The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries.

Research and Benchmarking

• Conduct research on sustainability standards, certifications, and benchmarks relevant to ESO procurement (e.g., ISO 14001, ecolabels, social compliance certifications, energy efficiency standards) and propose substantiated ways to integrate them into procurement processes.
• Investigate approaches to Life Cycle Costing (LCC) in public procurement and assess how LCC can be applied to ESO's procurement categories.
• Analyse Statements of Work (SoW), Technical Specifications (TS), and evaluation criteria to determine: whether sustainability requirements are already included or missing, whether existing criteria can be reused in future procurements.
• Assess the quality and relevance of sustainability requirements using the six-step methodology defined in ESO's guidelines.

Monitoring and Data Collection

• Develop overviews (tables, diagrams, dashboards) of recent or recurring procurements, showing: which sustainability criteria were included, the type of criteria (environmental, social, financial), whether they were pass/fail, scored, or descriptive, key drivers and barriers.
• Build a structured dataset to support sustainability reporting, KPI development, and future procurement planning.
• Support the Sustainability and Diversity Officer (SDO) and Requesters in reviewing supplier documentation such as sustainability reports, certifications, and human rights statements.

Knowledge Base and Tools Development

• Contribute to a living knowledge base containing:
  • category-specific sustainability criteria,
  • templates and standard formulations for SoW, TS, and evaluation criteria,
  • case studies from ESO procurements.
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• Draft user-friendly factsheets summarizing key standards, criteria, and sustainability entry points for each procurement category.

Additional Possible Contributions

• Support the SDO in preparing training materials or awareness-raising content for internal teams.
• Assist in lightweight post-tender reviews of selected procurements.
• Help document progress on sustainable procurement implementation across ESO.
• Provide support to the SDO in other sustainability-related areas as needed.

Essential qualifications and competencies

• Strong analytical and research skills, with the ability to synthesise complex information.
• Interest in sustainability standards, responsible supply chains, and public procurement practices.
• Excellent written communication skills and ability to produce clear, structured documentation.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks, and collaborate with diverse stakeholders.

Desirable qualifications and competencies

• Familiarity with procurement processes, sustainability reporting, or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks.
• Experience with data structuring, dashboards, or basic data analysis tools.
• Knowledge of Life Cycle Costing methodologies.

Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in sustainability, procurement, public policy, engineering, economics, or a related field.

Language Skills:

An excellent command of English is essential. A working knowledge of German and/or Spanish would be an advantage.