Science Operations Scientist - European Space Agency (Villanueva De La Cañada)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Space Agency on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Act as interface between Science Operations Centre, Payload Team, Flight Control Team and Instrument Operations and Science Data Centre Team
• Contribute to ground segment operations definition, design and implementation
• Coordinate and support definition, development and testing of processes and tools for science mission planning
• Support definition and validation of instrument data products and quality assessment tools
• Act as product owner in Agile development strategy for SOC system
• Support analysis of mission baseline changes impact on scientific outcome
• Support validation activities and compatibility, interface and end-to-end tests
• Support commissioning and science performance demonstration phases

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Education: PhD in astronomy, physics or a related subject
• Experience: Three years of relevant professional experience
• Key skills: Experience in defining, setting up and/or operating scientific experiments for astrophysics research in space or ground-based facilities, Experience in coordinating internal/external stakeholders on scientific projects, Active researcher in a relevant field to the Arrakihs mission, Knowledge of scientific instruments performance and calibration specification and analysis, Experience in science operations of space- or ground-based facilities, Experience in analysing science performance of instruments in space- or ground-based facilities, Experience with Agile development methodology, preferably as product owner, Proficiency in scripting or programming language such as Python, Experience with media and outreach activities
• Eligibility: International experience outside home country required

Contract and working arrangements

Working arrangements: Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain.

Hiring unit: Science Operations Department (SCI-S), Directorate of Science.

Position details

Reference

1433478533

Last Verified

15 September 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Science Operations Scientist at ESA based in Villanueva De La Cañada (Other). The vacancy reference is 1433478533.

Job Requisition ID:20826

Date Posted:3 September 2026

Closing Date:24 September 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication:Internal & External

Workplace: Villanueva de la Cañada, ES

Location

ESAC, Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain

Description

The European Space Agency maintains a world-leading Science Programme with missions in heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics and fundamental physics. Its mission is to empower Europe to lead space science.

The Science Operations Department (SCI-S) within ESA’s Directorate of Science hosts the scientists and engineers that oversee the space missions from the study phase to the end of operations. It develops the science operation systems for the missions and operates the missions in space, as well as archiving and curating their data during operations and beyond. Its main objective is to maximise the scientific output of the missions for the benefit of humankind.

You will be assigned as Science Operations Scientist, initially for the Arrakihs mission under the direct responsibility of the Science Operations Development Manager for Arrakihs in the Science Operations Development Division.

Arrakihs is a “Fast” (F-class) mission in ESA’s Science Programme. Its primary objective is to image the halos of galaxies in our nearby Universe to unprecedented low surface brightness, providing crucial data to answer unsolved questions in cosmology and galaxy evolution. Arrakihs is targeted for launch in the early 2030s.

Duties

You will be responsible for various aspects of the definition, implementation and testing of science operations activities for the Arrakihs mission, working in close collaboration with the Project Scientist, the Archive Scientist and the Science Operations Centre (SOC) Team and interfacing with the Instrument Operations and Science Data Centre (IOSDC) Team from the Arrakihs mission consortium.

During the development phase of the mission, your tasks and responsibilities will include:

- acting as an interface between the Science Operations Centre, the Payload Team, the Flight Control Team and the Instrument Operations and Science Data Centre Team for the Arrakihs mission; - contributing to the overall ground segment operations definition, design and implementation; - coordinating and supporting the definition, development and testing of processes and tools for science mission planning activities; - providing support to the definition and validation of the instrument’s data products, as well as to the establishment of validation criteria and the development, implementation and testing of tools for their quality assessment in coordination with the Archive Scientist, the Project Scientist and the IOSDC Team; - acting as a product owner in the context of an Agile development strategy for the SOC system by providing the feedback, value and user acceptance testing for the various science operations functionalities; - supporting the Project Scientist and Science Operations Development Manager in analysing the impact of mission baseline changes, relating to operational rules and constraints, for example, on the scientific outcome of the mission; - supporting validation activities and all relevant compatibility, interfaces and end-to-end tests in preparation for the operation phase; - supporting the definition, preparation and execution of activities relating to the commissioning and science performance demonstration phases; - supporting the SOC interaction with the astronomical community in preparation for the Arrakihs filler programme, including the coordination of inputs and provision of relevant scientific and operational information; - supporting outreach activities promoting the Arrakihs mission and its science.

In addition to the above duties, you are expected to continue to carry out research and actively contribute to the scientific activities of the Department.

It is expected that the position will also involve support to other survey missions in development within the Division, for example the Ariel mission, which will study the atmosphere of exoplanets through spectroscopic observations during transits and eclipses.

Technical competencies

Experience in defining, setting up and/or operating scientific experiments for astrophysics research either in space or ground-based facilities

Experience in coordinating internal/external stakeholders on scientific projects

Active researcher in a relevant field to the Arrakihs mission

Knowledge of scientific instruments performance and calibration specification and analysis

Behavioural competencies

Education and professional experience

A PhD in astronomy, physics or a related subject is required for this post, together with three years of relevant professional experience.

Additional requirements

International experience, i.e., outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities.

The following will be considered assets for the position:

- Experience in science operations of space- or ground-based facilities;

- Experience in analysing the science performance of instruments in space- or ground-based facilities;

- Experience with the Agile development methodology, preferably in the role of product owner;

- Proficiency in at least one scripting or programming language, for example Python;

- Experience with media and outreach activities.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 4 September 2026, 11 days ago.

The application deadline is 24 September 2026, 7 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 15 September 2026.

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at ESA see the ESA institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Villanueva De La Cañada see our Villanueva De La Cañada location page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.