SKA MID Telescope Engineer

Job Title: MID Telescope Engineer
Reference: MID/02
Reports To: Project Engineer
Location: Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire, UK
Closing Date for applications: Closing date for receipt of completed applications is 10th February 2017.  For details of how to apply please see below. 
Submission of applications: See below. Email to [email protected]

Organisation Background
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is a global project to build a multi-purpose radio telescope that will play a major role in answering key questions in modern astrophysics and cosmology.  It will be one of a small number of cornerstone observatories around the world that will provide astrophysicists and cosmologists with a transformational view of the Universe. The SKA will be constructed in two distinct phases. The major science goals for the first phase, SKA1, will be to study the history and role of neutral Hydrogen in the Universe from the dark ages to the present-day, and to employ pulsars as probes of fundamental physics.

Since 2008, the global radio astronomy community has been engaged in the development of the SKA as a major part of the ‘Preparatory’ phase of the project.  The Preparatory phase ended in December 2011 and, following a number of major changes, the international SKA project has now progressed to the ‘Pre-Construction’ phase (2012-17) with the establishment of a new legal entity, the SKA Organisation, on 14 December 2011.  Ten governments are now participating in the project, with others engaged in discussions concerning possible membership. The SKA Organisation is headquartered in a purpose-built building at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, UK.

General Description
The Office of the SKA Organisation (“SKA Office”) leads the SKA system design and oversees the detailed design being undertaken within the globally distributed SKA work packages (WPs).  To accomplish this goal the SKA Office employs highly qualified scientists and engineers, project managers and system engineers. Work packages for the major SKA subsystems (elements) are contracted to a small number of work package consortia who are responsible for the management, execution and delivery of the work packages. The technical strategy and philosophy of the project are strongly based on system engineering principles.

The Role

The MID telescope Engineer will be member of the SKA Project Engineering Office (PEO) and will report directly to the SKA Project Engineer.  The post holder will provide engineering support to the project, both generally and in specific roles, but in particular her/his role will be to look at the MID telescope as a system. Further detail of these roles can be found below. 
Within the SKA Project Engineer Office the MID Telescope Engineer will work closely with the relevant SKA Office engineers, project managers and/or domain specialists. As a team he/she will work and interact very closely with her/his counterparts within the management and technical team(s) of the relevant Work Package Consortium(s). The MID Telescope Engineer will ensure that the SKA MID telescope products delivered by the Work Package Consortium(s) are coherent with overall SKA Office project requirements and will be responsible to integrate these products into the project level tools and systems.
Although the primary focus of the MID Telescope Engineer will be the engineering effort at SKA MID system and SKA MID Element levels, she/he will also be required to actively participate and support the SKA Project Engineer in all aspects of the overall engineering.

The MID Telescope Engineer will have the following duties and responsibilities:

Key Responsibilities, Accountabilities and Duties

• Provide expert support to the maintenance of MID related requirements;
• Supervise system vision for the SKA MID telescope and act as a key-person for all engineering topics related to MID telescope;
• Supervise and maintain MID system budgeting;
• Coordinate the development of documentation for system-level reviews;
• Participate in System/MID Reviews from a general Engineering perspective;
• Provide critical assessment of the drivers and results of the SKA MID continuous validation;
• In coordination with Mission Assurance provide support in qualification and verification processes.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• University degree in Physics or Engineering, another closely related and relevant field, or equivalent expertise;
• Familiarity with telescopes based on radio interferometry, including experience with debugging interferometers at an early stage of development;
• A broad technical knowledge of the engineering of high technology systems, such as large observatories, space systems, telecommunications networks, nuclear power plants, etc.;
• Demonstrable experience in the engineering of large high value research and development projects, in radio astronomy, astronomy, telecommunications or defence;
• Industry experience, and/or a track record in successful collaborative links with industry;
• Good English oral and written communication skills and the ability to influence people in widely differing parts of a complex organisation.
• Able to work effectively with SKA engineers and scientists from a variety of cultures, and
• Willing to travel, nationally and internationally, and work outside normal business hours, including evenings and weekends;

In addition, it is essential that you have one or more of the following essential groups of essential knowledge, skills and experience:

1) RF and Large Reflectors Antennas
o Experience with large reflector antennas and feeds,
o Experience with performance testing of large reflector antennas,
o Knowledge of Low Noise Amplifiers and cryogenically cooled receivers,
o Working knowledge of the theory of antennas and electromagnetics, and applicable simulation techniques

2)  Phased Array
o Experience with phased array design
o Experience on array calibration

3) Large projects Life Cycle
o Knowledge of some critical technologies or major units within large RF systems, such as radio astronomy observatories, radars, or electronic warfare systems,
o Experience of development, implementation and execution of qualification and acceptance processes in large projects in high technology environments such as defence procurement
o Experience of procurement against national/international standards such as those concerning physical environments, EMC, etc.

4) Interferometry
o Demonstrated technical knowledge of some of the critical technologies or major units within the signal processing chain of large interferometric arrays.
o Demonstrated high level domain knowledge of signal processing for interferometric arrays.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience

The following competencies are desirable:

• Membership of, or eligibility for, membership of, recognised national or international system engineering institutes;
• Knowledge of, or a demonstrable interest in, the development, operation and ethos of large scale international research infrastructures such as observatories;
• Experience in design for volume production and/or in large-scale manufacturing and assembly;
• Familiarity with the formalism for, and requirements of, quality control environments such as ISO9000.

For more information on the SKA project visit http://www.skatelescope.org. SKA Organisation offers a competitive salary, a generous company pension scheme, a relocation allowance (subject to qualifying criteria) and a flexible benefits package. The successful applicant’s workplace will be SKA Organisation’s headquarters at Jodrell Bank Observatory, UK

How to apply:

Please send a CV and covering letter to [email protected], quoting reference MID/02 and stating where you saw the job advertised. 

Applications should include a summary of your experience, including evidence of your suitability for the role, details of your current remuneration and the names of at least three professional references. 

Please note: your covering letter must contain, as a minimum, details of how you meet the mandatory criteria.  Cover letters that do not address this will not be considered. 

Closing date for receipt of applications is 10th February 2017

Equal Opportunities Statement:
SKA Organisation is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. Our aim to is recruit and retain the most talented individuals, regardless of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or nationality.

At all stages of the recruitment process and beyond, we strive to treat applicants and employees with a high standard of care, honesty and politeness.

Women have traditionally been under-represented in the fields of science and engineering; SKA Organisation welcomes and encourages female applicants.

Where applicants with a disability need facilities or adjustments to enable them to participate in the recruitment process, these will be provided. If you need equipment or adjustments to enable you to complete your application and/or attend an interview then please let us know.