The ESO Supernova is an education facility, which attracts approximately 60000 visitors per year. Housed within the facility is a 14-metre-diameter planetarium and a 2200-square-metre interactive exhibition. The facility is open 5 days per week, from Wednesday to Sunday, with occasional special events happening outside of these core hours.

In the ESO Supernova you will work with a team of professional science communicators and educators, to support the exciting programme of public-facing activities designed to inspire our visitors, including presenting planetarium shows, leading guided tours and delivering hands-on activities.

Through your involvement in various projects and with our support, you will have the opportunity to:

Learn about the mission of ESO and the workings of an intergovernmental organisation

Develop an understanding of the day-to-day operations of a busy science education facility

Explore different methods for engaging varied audiences with complex scientific topics

Expand your presentation skills with a range of audiences

Requirements:

Candidates currently studying or having recently completed a University degree in science, science communication or engineering are preferred.

Key Competences:

We are looking for people who are:

Comfortable presenting scientific content to audiences (both on a one-to-one basis and to larger groups);

Able to translate scientific and technical concepts for a general audience;

Able to adapt delivery in response to visitors and wider team feedback;

Patient, friendly and reliable;

Able to work both on your own initiative and as part of a team;

Able and willing to learn how to operate planetarium equipment;

Willing and able to work in low-light conditions;

Able to keep calm and handle minor technical problems independently incl. being able to improvise live;

Willing and available to work weekends, holidays and occasional evenings.

Language skills:

The position requires good communications skills (oral and written) in both English and German. You should be comfortable having a conversation about astronomy in both languages.