Programme Advisor

Vacancy in the Director General’s Services.

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 A2–A4 on the Coordinated Organisations’ salary scale .

Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands  

Description

Programme Advisor in the Chief Agency Programme Advisor Office, Inspector General’s Office.

Duties

If selected for this post, you will, under the direct authority of the Chief Agency Programme Advisor, be required to organise, conduct and participate in a wide range of independent reviews and enquiry boards for ESA activities, in support of the directorates concerned or as requested by the Director General. More specifically, your duties will include:

• providing rapid, cross‐Agency responses to mission-critical engineering and programmatic issues and proactively identifying, avoiding and mitigating risks;
• performing peer reviews on technical and programmatic matters of Agency-wide relevance;
• holding enquiry boards, and performing independent assessments and other ad hoc technical and/or programmatic investigations at the request of the Inspector General;
• proposing methodologies, standards and tools aimed at supporting the delivery of high-performance projects;
• supporting the Head of Office in organising and undertaking ad hoc assessments, key reviews, and technical and programmatic investigations of programmes and/or projects;
• supporting the Head of Office in ensuring project alignment with the organisation’s strategic goals and acting as a central point in increasing the Agency’s efficiency and effectiveness through good practices;
• anticipating problems, solving complex issues and providing timely support to the Head of Office and programmes in the analysis of major technical and programmatic Agency issues.

Technical competencies

Knowledge of launchers, space projects, including instrumentation and operations

Knowledge of mission risks, costs and schedule aspects

Knowledge of project management

Knowledge of ESA and mission/spacecraft development, verification and procurement processes

Knowledge in the field of programme reviews

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

You should have a master’s degree in engineering and/or management.

Additional requirements

You should also have:

• the ability to provide strategic direction to individuals and teams in order to deliver complex projects in line with the agreed performances, cost and schedule, along with other constraints, proposing improvements as needed;
• the ability to reach solution-oriented, pragmatic and timely decisions;
• solid communication skills and the ability to interface and network with people at all levels.

Several years of hands-on experience in space projects would be considered an asset.

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 email [email protected] .

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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 or balanced Member States*.  (https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/careers/NationalityTargets.pdf )

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. 

Recruitment will normally be at the first grade in the band (A2); however, if the candidate selected has little or no experience, the position may be filled at A1 level.

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.