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Call for Applications for the Selection Process to Fill the Position of technical engineer of the Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya
The IEEC (Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia) was established in February 1996 as a private non-profit foundation (NPO) to promote R&D in the space field in Catalonia. The IEEC is a research institute that studies all areas of knowledge and technologies applied to the space sector and space sciences, including astrophysics, cosmology, planetary science, Earth observation, navigation and space engineering. Its mission is to push the frontiers of space research from the scientific and technological fields for the maximum benefit of society. It should also be noted that the Foundation is attached to the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government) and forms part of its institutional public sector due to the fact that the Generalitat has a majority participation in the Board of Trustees of the IEEC.
Introduction
The purpose of this call is the selection process of a candidate to fill a technical engineer position assigned to the Research Area of the Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC).
The search for new worlds in the Galaxy over the last two decades has been a great success, and the prospects for the coming decade are even brighter. The next fundamental steps in this journey to search for and characterize exoplanets are the Plato and Ariel missions. These will look for Sun-Earth twin planetary systems through transit detection and will investigate the atmospheres of hundreds of planets orbiting different types of stars by observing their transits and occultations, respectively.
Plato is set to launch in early 2027, while Ariel was adopted by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2020 and is expected to launch in 2031. The IEEC team holds high-level management and technical responsibilities, including the observation planning software for the Ariel mission and the Ground Observations Programme (GOP) to confirm the planets discovered by Plato.
Plato will begin providing exoplanet candidates in mid-2027, which must be confirmed with ground-based observations; therefore, the final implementation of the Plato-GOP planning tool must be prepared and tested. In the case of Ariel, the development of software tools for observation planning within the ground segment will include requirement documentation and software design, as well as the delivery of the first versions (or prototypes) to the ESA in 2028.
Description of position
- Positions to be filled: 1. Call for Applications for the Selection Process to Fill the Position of technical engineer of the Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya
- Professional group: Group II. Engineering personnel
- Professional category: Technical Engineer
- Working hours: Full-Time 37,5 hours/week
- Workplace location: Institute of Space Sciences, Carrer de Can Magrans s/n, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
Functions
The validation and mass determination of the exoplanet candidates discovered by the Plato mission will require support observations from ground-based telescopes (Plato-GOP). To successfully complete this task, various types of observations must be scheduled across multiple observatories worldwide. The Plato-GOP scheduling software, responsible for coordinating these efforts, is currently under development and testing at the IEEC. Additionally, a specialised planning tool is being developed for the MARVEL telescope, which will also play a key role in the confirmation of Plato’s candidates.
Furthermore, the Ariel mission is designed to observe transits, occultations, and phase curves of approximately one thousand exoplanets from space. These phenomena are time-constrained, occurring at precise moments dictated by each planetary system. Efficiently scheduling these observations is critical to maximizing the number of characterised systems and optimising available telescope time. The IEEC is currently developing a prototype of the Ariel Long-Term Planning Tool (LTPT) in direct collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA).
The IEEC has also developed a web-based graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate the use and visualization of these planning tools.
The objective of this contract is to continue the development of these tools by joining the STARS (Scheduling Telescopes as Autonomous Robotic Systems) team at the IEEC, coordinating tasks with the scientific leads of the various projects.
The selected candidate will have the following duties and responsibilities:
- Participate in the development and testing of prototypes for the Plato-GOP, Ariel, and MARVEL planning tools.
- Manage the formalization of the software and its integration into the control systems of the respective missions.
- Execute comprehensive validation and integration tests for the planning tools.
- Produce technical software documentation, including requirements, design, implementation, validation documents, and user manuals.
- Maintain and update the web-based graphical user interface (GUI) for the planning tools.
- Engage in additional tasks arising during the project’s execution to ensure the achievement of overall objectives.
Participation requirements and selection criteria
The following criteria will be assessed during the selection process:
- Education: a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, or a strictly equivalent qualification.
- Programming Skills: Proficiency in C++ and JavaScript programming languages.
The following aspects will be considered desirable merits (Maximum of 20 points):
- Previous experience in software development, specifically with similar tools and systems [Up to 10 points].
- Knowledge in software development environments, Continuous Integration (CI), version control, and virtualization, including tools such as GitLab, Docker, and Podman [Up to 5 points].
- Academic Record: Evaluation of the candidate’s academic transcript and performance [Up to 2.5 points].
- Language Skills: Proficiency and communication skills in English [Up to 2.5 points].
Contact and deadline
Interested persons who meet the established requirements can send a cover letter indicating the past experience, the personal curriculum in PDF format, signed as certification, with a brief description of the tasks carried out in the positions previously occupied, and the degree academic transcript to the email address: RecursosHumans@ieec.cat indicating the reference "Surnames and Name – OF_IEEC_241_2026" in the subject line of the email.
The reception of applications ends on
Selection procedure
Initially, a verification of the requirements of participation will be carried out and a first selection of candidates will be made based on the documents contributed. Next, if necessary, the shortlisted candidates may be called to a personal interview to expand the detailed information in the curriculum and assess aspects related to professional competences.
- a) Principal Investigator (PI) of the IEEC ARIEL project, or a designated representative.
- b) Researcher of the IEEC ARIEL project, or a designated representative.
- c) Project Manager of the IEEC ARIEL project, or a designated representative.
Interested persons must have the originals of the certificates accrediting the training and work experience mentioned in the curriculum and must submit them if required.
In compliance with the LISMI (Law for the Social Integration of the Disabled), the IEEC will consider reservations for candidates who certify a disability equal to or greater than 33%, provided they are suitable for the performance of the functions to be covered.