Location
ESA Headquarters, Paris, France
Description
Under the direct authority of the Head of the Legal Services Department and in support of their functions, as the Head of the Division for Commercialisation and New Initiatives, you will contribute to the Agency’s legal counselling, lead a team of lawyers and support the Head of Department by advising on legal questions relating to ESA’s commercialisation policy and new programme schemes.
Duties
Your specific duties will include:
- legal analysis and advice on the Agency’s rules and procedures to effectively implement ESA’s commercialisation approach and industrial policy;
- legal analysis and advice on new initiatives to enhance the competitiveness of European space industry and drafting of new programmatic schemes in relation to the Agency’s innovation initiatives;
- drafting and updating, in close cooperation with the Procurement Department, the Agency’s Procurement Regulations and the General Clauses and Conditions for ESA Contracts;
- monitoring and conducting legal analysis regarding developments in commercial, business trade and competition law;
- editing and reviewing the Director General’s Administrative Instructions to ensure their conformity with the Agency’s legal framework;
- providing legal advice and support to the programmes under the responsibility of the Division, such as ScaleUp and GSTP.
Technical competencies
Proven expertise in public international, national and EU law
Good knowledge of ESA’s institutional set-up and legal framework, Convention, rules, regulations and policies
Knowledge and understanding of the Agency’s core business and operational framework
Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking
For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook
Education
A master’s degree in law and advanced studies in public international law and/or national law are required.
Additional requirements
Proven experience in international and national law is required. In addition, you should have:
- the ability to motivate and develop a team;
- the ability to provide strategic direction to the individuals within the Division and to relate team objectives to the overall and 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;
- 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 as well as to support others, such as team members, upper management and other stakeholders, in this process.
Previous management or supervision experience, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to the activities of ESA, is an asset.
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 can only be 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*.
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.
