At ESO, diversity is one of our greatest strengths. Our Project Management department brings together a highly international team of about 20 Project Managers from many different backgrounds, disciplines, and walks of life. Managers from PMD lead a wide variety of projects that expand and strengthen the scientific and operational capabilities of our observatories in Chile. We are currently seeking a Project Manager to play a central role in the ALMA Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU) programme, of which the primary objective is to broaden the ALMA receiver bandwidth by a factor of four, and to upgrade the associated electronics and correlator. ESO is heavily involved in the WSU through a number of development projects run in Europe. In addition, ESO is participating in the management of the overall programme, system engineering, technical evaluation, as well as executing and contributing to reviews and participation in working groups. These upgrade activities are executed in close collaboration with the ALMA partners in East Asia and North America, as well as the Joint ALMA Observatory located in Chile.
Our development projects are usually executed in cooperation with European institutes and industry but, depending on the nature of the project, internal development of subsystems is also undertaken in-house. As a result, the Project Manager will not only lead complex, high-impact projects, but also collaborate with colleagues from diverse technical, scientific, and cultural backgrounds. As a Project Manager you will be contributing to a working environment where different perspectives are valued, and where you will be supported to grow both professionally and personally.
The post holder will interact very closely with the ALMA Development Team (ADT) department within the European ALMA Support Centre (EASC), and in collaboration with this department, oversee and manage the execution of development projects.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
* Lead projects to develop and deploy systems, in particular ESO's subprojects of the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade, forming a close collaboration with project scientists, project engineers and other multidisciplinary team members depending on the project.
* Deliver projects to the ALMA observatory, and eventually, the science community meeting agreed specifications, budgets and timelines. To achieve this goal, you will operate within the ESO matrix structure.
* Prepare and manage consortium agreements and industrial contracts.
* Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders and actively carry out stakeholder management within and outside of ESO.
* Guide and support matrixed team members, providing objectives and feedback to their nominated line managers in accordance with general procedures and policies.
* Proactively report project progress to Programme Managers within ESO, as well as to the ALMA observatory.
* Provide input for reporting to ESO and ALMA governing bodies and advisory committees.
* Frequently participate in project reviews in the role of reviewer, secretary or chair.
The above responsibilities are not exhaustive and a flexible approach and willingness to adapt to operational needs are required.
Reports to:
Head of the Project Management Department.
Key Competences and Experience:
Essential Competences and Experience:
* At least three years of relevant professional experience in developing projects preferably relating to instrumentation development in the millimetre and radio regimes.
* Technical expertise in a relevant discipline, e.g., digital electronics or receiver technology.
* First-hand experience with the standard PM scope of tasks; schedule, and resource planning, change and risk management, as well as demonstrated ability to build, develop, and lead multi-disciplinary project teams.
* Ability to monitor the progress of your work and that of the project team, deliver to agreed deadlines and standards, plan activities, contribute to system design, and be able to work under pressure.
* Prepared to travel frequently in Europe, and also to Chile, and to our partners in North America and East Asia.
* Used to work both on own initiative and as part of a team as either a leader or a collaborative team member.
* Ability to build strong collaborative working relationships with others from different cultural backgrounds and disciplines.
* Excellent communication skills with a strong sense for team spirit necessary to work in an international team environment.
Desirable Competences and Experience:
* Ability to work with partners from industry as well as academic or research institutions.
* Provide clear, concise and timely oral and written communication identifying key issues, examining options and proposing steps ahead.
* Willingness to acquire new technical and interpersonal skills, keep up-to-date with the tools used in the daily work and possess a proactive mindset towards self-development.
* Demonstrated critical thinking and problem-solving skills in relation to project management.
* Demonstrated diplomatic skills to facilitate the management of external consortia.
* A strong scientific background in a related field is considered an asset.
* Knowledge and experience with the development, testing or operations of astronomical instruments (radio and/or (sub)millimetre) is considered a valuable asset.
* Physically fit to visit sites at altitudes of up to more than 5000 metres.
Qualifications:
Essential educational level:
* An advanced university degree in Project Management, Engineering or Physics or a related scientific/technical field.
* A first-level university degree in combination with an additional two years of relevant working experience and/or additional technical qualifications will be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
Qualifications that would be an asset:
* Formal qualifications in project management would be deemed an advantage.
Language skills:
A very good command of the English language - fluent oral, reading and writing - is essential and a working knowledge of German or Spanish 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.
Duty Station:
Garching near Munich, Germany with regular duty trips to ESO sites in Chile as required.
Indicative 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 CV. Within your CV, please provide the names and contact details of three persons familiar with your work and willing to provide a recommendation letter upon request. Referees will not be contacted without your prior consent.
Deadline for applications is 15.10.2025
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 & 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 & 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.