The Operations Support Group (OSG), as part of the User Support Department (USD), provides science operations services to the USD and other units responsible for supporting and operating the La Silla Paranal Observatory. The department belongs to the Data Management and Operations Division (DMO), which provides high-reliability support to the operation of the ESO facilities and their community of users, and maintains the data archive facility as a powerful resource for scientific and operational use.

The Visiting Astronomer Travel Office (VA Travel Office), located within the OSG/USD, is an important interface between ESO and its community. The VA Travel Office is responsible for organising the travel arrangements for the Visiting Astronomers traveling to ESO's observatory in Chile, amounting to approximately 450 trips per year. It also provides administrative services to approximately 40 staff members within DMO.