Instrumentation Alignment and Verification Engineer

We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced instrumentation engineer / physicist with a strong background in system alignment and optical testing. You will be integrated in a team of experts responsible for the development, integration and verification of astronomical instrumentation from the first concepts, to the final product delivered to and tested at the observatory. The instruments span optical to thermal infrared wavelengths, a variety of world-class technologies, and may be deployed at La Silla, Paranal (VLT, VLTI, VISTA) or Armazones (ELT) observatories.

Main Duties and Responsibilities :

You will have the following main duties :

• Ensure the feasibility of instrument alignment approaches with respect to performance targets, cost, and manufacturability.
• Contribute to the definition of requirements and verification plans, ensuring comprehensive test coverage across development phases that balances risk mitigation and cost.
• Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of performance deviations during integration and verification.
• Collaborate closely with key stakeholders, including systems engineers, AIV managers, and specialists in optics, mechanics, cryogenics, detectors, and software.
• Provide training and mentoring to junior engineers in alignment and optical test methods, fostering knowledge transfer and appropriate documentation. Contribute to lessons-learned exercises and improving systems engineering processes.

Reports to :

The Head of the Instrument Systems Group.

Experience :

You shall have at least 5 years of experience in :

Key competences :

Essential Competences and Experience :

Desirable competences :

Qualifications :

Language Skills :

ESO is an international organization where the working language is English. The position requires excellent oral and written communication skills in English.