Industrial Return Coordination Lead

Job Posting Organization:
The European Space Agency (ESA) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the exploration of space. Established in 1975, ESA has grown to include 22 member states and employs over 2,200 staff members. The agency's mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA operates across various countries, focusing on scientific research, technological development, and the promotion of international cooperation in space exploration.

Job Overview:
The Industrial Return Coordination Lead will play a pivotal role within the Industrial Return and Analytics Office, which is part of the Industrial Policy and Auditing Department under the Directorate of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness. This position is crucial for shaping ESA's industrial policy through data-driven insights and engagement, ensuring a fair and balanced geo-return by analyzing and monitoring the distribution of contracts across Member States. The role involves developing advanced analytics tools and dashboards to support decision-making across the Agency, managing the registration and profiling of ESA suppliers, and driving transparency and efficiency in policy-making. The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting the monitoring, analysis, reporting, and coordination of ESA’s geographical return across Agency programmes, ensuring that the data is accurate and actionable for strategic decisions.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The duties of the Industrial Return Coordination Lead include:

• Geographical return monitoring, reporting, and stakeholder coordination: - Supporting the implementation, monitoring, analysis, and reporting of geographical return across all ESA programmes. - Engaging with ESA programmes and stakeholders to ensure the availability and quality of industrial return data. - Ensuring data quality through ongoing monitoring and validation of geo-return figures. - Preparing documentation, analysis, simulations, and presentations on geo-return topics for various internal and external audiences. - Managing large datasets from multiple sources and preparing inputs for decision-making. - Identifying risks and supporting reviews of ESA geo-return statistics. - Assisting in IPC reporting on geographical distribution of contracts. - Contributing to the development of analytical methodologies and reporting tools.
• Tools, systems, and process evolution: - Supporting the governance and improvement of corporate tools and systems related to industrial return. - Monitoring system usage and proposing improvements. - Contributing to the maintenance of the regulatory framework supporting geo-return.
• Collaborative activities: - Promoting knowledge-sharing and best practices in corporate systems. - Collaborating with other services within the department and across the Directorate to ensure effective coordination and information exchange.

Required Qualifications:
The ideal candidate must possess strong analytical, problem-solving, and reporting capabilities. They should have effective planning and self-organization skills, with the ability to coordinate team activities. A proven sense of ownership and accountability for tasks is essential, along with the ability to communicate challenges and solutions clearly. The candidate should be capable of working independently with sustained focus and reliability, demonstrating a customer-oriented approach and a commitment to delivering high-quality service. Strong interpersonal skills are necessary for seamless collaboration within diverse teams, and a commitment to continuous professional development is expected, particularly in the space sector.

Educational Background:
A master’s degree in engineering, business administration, or a related discipline is required for this position. This educational background is essential to understand the complexities of the role and to effectively contribute to the strategic objectives of ESA.

Experience:
Candidates should have a minimum of six years of professional experience in relevant fields. This experience should include data analysis, management of large datasets, and familiarity with corporate management tools and processes. Experience in the development and evolution of information systems is also beneficial, as is a background in the space sector or related industries.

Languages:
The working languages of ESA are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these languages is mandatory, while knowledge of another Member State language would be considered an asset. This linguistic capability is crucial for effective communication within the agency and with external stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
The position is a four-year appointment, extendable to indefinite, and is classified within the grade band A2-A

• Recruitment will be conducted within this grade band, but candidates with less than four years of relevant experience may be considered for a lower grade. Applicants must be eligible to access information subject to European or US export control regulations. The recruitment process may include selection tests, and successful candidates will undergo basic screening before appointment. ESA is committed to diversity and inclusiveness, welcoming applications from all qualified candidates regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs, age, disability, or other characteristics.