System engineer for an ELT instrument

The CNRS is a public scientific, cultural and professional establishment (EPSCP). Its missions are mainly focused on research, training and the dissemination of knowledge. The CNRS addresses all areas of research through its ten institutes. Among these, the INSU, structured around observatories for the sciences of the Universe and involved in national and international programmes, opens up avenues to respond to the major scientific challenges of today in astrophysics and Earth and environmental sciences.

Assigned to the CNRS's INSU, you will work at the Paris Observatory's Meudon site, within the GEPI Instrumental Pole (soon to be known as UNIDIA), which will bring together around forty engineers and technicians working on instrumentation dedicated to astrophysics. Our Instrumentation Division is responsible in particular for designing instruments for the large European telescopes currently under construction and those planned for the future ELT (Extremely Large Telescope). This design work is carried out in close collaboration with the scientific teams that define the high-level specifications for future instruments.

The person recruited will assist the Systems Engineer in charge of the MOSAIC project, the largest spectrograph in the world, which will be installed in the ELT over the next ten years, working closely with the other systems engineers on the project. This project will be one of six instruments to equip the ELT and is a key instrument in the astronomy and astrophysics theme of the INSU, one of the ten CNRS institutes.

In-house training will be provided by the systems engineer on the MOSAIC project and will be complemented by tutoring and an NFA on project management. Additional external training will also be offered.

Within the MOSAIC project, the systems engineer will be involved in activities relating to instrument specifications, supervising the development of the instrument (design then manufacture, assembly) and verifying its performance. A period of familiarisation with our tools and working methods is planned for a gradual immersion in the MOSAIC project.

Main activities

• Analysing scientific needs, in consultation with the researchers represented by the scientific lead (PI).
• Translate scientific needs into instrumental technical specifications.
• Negotiating instrumental compromises with researchers, where appropriate.
• Propose instrumental concepts likely to meet the requirements and analyse them in terms of performance, risks, costs and development time.
• Participating in the management of the project in compliance with the objectives (performance, costs, deadlines) from the upstream phases (drafting the development plan, setting up the project team, etc.) through to the integration of the sub-systems and then the instrument in Europe and on site.
• Leading the project team: organising communication between those involved in the project, maintaining cohesion on the basis of objectives, anticipating and managing potential conflict situations.

Expertise

• In-depth knowledge of the principles and implementation of engineering techniques (optics, mechanics, etc.).
• In-depth knowledge of physics and more specifically of instrumental optics in the specific context of spectrographic instruments.
• General knowledge of tools and software specific to the field,
• Apply team management, communication, meeting facilitation and negotiation techniques,
• Applying functional analysis and operational safety techniques,
• Knowledge of project management methods,
• Know how to work in interaction with scientific and technical teams,
• Written and oral presentation techniques.
• English language: B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Operational skills

• Formulating a summary.
• Choosing the appropriate method depending on the objective.
• Organise and run a meeting

Soft skills

• High level of responsiveness.
• Strong autonomy
• Critical thinking skills
• Analytical reasoning skills
• Thoroughness and reliability
• Organisational and methodical skills and ability to manage priorities
• Good interpersonal skills at local and international level

For more information, see https://elt.eso.org/instrument/MOSAIC and http://www.mosaic-elt.eu/