Secretary General of Eurisy, seconded from the European Space Agency

It is an appointment of 4 years, extendable to indefinite, with an initial secondment from the European Space Agency to Eurisy for 3 years, extendable twice by three years each.

Location
ESA Headquarters, Paris, France

Description

Secretary General of Eurisy, seconded from the European Space Agency.

Eurisy is a Paris-based non-profit association gathering together space agencies, international organisations, research institutions and private businesses involved or interested in space-related activities across Europe.
To fulfil its scope, Eurisy stimulates dialogue and collaboration between public institutions at all levels, SMEs, industry and academia from the space and non-space sectors. Its objective is to build solid relations with communities new to space, encourage innovative uses of satellite applications to respond to today’s challenges, and share experiences among professionals from different backgrounds.

Duties

The Secretary General (SG) has several key responsibilities within the association. The first set of responsibilities relates to Eurisy’s membership and governance. In this regard, the SG is responsible for:

• maintaining an up-to-date list of the association’s members and delegates, ensuring they are kept informed of and engaged in the association’s work and the timely payment of subscriptions, and managing the process whereby new members may join the association;
• ensuring that the association’s statutes and rules are respected within the organisation and in the management of its meetings, its elections, and the preparation and implementation of its decisions. In particular, the SG must organise the association’s calendar and the preparation and circulation of invitations to meetings of the Bureau, Council and General Assembly, as well as their agendas and papers;
• compliance with the law specifically applicable to associations, ensuring that rules relating to remuneration, intended to ensure that the association is managed in a manner devoid of personal interest and the maintenance of its tax status, are respected.

The second set of responsibilities relates to the general administration of the association and the management of its workplan and resources. In this regard, the SG is responsible for:

• the day-to-day financial and contractual management of the association, ensuring its financial obligations are met promptly and its accounts are maintained properly;
• the preparation of the association’s budget, its management and reporting of outturn to the President, Bureau, Council and General Assembly;
• the development and execution of the association’s workplan, the recruitment and management of the staff of the association, the management of the association’s property and its archives, and compliance with general applicable legislation relating, for example, to health and safety, human resources, financial management and data protection.

The third set of responsibilities of the SG relates to the development, together with the President, of the membership and main stakeholders of Eurisy, a long-term vision for the association, and translation of that vision into development plans covering three-year periods. Following approval by the General Assembly, the SG will ensure the efficient implementation of the plans.

Together with the President, the Secretary General plays a role in representing the association in a wide range of contexts, including workshops, conferences, high-level meetings with other organisations, both public and private, and interviews with the press. The role will involve a substantial amount of international travel, expected to be almost exclusively within Europe.

In carrying out their duties, the Secretary General must seek the guidance and approval of the President on all matters relating to the membership and governance of the association, while being given an appropriate degree of delegated responsibility for the association’s general administration and the management of its workplan and resources.

Technical competencies

Knowledge of the institutional space set-up in EuropeExperience in promoting space applicationsThe ability to establish and develop contacts in international circlesAn inspirational and visionary leadership style in line with the ESA Leadership Competency FrameworkProven management and organisational skills, with a high degree of entrepreneurship, in order to manage a relatively small but self-standing organisational entityProfessional experience in an international environment and with multi-stakeholder organisationsProven familiarity with conducting analyses and policy-oriented reporting of results, cutting-edge policy debates on space and space-related issues in the European contextProfessional experience in the acquisition of third-party fundingProven communication skills to promote targeted policy-oriented outreach and foster impactExperience in organising international events and publication activities

Behavioural competencies

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

For more information, please refer to the ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook.

Education

A master’s degree is required for this post.

Additional requirements

A postgraduate specialisation and/or experience in geopolitical or space policy will be a distinct advantage.

The following qualifications will be considered an asset:

• Availability of a relevant international network;
• Professional experience in working with various kinds of media
• Proven experience of leading, motivating and developing a team;
• The ability to provide strategic direction to the individuals and the team 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;
• A proven track record of representing an organisation’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.

People management experience is required. International experience is an asset, including outside your home country.

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, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.

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
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. 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.