Technician for Argo float operations (M/F) - Oceanography

Euro-Argo ERIC; Plouzané; Hybride; EUR 28 000 - 36 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Remote work up to 2 days per week

Résumé du poste

Euro-Argo ERIC invites applications for a technician to support operations on Argo floats based in Plouzané, France. The role involves preparing floats for deployment, monitoring at sea, and coordinating with Euro-Argo and Argo France teams.

Responsibilities include testing floats, managing inventory, coordinating shipments, and contributing to technical reports. French and English proficiency are required; remote work up to two days per week is possible.

Qualifications

• Advanced technician certificate in instrumentation, oceanography.
• Experience in scientific instrumentation and operational networks is a plus.
• Proficiency in English and French as official working languages.

Responsabilités

• Assist operations managers in organizing and carrying out management activities for Argo floats from purchase to deployment and recovery.
• Manage float inventory and coordinate deployment campaigns with European partners.
• Test batches of floats, review data, and draft acceptance reports for sensors.
• Update and maintain documentation repositories and contribute to deployment plans with teams.

Connaissances

Instrumentation

Metrology

Python

Logistics

Team player

Attention to detail

English proficiency

French proficiency

Formation

Advanced technician certificate in instrumentation, oceanography

Outils

Python

Description du poste

Contract: Fixed term 18 month-contract, starting in November 2026.

The creation of a permanent position at the end of the contract is being considered.

About the Euro-Argo ERIC:

The Euro-Argo ERIC is a European Research Infrastructure Consortium currently composed of 13 national members. Euro-Argo ERIC aims to ensure the sustainability of the overall European contribution to the Argo international programme – deploying and maintaining a global network of autonomous oceanic instruments profiling floats that measure essential ocean variables. This global fleet makes a vital contribution to monitoring climate change and ocean health, for both the scientific community and the operational users.

The Euro-Argo ERIC office is hiring a technician for operations on Argo float technician

The successful candidate will assist the operations managers at Euro-Argo ERIC and Argo France with the day-to-day management of their Argo floats: from preparing the floats for deployment to monitoring them at sea. They will work under the supervision of the Executive Director of Euro-Argo ERIC and the operations managers of Euro-Argo and Argo France.

Missions:

• The successful candidate will assist the operations managers at Euro-Argo ERIC and Argo France in organizing and carrying out management activities (receiving, qualification, and programming) for Argo floats, from the initial stages (purchase, handling, and storage) through to the final stages (transport logistics, deployment, in-ocean monitoring, network surveillance, potential reprogramming and recovery, and after-sales service).
• The candidate will be involved in managing the French floats acquired by SHOM, Ifremer, and IMEV (Institut de la Mer de Villefranche), as well as the floats managed by the Euro-Argo ERIC office (centralized purchases for European partners or funded by the European Union).

Activities:

• Testing batches of floats (launching them in the Ifremer test basin, reviewing data, and drafting the acceptance report used to determine whether to accept the floats and their sensors).
• Helping manage the French and European float inventory (tracking deliveries, floats undergoing after-sales service at the supplier’s facility, and assigning them to deployment campaigns).
• Implement and help update the documentation repository (floater documentation, acceptance and launch protocols, tracking of technological developments), and contribute to the drafting of summary notes and technical reports.
• Contribute to the development of French and European deployment plans in collaboration with scientific teams, operations managers, and the international Argo program (identifying vessels, training teams, etc.).
• Prepare and coordinate shipments of float crates (packaging, safety data sheets, hazardous materials transport documents for lithium bateries, freight forwarders, customs) for oceanographic or opportunistic campaigns (sailing vessels, etc.).
• Potential assignments at ports of embarkation to conduct final tests on floats and sensors and load them aboard ships. Training ship personnel on deployment operations.
• Liaise with the Coriolis Data Center to prepare metadata and register the floats in the system.

Education requirement:

• Advanced technician certificate in instrumentation, oceanography.

Experience requirements:

• Successful initial professional experience is preferred in one or more fields related to the position (scientific instrumentation, metrology, monitoring of an operational network, oceanography -this list is not exhaustive).
• Experience in a scientific environment would be considered an asset, as would experience in a European or international environment.
• Experience with at-sea campaigns would also be an asset.
• Instrumentation, sensor metrology, computer science (Python), logistics.
• Proficiency in professional English, which is the official working language of Euro-Argo ERIC.
• Proficiency in professional French, which is the official working language of Argo France.
• Ability to respond quickly and adapt to deadlines, which can sometimes be very tight.

Personal Qualities:

• A team player with strong interpersonal skills, able to work effectively within a small, mutidisciplinary, and multicultural team.
• Strong organizational skills and atention to detail.
• An interest in ocean/climate sciences and ocean observations is essential.
• Ability to manage the operational aspects of the position (increased workload during at-sea campaigns, ensuring continuity of programming).
• A fixed term 18-month position, based at the Euro-Argo ERIC Office, Plouzané, France, in the premises of Ifremer, on the International Campus of the Sea. The possibility of extending the contract may be considered.
• The candidate will integrate into a 12-person team devoted to the coordination of the Euro-Argo ERIC. Office work, warehouse duties, and testing facilities. Participation in meetings (may include business trips and teleconferences). Possible sea cruises.
• Arrangements are in place for remote work (up to 2 days per week).
• The employment contract is based on a fixed-hour rate defined in the company agreement. SYNTEC sectoral collective agreement; recruitment in ETAM category, position 2.2 or 2.3 depending on profile and experience.

If you’re detail-oriented, self-motivated, and have strong analytical skills, join us!