The CTAO Central Organisation is seeking an experienced Senior Engineer for Control Systems to join the Computing team and contribute to the development and operation of advanced control, monitoring, and safety systems for CTAO telescopes and other controllable array elements. As the Engineer for Control Systems at CTAO, you will play a key role in ensuring the Observatory’s safe, reliable, and efficient operation – from completing the current design and development phase through to operations. Your role will be critical to the development of the array-specific control elements. You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists to design, implement, commission, and operate high-performance control architectures and safety systems across the telescope array. In this role you will report to the head of Computing and frequently interface with the Telescope and System Engineering groups.

Key Responsibilities:

• Continue the design, development, and implementation of the Observatory’s Integrated Protection Safety System.
• Lead the definition of telescope-level use cases and operational scenarios, describing the interaction of the CTAO telescopes with the surrounding systems.
• Collaborate with instrument contributors (engineers and scientists) to evolve existing instrument control designs in compliance with observational and safety requirements.
• Guide the CTAO In-Kind Contributor control-system developers to ensure compliance with industry standards, reliability targets, and safety regulations.
• Contribute to the definition and/or upgrade of engineering Human–Machine Interfaces (HMIs) across telescope systems, including interface definitions and their implementation.
• Provide advice on specific technical issues related to telescopes, like control algorithms and condition-monitoring systems, to enhance telescope performance and reliability.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in electrical engineering, control engineering, software engineering, or a related discipline, with at least 10 years of experience.
• Proven experience in control system design and system integration.
• Strong understanding of industrial hardware standards and components, communication concepts and protocols on communication interface levels (CAN, TCP/IP over ProfiNET, Modbus, etc., including ProfiSafe), as well as how to cover high-level concepts such as OPC UA and CORBA.
• Experience in HMI/SCADA design and integration.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language such as C, C++, Java, or Python.
• Experience in commissioning and operations of complex control systems.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and system-level thinking skills.
• Strong collaboration and communication abilities in a multidisciplinary and multinational environment is needed.
• Excellent communication skills and a command of English are essential.

Desirable Skills:

• Experience with engineering software tools such as MATLAB/Simulink and LabVIEW.
• Experience with embedded systems, PLCs, and real-time operating environments.
• Experience in telescopes and astronomical observatories, particle accelerators, or other high-precision scientific facilities, as well as data acquisition will be an asset.
• Experience with control frameworks such as EPICS, TANGO, or Alma Common Software is desirable.
• Understanding of functional safety standards (IEC 61508, ISO 13849) and understanding CE certification.
• Ideally, knowledge of cybersecurity practices in networked control systems.

Workplace: Zeuthen, Germany. Travel will be required.

Contract: open-term, full-time

Deadline for Applications: 24 May 2026

Apply Here: https://ctao.bamboohr.com/careers/54?source=aWQ9MTU%3D

For more information on the CTAO, please visit www.ctao.org. For more information on the advertised position, contact CTAO HR at ctao-hr@cta-observatory.org.

Applications are accepted without distinction on any grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, gender identity, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.