Description

Head of the Flight Vehicles and Aerothermodynamics Engineering Section in the Propulsion, Aerothermodynamics and Flight Vehicle Engineering Division, Mechanical Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

Reporting to the Head of the Propulsion, Aerothermodynamics and Flight Vehicles Engineering Division, you, as Head of the Flight Vehicles and Aerothermodynamics Engineering Section, will be responsible for the management of the Section, along with its resources and activities. In addition, you will manage the operational activities within the Section’s technical domains.

The activities of the Section cover:
•    flight vehicle engineering of technology demonstrators and flight experiments (including support for space logistics) with respect to aerothermodynamics, flight physics and fluid mechanics, and thermal, structure and propulsion interactions;
•    fluid mechanics from continuum to rarefied, including computational fluid dynamics;
•    ground testing and ground-to-flight transposition methods for internal and external flows;
•    external and internal fluid mechanics and chemistry of relevance to propulsion systems;
•    ascent, cruise and (re-)entry, descent and landing of space vehicles, including through Earth's or planetary atmospheres;
•    plume and contamination analysis;
•    advanced modelling tools with respect to aerothermodynamics, flight physics and fluid mechanics, and thermal, structure and propulsion interactions;
•    fluid-structure interaction phenomena, including aeroacoustics;
•    flight demonstrators and flight experiments;
•    exploitation of flight data from flight experiments, especially data involving fluid mechanics and aerothermodynamics during (re-) entry.

The Section is also the technical focal point for flight vehicle architecture design, analysis and technical assessment. In this function, the Section performs overall feasibility and viability assessments, as well as quick design iterations with the support of colleagues with the necessary competencies within the Directorate. 
Within the relevant Competence Domains, the Section coordinates specialised support and R&D initiatives with other sections in the Directorate.

The Section maintains and operates facilities at ESTEC for computational fluid mechanics, visualisation, fluidics and flow related hardware, and, within the Division, is responsible for the procurement and maintenance of propulsion, aerothermodynamics. fluid mechanics and flight physics modelling tools. 

Within this framework, the Section also provides support to the evolution of European test facilities in propulsion, fluid mechanics and flight physics.

The Section provides engineering support to ESA application directorates and is responsible for R&D, simulation and testing activities related to flight vehicles, flight physics, fluid mechanics, chemistry and aerothermodynamics engineering.

The Section delivers expertise for high-speed vehicles, vertical and/or horizontal vehicles, suborbital and/or orbital vehicles, space logistics vehicles, and descent, landing and (re-)entry (either with reusable or demisable technologies) vehicles.

Duties

Your duties will include:
•    ensuring a positive and motivating working environment for the Section;
•    managing the workforce of the Section with accountability for all resources and activities delegated to the Section;
•    maintaining and developing the expertise and technical competence of the Section’s members to meet current and future strategic needs, taking due account of their motivation, aspirations and professional development with appropriate opportunity for laboratory/computational work;
•    distributing and assigning the tasks of the Section to its members, monitoring and managing their performance and providing timely and regular feedback;
•    anticipating and resolving sensitive or difficult situations, liaising with HR as required;
•    negotiating, organising and coordinating the specialist support provided by the Section to ESA projects throughout all phases;
•    preparing resource requirements based on needs originating from both inside and outside the Section and resolving conflicting demands on the use of the resources available in the Section;
•    establishing and maintaining good working relationships and technical networks with users, project groups and other organisational bodies both inside and outside the Agency;
•    contributing to the continuous improvement of working procedures and to the reflection on the evolution of the Section’s role and activities.

Within the terms of reference of the Section, you will be responsible for:
•    contributions to the establishment of ESA policy in areas of concern for the Section;
•    the conception, initialisation and supervision of corresponding enabling technology R&D. This includes contributions to architecture studies and technology assessments for the aforementioned multidisciplinary areas, missions and vehicles in the Section’s relevant Competence Domains, and also the specific instrumentation and sensors, such as health monitoring systems, entry diagnostics, etc.;
•    participation in, and support for, feasibility and project definition studies for future programmes involving flight physics and aerothermodynamics engineering concepts;
•    provision of specialist support in the field of fluid mechanics and flight physics engineering to ESA and third-party projects, involving the preparation of calls for tender, specifications, evaluations of industrial proposals, and supervision of procurement and development contracts;
•    maintenance and operation of the computational fluid dynamics and related fluidic facilities;
•    coordination of activities for the development, procurement and maintenance of computational tools within the Directorate’s common framework;
•    participation in the development and promotion of ISO, CCSDS, handbooks and ECSS standards in multidisciplinary domains.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the flight physics and fluid mechanics engineering field, you will be expected to establish and maintain good working relationships and networks with experts from other related disciplines in the Directorate.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

A master’s in aerospace or mechanical engineering or physics.

Additional requirements

Solid experience related to the technical domains of the Section is required, as well as in the definition and specification of technology R&D activities. 
Proven experience in relevant fields of design and technology development.
Knowledge of aerothermodynamics, flight physics and fluid mechanics, and thermal, structure and propulsion interactions.

You should have:
•    the potential to manage individuals or a team of experts in a project or R&D setting and the ability to organise their activities;
•    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;
•    the ability to represent the Agency in interfaces with industry and government agencies.

Previous people management experience would be an asset, as would international experience, i.e. outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to the activities of ESA.