The organization
About us
At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter – fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.
CERN's Infrastructure and Building Safety section of the Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Protection (HSE) Unit is looking for a Fire Safety Engineer to join the team working on the Einstein Telescope project. You will be involved in risk analysis studies, including advanced modelling and development of safety concepts for a new underground research infrastructure. You will also participate in a wide range of other research projects, working within a multidisciplinary and diverse team of engineers, physicists and technicians.
About Einstein Telescope:
The Einstein Telescope (ET) is a proposed underground facility for a third-generation gravitational-wave observatory. Building on the success of Advanced Virgo and Advanced LIGO, which detected merging black holes and neutron stars, ET will have a much higher sensitivity. This will be achieved with 10km interferometer arms (up from Virgo's 3km), a depth of 150-300 meters underground, and new technologies like cryogenic cooling of optics around 15K, quantum techniques to reduce light fluctuations, and advanced noise-reduction systems. ET will enable exploration of the Universe's gravitational waves back to the cosmological dark ages, offering insights into fundamental physics and cosmology.
The position
Skills
Required:
- Background fire risk assessment, fire prevention, as well as fire scenarios and human behaviour in fire;
- Knowledge in industrial safety and emergency safety systems as well as fire resistance and reaction of materials;
- Knowledge on fire dynamics, fire modelling (CFD, as per example FDS). Performance-base design experience will be an asset;
- Capability to work in an international and multidisciplinary team;
- Original thinker and problem solver.
Valuable:
- Experience in fire safety engineering methods and quantitative fire risk analysis;
- Knowledge in prescriptive fire safety and regulatory frameworks (i. e. EU, CH, FR, etc);
- Knowledge of passive and active fire protection solutions (compartmentalization, fire detection, fixed and mobile extinguishing systems, etc);
- Pro-activity and capacity to work autonomously and effectively on parallel tasks;
- Spoken and written English, with a commitment to learn French.
Eligibility criteria:
- You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
- You have a professional background in Fire Safety / Safety Engineering (or a related field) and have either:
- a Master's degree with 2 to 6 years of post-graduation professional experience;
- or a PhD with no more than 3 years of post-graduation professional experience.
- You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.
Additional Information
Job closing date: 10.06.2025 at 23:59 CEST.
Contract duration: 24 months, with a possible extension up to 30 months maximum.
Working hours: 40 hours per week
Target start date: 01-September-2025
This position involves:
- Work in Radiation Areas.
- Interventions in underground installations.
- A valid driving licence.
Job reference: HSE-OHS-IB-2025-74-GRAP
Field of work: Health, Safety and Environment
What we offer
- A monthly stipend ranging between 6287 and 6911 Swiss Francs per month (net of tax).
- Coverage by CERN's comprehensive health scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
- Depending on your individual circumstances: installation grant; family, child and infant allowances; payment of travel expenses at the beginning and end of contract.
- 30 days of paid leave per year.
- On-the-job and formal training at CERN as well as in-house language courses for English and/or French.
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Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success.