Despite the recession, French aerospace research organization Onera is launching a recruitment drive here at the Paris Air Show. This year it hopes to fill nearly 100 vacancies–its highest number of new staff ever, according to Véronique Padoan, the Onera’s director of human resources, told AIN. “Some of our people are retiring and our business is growing,” Padoan explained.
Last year, Onera achieved record revenues and hiring needs have consistently grown since 2003. During the last three years, more than 70 jobs were created annually. This year, among those 93 positions to be filled, 59 are allocated to ongoing contracts (CDIs, under the French acronym) and the remaining 34 have a preset duration (CDDs). “Most of our CDDs are 18-month contracts, the maximum legal duration,” Padoan said.
If broken down by function, 67 of the positions are in Onera’s research departments; 19 are in test facilities, notably wind tunnels; and seven are in administration and sales.
Of the 67 research positions, 27 will be filled by graduate engineers in aerodynamics, energetics and acoustics; nine require skills in materials, structures and aeroelasticity. Another 15 seek employees in the fields of physics measurement, optics, radars, electromagnetism, servo controls and instrumentation. Finally, there are 16 openings in the areas of information processing and systems such as flight controls and simulation tools.
The 19 new job openings in Onera’s test facilities include six for technicians and 13 for graduate engineers. The latter positions are for specialists in test controls and computer science.
Most of the job locations are in Paris’ outskirts–Châtillon, Palaiseau and Meudon–while others are in Le Fauga (near Toulouse), Modane (in the Alps), Salon-de-Provence and Lille.
For entry-level positions, Onera hires young graduate engineers for an average ?30,000 ($42,600) annual gross salary. Engineers who also have a PhD can command an annual ?35,000 ($49,700) on average. Graduate engineers may come from either engineering schools or universities, with a Master-2 diploma.
Padoan said graduate engineers are paid, on average, just ?150 ($210) less than the average in the French aerospace industry. By contrast, she pointed out that skilled workers and technicians have better wages than the average. As Onera is a state-owned company, a job there is seen as being much more stable than one in the private sector.
“We are here not only to meet candidates but also to structure our relationships with some engineering schools,” Padoan added. Onera has informal ties with many schools, as a lot of its scientists also are professors. Here at the Paris Air Show, it is offering information about hiring plans and about grants for doctoral students.
Onera can be found here in the Concorde Hall, Espace MĂ©tiers/Formations, Stand 8.
