Senior Project Manager

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Archive Date: 
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Science Engineering
Institution Classification/Type: 
Foreign
Institution/Company: 
Cherenkov Telescope Array
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Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

Background

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a multinational project to build two sites of telescope arrays in the northern and southern hemisphere to observe extremely high energy photons from the Universe with greatly
improved sensitivity than has been done previously. On the site of the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma (Canaries, Spain) and at the European Southern Observatory in Chile about 120 telescopes
will be installed, in order to measure the Cherenkov radiation produced by the atmospheric particle showers initiated by cosmic photons.

About 200 research institutions from 32 countries are involved in designing and prototyping this large scale research infrastructure. The current transition to the implementation phase is driven by a core of countries
acting as the shareholders of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) limited liability company through which the project is governed and funded. While the construction of the infrastructure on the sites
and all software development is to be managed centrally, most of the telescopes and other scientific components will be delivered as in-kind contributions by interested institutions from all over the world. According to
present plans the majority of construction is scheduled to be complete around 2022 within a budget of 400 M€. The observatory is designed for 30 years of operational lifetime. The CTAO headquarters for operation
and administration is presently being set-up in Bologna. It will be supported by a science data management centre near Berlin.

Position

The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) is seeking a Senior Project Manager for the management of the construction of the telescope arrays, of the necessary infrastructure and for the
preparation of the organization of the scientific operation and technical maintenance phase.

Responsibilities include:

  • Leading the construction of CTA.
  • Coordinating the in-kind contributions with respect to technical specifications, scheduling, quality control, acceptance procedure, deployment and commissioning.
  • Leading and organizing the technical teams at the headquarters and on the sites in Chile and La Palma, and recruiting further personnel as needed.
  • Allocating, tracking and controlling of resources.
  • Managing overall quality control and project risks.

Required experience:

  • Extensive project management experience at a senior level in an international organisation, public body, or multinational company, with a proven record of successful project management outcomes.
  • Thorough knowledge of international project management standards and their application.
  • Maintaining effective project management discipline.
  • Demonstrating flexibility to adapt quickly and resourcefully to shifting priorities and requirements.
  • Demonstrating excellent negotiation and influencing skills to take account of stakeholder concerns and interests and promoting contact and collaboration with key contributors.
  • Ability to lead by influence rather than direct line management authority.
  • Experience with consortia/in-kind contribution funding models is highly desirable.
  • Leading, supervising, coordinating and evaluating staff from diverse cultural background, while maintaining a good team spirit.


Candidates should have a university degree inCandidates should have a university degree in engineering or physics, excellent communication skills and should be fluent in English oral and writing, as all project communication is in English. Place of work will be the CTAO headquarters in Bologna, with frequent traveling required. Salary is based upon qualifications. Contractual form and starting date are subject to negotiations. Applications should include a motivation letter, a full curriculum vitae, and at least three names of potential referees. They should be sent by email to: Prof. U. Straumann, Managing Director CTAO, [email protected], by Jan. 9, 2017, from where also further information can be obtained.

CTAO is an equal opportunity employer.

Included Benefits: 

No benefits information has been provided by the employer.

Application Deadline: 
Monday, January 9, 2017
Current Status of Position: 
No Status Given (Opted Out)
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Attention To: 
Prof. U. Straumann
Title: 
Managing Director
Institution/Company: 
CTAO gGmbH
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