Planetary Protection Engineer

Planetary Protection Engineer

Appointment

This is a fixed-term appointment with an initial duration of 4 years, extendable up to 8 years depending on performance and organisational needs.

Location

ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Planetary Protection and Sample Curation Engineer in the Independent Safety Office, Quality Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

• The Independent Safety Office oversees the development, implementation, maintenance and certification of compliance with ESA policies, requirements, and standards, supporting ESA projects in:
• human spaceflight safety
• space debris mitigation
• re-entry safety
• nuclear safety for space applications
• planetary protection

Your tasks and responsibilities will include supporting the Planetary Protection Officer in:

Planetary protection

• Coordinating and interacting with relevant ESA stakeholders, international partners, space agencies, and international bodies for the definition of planetary protection regulations, requirements and processes;
• Providing expert technical support and consultancy to ESA projects concerning compliance of technical requirements relating to planetary protection;
• Fostering and supporting the maintenance and development of ECSS/ESSB standards relating to planetary protection;
• Contributing to the definition of planetary protection-related technology development requirements and work plans for ESA’s technology programmes;
• Ensuring dissemination of information and the transfer of knowledge across the Agency in relation to planetary protection.

Sample curation

• Leading the creation of sample curation as a new capability in Europe;
• Developing sample curation protocols, hardware and facilities for returned or analogue samples;
• Initiating and managing R&D activities in curation;
• Providing support to ongoing sample return missions with ESA involvement in coordination with ESA programmes;
• Establishing end-to-end solutions to demonstrate coordination capability among European countries and institutions;
• Advising on requirements for sample curation facilities, relating for example to returned samples, analogue samples and simulants, in coordination with the relevant programme directorate;
• Advising on sample management processes for samples and collections as needed, in coordination with the relevant programme directorate and in collaboration with international partners.

• General background and specific experience in the technical domains covered by the position
• Demonstrated experience of working with returned samples and sample curation approaches for extraterrestrial samples
• Experience in the domain of planetary protection, sample curation and related regulatory frameworks
• Knowledge of the ESA and ECSS planetary protection requirements and their implementation
• Knowledge of space hardware
• Experience in managing independent safety review processes involving diverse stakeholders
• Experience in supporting policy development and implementation
• A proven track record of working in teams with government agency representatives and international partners

• Result Orientation
• Operational Efficiency
• Fostering Cooperation
• Relationship Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Forward Thinking

A master's degree in engineering, geology, astrobiology or another closely related discipline is required, together with 10 years of relevant professional experience.

Experience with extraterrestrial sample curation, including sample handling and storage protocols and sample allocation.

• Experience with extraterrestrial and geological sample characterisation, including sample preparation, destructive and non-destructive sample analysis techniques and their technical and sample requirements.
• Experience with cleanroom operations and cleanroom contamination control procedures and monitoring.
• Understanding of sample contamination, contamination sources, and the effects of contamination on hardware and sample integrity.
• Demonstrated ability in bridging science and engineering through effective collaboration with technical scientific and engineering teams.
• Knowledge of the…