Head of the Space Debris Office

Job Requisition ID: 21207 Date Posted: 11 November 2026 Closing Date: 2 December 2026 23:59 CET/CEST Publication Method: Internal & External Type of Appointment (learn more): 4 years, extendable to indefinite Directorate: Operations Workplace: Darmstadt, DE Grade Band (learn more): A2 - A4 **Location** ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany **Description** --------------- The Space Safety Programme Department is responsible for the implementation of European capabilities and services in the domains of Planetary Defence, Space Weather, Space Debris and CleanSpace. Significant parts of the Programme, related to space debris monitoring, space traffic coordination, and mitigation and risk assessment technologies, rely on implementation via the Space Debris Office. At the same time, the Office is also responsible for providing other customer programmes and third parties with the Agency’s technical expertise and services in the domain. It also represents ESA’s position with respect to international partners. Moreover, the Office provides domain expertise to support the Agency’s policy evolution and implementation, and assumes a coordination role for related technology developments. **Duties** ---------- Reporting to the Head of Space Safety Programme Department, you will have the following responsibilities: * Implementing projects related to the COSMIC element of the ESA Space Safety Programme when they are entrusted by the COSMIC Project Management team to the Office, with delegated responsibility for the cost at completion; * Implementing space debris projects entrusted to the Directorate of Operations by third-party customers (such as the Spanish Space Agency, Greece, or the European Commission) trough delegated responsibility for the cost at completion; * Reporting to COSMIC Project Management on project risks, schedule and costs; * Liaising with support functions, such as controlling, quality, procurement, space segment expertise, radar and optical instrumentation, technology programmes, and launcher experts to ensure successful project implementation; * Ensuring routine operational collision avoidance support as well as contingency support for ESA and third-party missions, including the procurement and maintenance of the necessary infrastructure, services and data; * Ensuring the development, maintenance and availability of tools for risk analysis and compliance and contributing to related standards, policies and project reviews; * Supporting customer programmes with expertise on space debris mitigation and related tools in liaison with the CleanSpace Office and the Sustainability Engineering Office; * Leading ESA’s representation at the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC); * Supporting ESA’s outreach activities on the sustainable utilisation of space. **Technical competencies** -------------------------- Space debris observation, modelling, protection and shielding, mitigation, risk assessment, and environment remediation