Summary: Lead the Science Operations Centre development for the Arrakihs mission, maximizing scientific return within a collaborative environment. Highlights: 1. Lead a team of experts in space science operations. 2. Contribute to world-leading space science missions. 3. Work in a collaborative, international environment. Science Operations Development Manager **Job Requisition ID:** 20240 **Date Posted:** 18 February 2026 **Closing Date:** 11 March 2026 23:59 CET/CEST **Publication:** Internal \& External **Type of Appointment****:** 4 years, extendable to indefinite **Directorate:** Science **Workplace:**Villanueva de la Cañada, ES **Grade Band****:** A2 \- A4 **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 within ESA's Directorate of Science hosts the scientists and engineers that oversee the space missions from study to 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 Development Manager, initially for the Arrakihs mission, and lead a team of experts to develop its Science Operations Centre. You will report to the Head of the Science Operations Development Division, where you will work in a collaborative environment alongside teams developing science operations systems for all ESA science missions. Arrakihs is a “Fast” (F\-class) mission in ESA’s Science Programme. The primary object of Arrakihs 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 targeting a launch in the early 2030s.**Duties** You will be responsible for the definition, design and implementation of the Arrakihs Science Operations Centre, ESA’s contribution to the Arrakihs Science Ground Segment, with the goal of maximising the scientific return of the mission. The Science Operations Centre, based at ESAC (Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain), is responsible for the science planning, data processing and archiving activities. The Mission Operations Centre, based at ESOC (Darmstadt, Germany), is responsible for all spacecraft operations. You will work in close collaboration with the Arrakihs Project Scientist, the Arrakihs Project team at ESTEC in the Netherlands, the Mission Operations Centre at ESOC in Germany, and the Arrakihs Mission Consortium delivering components of the science ground segment. Your tasks and responsibilities will include: * leading the design, implementation and testing of the ESA\-funded elements of the science operations system for the Arrakihs mission; * delivering a functional science operations system for Arrakihs following the required mission milestones and reviews within budget and schedule; * managing the Arrakihs Science Operations team based at ESAC; * planning, coordinating and supervising all preparatory activities related to the operation of the Science Operations Centre, and leading the transition to the operations phase; * maximising the scientific return from the mission in line with the Project Scientist's established requirements and the resources assigned to the project; * liaising with the Project Manager, the Project Scientist, the Spacecraft Operations Manager and the Consortium Science Ground Segment teams in support of the above activities; * participating in reviews for other projects within the Directorate of Science as appropriate, and contributing to managerial activities across the Department. You will also be responsible for identifying, assessing, managing and reporting the health and safety risks in your area of responsibility.**Technical competencies** Experience in project management, including delivery of complex projects within budget and schedule Experience in coordinating internal/external stakeholders on scientific projects Experience in managing teams, preferably in the scientific and/or engineering context Experience in space mission operations Knowledge of space projects, including instrumentation and operations**Behavioural competencies** Result Orientation Operational Efficiency Fostering Cooperation Relationship Management Continuous Improvement Forward Thinking For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook **Education** A master's degree in space sciences, engineering or equivalent is required for this post.**Additional requirements** The following qualifications are further assets for this position: * the potential to manage individuals or a team; * the ability to organise their activities and 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 is an asset, as is international experience, i.e. outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities. **Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness** ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. At the Agency we value diversity, and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact us via email at contact.human.resources@esa.int. **Important Information and Disclaimer** In principle, recruitment will be within the advertised grade band (A2\-A4\). However, if the selected candidate has less than four years of relevant professional experience following the completion of the master’s degree, the position may be filled at A1 level. Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations. During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures. Note that ESA is in the process of transitioning to a Matrix setup, which could lead to organisational changes affecting this position. The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have. **Nationality and Languages** Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia. According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States\*. When short\-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to internal candidates and secondly to external candidates from under\-represented Member States\*. The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset. * Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States. Who we recruit » Recruitment Process » What we offer » Life at ESA » FAQ »