Head of the General Procurement and Support Contracts Division

Lead the General Procurement and Support Contracts Division at ESA

Description

The Head of the General Procurement and Support Contracts Division (CIC-CS) reports directly to the Head of the ESA Contracts Department (CIC-C), within the Directorate of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness (D/CIC).

The Contracts Department operates as a matrix function supporting the programme directorates of the Agency, with independent responsibility lines to safeguard the “checks and balances” role of the Department. Unlike other divisions, the General Procurement and Support Contracts Division covers the following main fields of activity and services:

• General procurement activities, including real estate and construction, facility management, and all relevant general corporate activities of the Agency.
• Purchase Office activities for all ESA sites, including management of local purchase offices at ESAC, ESOC, and ESRIN.
• Industrial support contracts for ESA sites to provide system engineering and management support services to ESA programme and corporate directorates.
• Procurement activities for new Member States under the programmatic responsibility of CIC.

While the Division currently comprises three sections, you will be expected to propose an adaptation of its organisation to better align with the scope and expected priorities, while remaining streamlined in terms of the Division’s resources and securing proximity support at relevant ESA sites where necessary.

Duties

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• General procurement activities, for example for real estate and construction, soft and hard facility management, the Travel Office and security services for the following centres: ESA HQ (FR), ESTEC (NL), ECSAT (UK), ESAC (ES), ESEC (LU) and ESDI (CH). This will include, in particular, the contractual management of major construction work at ESTEC over a period of several years.
• Management of the Purchase Office activities for all ESA sites while ensuring local proximity service for the relevant sites. The Purchase Office is composed of a small team spread across the various ESA sites in charge of handling over 4,000 purchase actions each year for off-the-shelf equipment, stationary, software and services of limited value.
• General services in support of the proper functioning of ESA, as well as the corporate directorates and the Director General’s Office, such as IT services, communications, human resource management and training support, and industrial support contracts for ESA sites to provide system engineering and management support services to ESA’s programme and corporate directorates. You will work in close coordination with the Human Resources and Workforce Management Offices to define the procurement strategy and will lead a team for the purpose of implementation through multi-supplier framework contracts in compliance with the applicable legal framework. This includes leading the coordination with other divisions in charge of service contracts for ESRIN (IT) and ESOC (DE) in particular.
• Procurement activities for new Member States and national delegated initiatives under the programmatic management of the Industrial Policy and Auditing Department (CIC-I). These activities mainly consist in preparing economic operators from Cooperating and/or new Member States of ESA to expand their knowledge and experience in research and development activities in support of ESA space programmes.

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

Technical competencies

• Good knowledge and understanding of the Agency’s core business and functioning
• Solid experience in implementing contracts within an international organisation, industry or public administration
• Knowledge of organisational development and change management methodology
• Experience in negotiating large contracts with various stakeholders
• Solid knowledge of procurement law and policy in an international environment, as well as a good understanding of labour law and general procurement challenges
• Ability to coordinate teams and engage senior internal and external stakeholders

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

A master's degree in law, business and/or economics is required for this post.

Additional requirements

• Proven experience of leading, motivating and developing a team of contract officers in an international organisation, industry or public administration.
• 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.
• 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 as well as to support others, such as team members, upper management and other stakeholders, in this process.
• Flexibility to travel to the relevant ESA sites – between HQ and ESTEC in particular.

The position can be filled at either ESTEC or ESA HQ, with the expectation that you will travel regularly to the other site.

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, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.

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 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*.

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.