Corporate Controller (2 posts)

Corporate Controller Opportunity at ESA

Corporate Controller in the Corporate Planning, Budget and Controlling Division of the Finance, Planning and Controlling Department, Directorate of Resources and Services.

The Corporate Controller will report to the Head of the Corporate Planning, Budget and Controlling Division and will be responsible for assessing, monitoring and controlling the resources of a domain(s) of activities and/or coordinating one or more end-to-end processes of the Corporate Business Planning and Control framework.

Duties

• Assessing in-year and multi-year resource plans, including cost, cash, income, workforce/workload, procurement and schedule, and related risks, and analysing deviations from planning.
• Determining measures in cooperation with directorates to correct deviations from planning.
• Analysing the pace of implementation of programmes to help devise financial programmatic corridors and targets for activity domains.
• Providing inputs for periodic reporting and presentations to the Executive Board and Member States on the overall planning status and achievements of ESA programmes and activities.
• Participating in relevant Programme Board meetings as required and interfacing with the Director/Business Unit Controlling Office, as well as with Member States, for financial matters.
• Supporting the preparation of Council meetings at ministerial level and bilateral discussions with Member States as required, for example by participating in reviews of programme proposals, declarations, resolutions and implementing rules.
• Supporting the preparation of financial documents issued to the Administrative and Finance Committee and/or Council which are of strategic importance for Member States when assessing their internal resource planning.
• Leading an end-to-end controlling process within the Agency by coordinating, consolidating and preparing projections, including as an input to other controlling processes, to support decision-making.
• Contributing to the Finance Department’s digitalisation initiatives by providing requirements for specific processes to be digitalised, liaising with directorates if needed and supporting change management.
• Supporting the Division in identifying potential integrations of other Agency applications with the corporate planning tool as well as enhancement of related processes.
• Proposing cost-effective solutions for continuous improvement of reporting capabilities in support of controlling activities.
• Contributing to other planning, monitoring, reporting and controlling tasks as requested by management.

Technical competencies

• Knowledge of the applicable cost and financial regulatory framework, including accounting standards and auditing
• Resource planning, monitoring and control processes and techniques
• Project cost, schedule and risk management
• Consolidation of management reports
• Knowledge of automated planning and project control tools
• In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint and PowerBI
• Expert knowledge of SAP-based ERP systems and related queries

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

A master's degree in engineering, business administration or a related discipline is required for this post.

Additional requirements

• In principle, recruitment will be within the advertised grade band (A2-A4). However, if the selected candidate has less than four years of relevant professional experience following the completion of the master’s degree, the position may be filled at A1 level.
• During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests.
• 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.
• 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

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.