Head of the Director General and Council Support and Relations with Member States Division

Job title:

Head of the Director General and Council Support and Relations with Member States Division

Company:

European Space Agency

Job description

Location
ESA Headquarters, Paris, FranceDescriptionHead of the Director General and Council Support and Relations with Member States Division, Director General’s Cabinet, Director General’s Services.DutiesUnder the direct authority of the Head of the Director General’s Cabinet, you are responsible for:

• supporting the Director General’s management role towards directorates, including:

• providing the secretariat of the Executive Board and bilateral exchanges with directorates;
• supporting the Head of Cabinet’s role towards other DG Services, including:

• supporting the Head of Cabinet in the administrative coordination of DG Services;
• supporting the Director General’s operational activities, including:

• the Director General’s correspondence, speeches, presentations, reporting and contributions to publications;
• monitoring Agency subsidies to third organisations and memberships;
• seminars at DG level.
• delivering the Agency’s protocol service, in particular by:

• coordinating an ESA-wide protocol network and policy, and maintaining a diplomatic network with Member States;
• managing and organising VIP participation in launch events with the support of the communication services;
• providing advice on protocol matters;
• coordinating cooperation with ESA Member States and for this purpose:
• ensuring the proper functioning of the ESA Council and coordination of its subordinate bodies, in particular:

• the Council secretariat, including support to the Council Chair and to the Secretary of Council;
• supporting Council, subordinate bodies and delegations;
• managing the practical organisation, agenda preparation and operation of the meetings of the ESA Council at ordinary and ministerial level, including Space Council or Space Summit meetings, and coordinating with all relevant services to ensure a smooth running of these meetings;
• establishing the calendar of Council and subordinate body meetings;
• an effective decision-making process, by ensuring proper coordination and harmonisation of the working methods of
• Council and its subordinate bodies, together with the respective Chairs and Secretaries;

organising interpretation services (English, French and German, as well as other languages on an ad-hoc basis); * archiving and preservation of ESA records and historical documents, in particular:

• managing the European Centre for Space Records at ESRIN and the ESA Historical Archives at the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU);
• completing and managing the consolidation and digitalisation of the ESA archives, by managing IT tools for the long-term preservation and dissemination of ESA’s non-current and historical records, whatever their original format;

developing and coordinating the Cabinet’s contribution to the Digital Agenda and Information and Knowledge Management activities; * managing the ESA History Project in cooperation with HAEU;

• managing, as business and process owner, IT/digitalisation projects within the Cabinet and the evolution of the Cabinet-owned corporate information systems (e.g. ESA archives, DG, Council and subordinate bodies’ information management systems, Member States’ information repositories, long-term preservation and dissemination tools for ESA’s records, tools for delegate accreditation and official document distribution, such as esa blue-docs and PUMA, etc.);

You are deputy head of the Director General’s Cabinet and are responsible for the quality management and risk coordination of the Cabinet.Technical competenciesKnowledge of ESA, its activities, programmes and policies, and the functioning of the Agency and its organisational set-upKnowledge of the functioning of the ESA Council, and ESA rules, procedures and decision-making processesGood knowledge of the legal framework relating to the functioning of CouncilKnowledge of ESA’s institutional framework, and of the European and international space sector (institutional, commercial and/or industrial)Experience in the preparation of multilateral decision-makingExperience in the preparation of briefing notes and syntheses of reports and studiesHigh level of expertise in the drafting of diplomatic/high-level correspondence, speeches, presentations and contributions to publicationsHigh level of expertise in interfacing with VVIPs and their organisations (e.g. Ministers, Heads of State, State Secretaries, royalty etc.)Good knowledge of protocol matters relevant to ESAExperience in developing an agile team, project management, technical expertise and process automation / digitalisation are considered an asset.Behavioural competenciesResult Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward ThinkingFor more information, please refer toEducationA master’s in a relevant domain is required for this post.Additional requirementsWorking under high pressure and ability/availability to work repeatedly outside nominal working hours, in particular in peak times leading up to key ESA events (e.g. Council, CMs etc.)

• 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, and to evolve the team in view of changing boundary conditions and opportunities;
• Demonstrated excellent leadership, relationship management and communication skills, both oral and written;
• A proven track record of representing the Agency’s 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 required, international experience is an asset, including outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities.
Mobility is inherent to management functions and this position may be subject to rotation.
Therefore, mobility opportunities may be offered to you as part of your career evolution at ESA, starting after approximately five years in this role.Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
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, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.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 via email at contact.human.resources@esa.int.Important Information and Disclaimer
During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency’s security procedures.Note that ESA is in the process of transitioning to a Matrix setup, which could lead to organisational changes affecting this position.The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have.Nationality and Languages
Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.According to the , 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 *.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.*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.

Expected salary

Location

Paris

Job date

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 02:23:11 GMT

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