in the Section;
• establishing, developing and maintaining good working relationships and technical networks with users, project groups and other organisational bodies both inside and outside the Agency;
• contributing to the continuous improvement of working procedures and to the reflection on the evolution of the Section’s role and activities.

The Section covers the following technical domains end-to-end:

• laser technologies, laser communication terminal systems and LIDAR instruments;
• detectors and focal plane assemblies;
• photonics and photonics integrated circuits (PIC);
• optical communications, adaptive optics and quantum key distribution (QKD) systems;
• quantum sensors, quantum communication and optical atomic clocks.

In line with the terms of reference of the Section, you will be responsible for:

• providing expert technical support and consultancy to all ESA projects, programmes and general studies in the technical domains of the Section;
• providing an independent technical assessment capability, at both project and Agency level, and supporting project reviews;
• defining, promoting and implementing the technological research programmes;
• coordinating, where applicable, the requirements of the technology elements in your domain of competence with the overall requirements of the systems being developed under the responsibility of other areas in the Directorate;
• in line with anticipated technology trends and project needs, defining, promoting and implementing the Section’s contributions to ESA technology programmes and R&D activities;
• supporting the activities of the relevant Competence Domains; 
• maintaining state-of-the-art expertise;
• managing the associated laboratory facilities;
• identifying, assessing, managing and reporting the health and safety risks in your area of responsibility.

Due to the inter-disciplinary nature of opto-electronics, you, as Head of Section, will ensure the proper coordination and collaboration with the other Directorate sections and experts that are working on disciplines related to opto-electronics.

Your roles and responsibilities are subject to further evolution as part of the ESA transformation.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

Education

A master’s in physics or engineering is required for this post. A PhD and/or hands-on experience on space hardware development would be an asset.

Additional requirements

Solid experience related to the technical domains of the Section is required, as well as in the definition and specification of technology R&D activities.
Demonstrated experience in relevant fields of design and technology development.

You should also have:

• the potential to manage individuals or a team of experts in a project or R&D setting and the ability to organise their activities;
• the ability to 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;
• 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 would be an asset, as would international experience, i.e. outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities.