Contracts Officer

Vacancy in the Directorate of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness.

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.

This post is classified A2-A4 on the Coordinated Organisations’ salary scale.

Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Description

Contracts Officer in the Commercialisation and Technology Contracts Division, Contracts Department, Directorate of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness (D/CIC).

If selected for this position, you will work as a Contracts Officer in one of the Contracts services responsible for the implementation of technology activities at ESTEC in Noordwijk (Netherlands).

As an ESA Contracts Officer, you will play a crucial role, conducting all procurement and contractual aspects of ESA activities in the domain of research and technology. You will also be responsible for ensuring that procurement activities are executed in compliance with the legal and industrial policy requirements set out in ESA’s Procurement Regulations.

Duties

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

preparing the various elements of the relevant procurement and contract documentation in close cooperation with the relevant technical services;
providing guidelines for application of the relevant, up-to-date legal and industrial policy measures throughout the tendering and contractual implementation processes;
organising and coordinating with all relevant ESA internal stakeholders at all stages of procurement, including the issuing of the invitation to tender, ensuring that the proposals are duly evaluated and that the contract is negotiated with the selected economic operators;
monitoring the implementation of the contracts under your responsibility in accordance with the applicable contractual and industrial policy rules, including the negotiation of all amendments to the contract;
building a trust-based relationship with added value with the project managers and technical officers and their respective teams, advising them on all procurement-related matters.

Technical competencies

Good knowledge of and experience in contract, procurement or international business law gained either in industry or public administration

Good understanding of matters relating to intellectual property rights

Experience in tendering and contracting processes

Ability to critically assess technical tender documentation and to draft tailored contract conditions

Knowledge of the European and/or international business sector, encompassing institutional, commercial and/or industrial actors, preferably in the space sector

Good understanding of the economic and financial aspects of contracts

Negotiation skills

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

A master’s degree from a business school, or in law or economics, is required for this post.

Additional requirements

Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written;
Customer orientation with sound judgement in solving problems;
Ability to interact with multiple international actors and to work collaboratively in a team to achieve organisational goals;
Excellent planning and organisation skills and the ability to manage several tasks efficiently in parallel;
Strong ability to adapt to a fast-paced environment;
Knowledge of French and English, with the ability to understand and draft contractual and legal texts in both languages;
Ability to understand technical and management-related matters;
Discretion and integrity.

The following would be considered as an asset:

Good academic knowledge in contract law, procurement law and/or international business law.

Other information

For behavioural competencies expected from ESA staff in general, please refer to the ESA Competency Framework.

For further information please visit: Professionals, What we offer and FAQ

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.

The Agency may require applicants to undergo selection tests.

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 email contact.human.resources@esa.int.

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Please note that applications are only 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*.

In accordance with the European Space Agency’s security procedures and as part of the selection process, successful candidates will be required to undergo basic screening before appointment conducted by an external background screening service.

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.

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.