ELT Programme Scientist

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The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries.

ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in northern Chile:
La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor (home to ALMA), and the ESO Headquarters are located in Garching, near Munich, Germany.

At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory, and will host and operate the southern array of the Cherenkov Telescope Array, the world's largest and most sensitive high energy gamma-ray observatory. ESO is a major partner in ALMA. On Cerro Armazones, ESO is building the 39 metre Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky" and whose operations will be fully integrated into the Paranal Observatory.

Within the Directorate for Science at its Headquarters in Garching near Munich, Germany, ESO is advertising the position of

The ELT Programme Scientist provides the overall scientific leadership for the ELT and its suite of instruments. The role encompasses all scientific aspects of the ELT Construction Programme, covering the telescope itself, and the development of its instruments under the ESO Instrumentation Programme. A key responsibility is to ensure strategic and scientific alignment between these two programmes. The Programme Scientist is charged with developing strategies to maximize the scientific performance of both the telescope and its instruments currently under development, shaping plans for future instrumentation, advising operations, and overseeing telescope and instruments commissioning and science verification.

In addition, the Programme Scientist serves as the primary interface between the ELT, the instrument Consortia, and the broader user community. By closely monitoring the evolving scientific priorities of the community within the rapidly advancing landscape of astronomical facilities projected for the 2030s and beyond, the Programme Scientist ensures that the ELT delivers world‑leading optical and infrared capabilities to drive major astrophysical discoveries.

We are seeking an experienced senior scientist with a strong technical background to provide authoritative scientific leadership and advice across both the ELT telescope Construction and Instrumentation Programmes, in coordination with the other ESO Programme Scientists (VLT, VLTI, ALMA, CTA) to enable scientific synergies.

• Provide scientific leadership to the ELT Construction Programme and ensure that the telescope will be scientifically exploited to the best of its capabilities;
• Guide the scientific development of ELT instruments through sound scientific leadership within the ESO Instrumentation Programme, helping ensure they meet their science goals;
• Act as a strategic and scientific connector between the Telescope and its suite of Instruments across both Programmes, ensuring that their combined performance offers the highest possible scientific return;
• Oversee and maintain the ELT Observatory Top Level Requirements, working closely with the ELT Construction Programme Manager to ensure these are integrated throughout the construction phase;
• Collaborate closely with the Instrumentation Programme Manager to maintain, evolve and develop the ELT Instrumentation Plan;
• Provide advice to the Instrumentation Programme Manager to ensure that the necessary design trade‑offs made on the Programme are carried out within an appropriate science‑driven context. Provide science‑based guidance on design decisions, helping to set clear and balanced scientific…