Vacancy in the Directorate of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness.
ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.
This post is classified A5 on the Coordinated Organisationsโ salary scale.
Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands
Description
Head of the Commercialisation and Technology Contracts Division in the Contracts Department, Directorate of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness.
Duties
Under the direct authority of the Head of the Contracts Department, you will be in charge of the management and supervision of procurement and cooperative activities initiated and implemented for the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality, the Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications, and the Commercialisation Department of the Directorate of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness.
In particular, your Division is responsible for:
- ensuring that the preparation and implementation of procurement of ESA and/or third-party programmes and projects by the programme directorates is in line with the applicable institutional and legal framework;
- ensuring harmonisation, enrichment and cross-fertilisation from a procurement and contractual perspective between technology programmes, as well as with downstream and commercialisation-related activities across the Agency;
- maintaining a constant dialogue and contributing to decision-making with programme management on all matters of a procurement and contractual nature;
- preparing and implementing procurements and cooperative activities along with their amendments through riders, CCNs and work orders, in close cooperation with the initiating services, i.e. preparation of procurement and contract proposals and preparation and issue of all Announcements of Opportunity and Invitations to Tender;
- guiding the entire evaluation process in accordance with the Tender Evaluation Manual;
- leading, in close coordination with the initiating services, negotiations with bidders, the drafting of the final contracts and the coordination of solutions for the preparation, execution and administration of contracts;
- liaising with external customers on the contractual aspects of third-party activities in close cooperation with the relevant directorates;
- managing procurement and partnership contract activities concerning the commercialisation and/or development of technologies or downstream applications of space assets, taking due account of the related space commercialisation ecosystem. This includes providing technical support and services to third parties, preparing the associated approval requests, submitting proposals to third parties, and negotiating and writing contracts with those customers;
- maintaining a constant dialogue with the Compliance and Quality Office to ensure the coherence of procurement actions and instructions with the Agencyโs regulatory framework. This includes recommending evolutions to the regulatory framework to make it more suited to the purpose of ESAโs commercialisation policy.
You will also be responsible for identifying, assessing, managing and reporting any health and safety risks in your area of responsibility.
Technical competencies Knowledge of the ESA institutional framework, policies and/or programmes and accurate knowledge of rules and procedures in procurement and contractual matters, including the ability to devise, together with the initiating services, new contractual tools and processes for ESAโs commercialisation policyKnowledge of the European space industry and the New Space ecosystemSubstantial experience in managing procurement in industry or in an intergovernmental organisationAbility to manage a large team (coaching, training, conflict management), organise the work allocation within the Division, and define and arbitrate between priorities
Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward ThinkingEducation
A master's degree in law, economics or business administration is required for this post.
Additional requirements
Experience with commercial procurement activities, whether for space or in another area, would be an asset.
As this is a managerial position, additional competencies include:- proven experience of leading, motivating and developing a team;
- the ability to provide strategic direction to the individuals and teams within the Division and to relate team objectives to the overall, evolving organisational goals and context;
- the ability to drive performance and foster cooperation within and across teams throughout the organisation;
- demonstrated excellent leadership, relationship management and communication skills, both oral and written;
- a proven track record of representing the Agencyโs interests to external interfaces;
- excellent cognitive, analytical, delegation, planning and organisational skills;
- the ability to anticipate problems, solve complex issues and relate situations to their context;
- the ability to reach solution-oriented, pragmatic and timely decisions of a high standard and with integrity as well as to support others (team members, upper management, other stakeholders) in this process.
People management experience is an asset, as is international experience, i.e. outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities.
Other Information
For behavioural competencies expected from ESA staff in general, please refer to the ESA Competency Framework.
For further information please visit: Professionals, What we offer and FAQ
The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required.
Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.The Agency may require applicants to undergo selection tests.
At the Agency we value diversity and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further please contact us at contact.human.resources@esa.int.
Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to internal candidates and secondly to external candidates from under-represented Member States*.
In accordance with the European Space Agencyโs security procedures and as part of the selection process, successful candidates will be required to undergo basic screening before appointment conducted by an external background screening service.
*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.