Head of the Business Control and Programme Management Support Office

Vacancy in the Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications.

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 Organisations’ salary scale.

Location ECSAT, Harwell, United Kingdom

Description

The Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications (D/CSC) portfolio of activities is growing and includes the ARTES 4.0 Programme, the ESA Programme related to EU Secure Connectivity, the Moonlight Programme and the Civil Security from Space Programme, as well as parts of national PRR projects. Reporting to the Director of D/CSC, as Head of the Business Control and Programme Management Support Office (CSC-B) you will lead a team and will be responsible for the provision of the Directorate’s overall resource planning, controlling and reporting. You will be the Senior Financial Controller (SFC) for the Directorate and will report functionally to the Head of the Finance, Planning and Controlling Department.

Duties

‒ Providing the Directorate’s overall human and financial resource planning, controlling and reporting; • Consolidating and maintaining short-, medium- and long-term plans for all activities of the Directorate, as well as the related schedules, financial plans and workforce plans for staff and contractors, including functional and integrated support, providing procurement plans and reporting on and elaborating corrective measures to respond to deviations from plans; • Maintaining information flow between the Heads of Departments and Offices and with the Directorate of Internal Services on controlling-related issues.

‒ Providing project control, CADM and management support services to all units in the Directorate; ‒ Performing workforce planning, including the Directorate’s management of manpower frame contracts; ‒ Fulfilling the role of Business Unit Controller (BUC) and Senior Financial Controller (SFC) for the Directorate; ‒ Coordinating risk assessment and the monitoring of mitigation actions across the Directorate; ‒ Monitoring and controlling of the KPIs relevant for the Directorate; ‒ Supporting management, financial and cyber-related audits; ‒ Coordinating the Directorate’s implementation of the Agency’s industrial policy, including geographical return; ‒ Providing the relevant reporting pursuant to the European Commission Contribution Agreements and other third parties and ensuring provision of the relevant interfaces on all matters relating to the responsibilities of the Office; ‒ Implementing comprehensive digital management reporting, including dashboards, and serving as the point of contact for the Directorate regarding the deployment, utilisation and evolution of corporate information systems; ‒ Establishing and maintaining common Directorate methods, procedures and tools for cost, schedule, manpower and risk management.

You will also be responsible for identifying, assessing, managing and reporting the health and safety risks in your area of responsibility.

You will represent D/CSC in various internal and external bodies and forums in relation to the above areas of responsibility and will act as the main interface to other ESA services with regard to those areas of responsibility, in particular the Directorate of Internal Services and other support and programme directorates at the appropriate level.

Technical competencies

Programme and project controlling including risk management

Budgeting, cost control and resources and activities planning

Knowledge of cost and financial regulatory frameworks, including accounting standards and auditing

Extensive knowledge of controlling and usage of digitalisation

Understanding of the relevant ESA/EU procurement regulations

Knowledge of industrial policy and geo-return reporting

Understanding of space system architectures

Understanding of the telecommunications market

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation Operational Efficiency Fostering Cooperation Relationship Management Continuous Improvement Forward Thinking

Education

A master’s degree in business administration or a relevant engineering field is required.

Additional requirements

Proven experience in project and programme management and controlling is required. A good knowledge of ESA and European Commission processes and working methods is an asset.

You should, in addition, have: • proven experience of leading, motivating and developing a team; • the ability to provide strategic direction to the individuals and teams within the Office 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 oral and written communication skills; • 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, resolve complex issues and relate situations to their context; • the ability to make solution-oriented, pragmatic and timely decisions of a high standard and with integrity and to support others, such as team members, upper management and 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.

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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 Agency’s 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.