The Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences (ASU) advertises a call for post-doc positions with the expected start at the beginning of 2023.

ASU is a public research institution and the largest professional astronomical organization in the Czech Republic, located at Ondrejov observatory and in Prague. Successful applicants will collaborate with researchers in our scientific departments (theory, observation, and data analysis are all welcome). The Institute is involved in space programs of ESA and ground-based projects within ESO as well as its own observational projects. Experience in one of the subjects studied at ASU is valued but interesting independent new projects will be also considered.

The appointment is initially for one year; an extension for another year is expected upon satisfactory scientific performance. A necessary condition is to satisfy legal requirements for employment in the Czech Republic (EU member state). Salary will be based on the domestic level and it includes health insurance. There is a possibility of institute accommodation in Ondrejov; in Prague private accommodation has to be arranged. The starting date of employment is expected to be 1st January 2023 and is slightly negotiable.

In a cover letter please indicate the working group that you intend to join and provide the exact date of PhD defense. Applicants should contact an Institute researcher with whom they wish to work for further information, to define a joint research programme and to discuss the starting date. This is considered to be an important part of the proposal.

Applications shall contain: Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae, List of Publications, Summary of Research Plans). Submit the application by email to: info @ asu.cas.cz, with subject “POSTDOC 2023", attach a single PDF that will include all required parts.

Applications can be submitted before finishing PhD, in which case a statement from the supervisor stating the planned date of the defense should be included. Successful candidates must hold PhD degree in the field and present a certificate of that by 23rd September 2022. Preferences will be given to early-stage researchers.

Please arrange for the minimum of two recommendation letters to be sent directly to the same electronic address as above.

To receive full consideration, the application deadline is: 12th September 2022 till the end of the day (Prague/Europe timezone). The receipt of applications will be acknowledged by email. Once the evaluation process is completed, successful applicants will be notified.

Further information:

• http://www.asu.cas.cz for the list of working groups at the Institute. 
• http://www.euraxess.cz for details about the research employment and work conditions in Czech Republic. 
• http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp to compare cost of living.

Product assurance / Quality assurance specialist for space projects

 Main responsibilities/assignments

• Provide Product Assurance / Quality assurance support for the space projects where ASU is involved in (LISA, ATHENA and others)
• Participate in PA/QA plan preparation
• Prepare, maintain and review technical documentation related to product assurance aspects of the project
• Participate in project and supplier milestone reviews, reviewing and preparation of datapacks, supporting the team during reviews
• Supporting the project team in management of non-conformances, metrology, traceability, etc.
• Perform or manage inspections at the supplier site and review the documentation.
• Facilitate approvals of supplier materials, parts and processes
• Perform or manage Incoming/Outcoming Inspections, Integration and test campaigns.
• Participation in technical projects meetings
• Skills/competences

Required

• Bachelor’s Degree in engineering or relevant discipline.
• Interest in processes, quality, problem solving and improvement.
• Able to work in interdisciplinary and distributed teams.
• Self-starter, able to work independently.
• Ability to plan, schedule, coordinate and solve problems effectively.
• Teamwork skills.
• English (oral and written)

Advantage

• Previous experience with ESA projects and ECSS standards.
• Previous experience in product assurance with emphasis on the space segment.
• Any experience with agile methods.

Workplace

• Prague, Czech Republic

We offer

• The opportunity to participate in unique scientific projects for the European Space Agency and other space agencies.
• Full Time Contract
• Endless reasons for professional growth and collaboration with leading scientific institutions in the Czech Republic
• A wide range of company benefits (eg: flexible working hours, meal vouchers, 5 weeks holiday, Sick Days and much more)

Who we are?

The Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences is a professional research institution with focus on a wide range of research topics; from the immediate environments of the Earth to distant galaxies and black holes in their cores. Main areas of research activities include physical processes in the Sun, especially in solar flares, physical processes in stars, interaction of the interplanetary matter with the Earth atmosphere, asteroids and comets,dynamics of the Solar System bodies, formation and evolution of galaxies, and relativisticastrophysics. We have been involved in several space projects of the European Space
Agency (Solar Orbiter, JUICE, ATHENA, LISA), managing not only scientific activities but also instrumentation development. A group of specialized technicians work in the institute who are developing electronic components, but we have wide collaboration with other institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences as well as industrial companies.

Our main projects

LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) - working on a Fiber Switch Unit mechanism, a mission critical mechanism switching the primary and redundant beam which is used for actual gravitational wave detection.

ATHENA (Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astronomy) - working on electronics for the two scientific instruments, one (X-ray Integral Field Unit) being the most complex scientific detector ever been developed for space research

Contact

Contact email: jiri.svoboda@asu.cas.cz
Subject: PAQA engineer
Application deadline: 27 th May 2022