Head of the Materials, Environments and Contamination Control Section

Description

Head of the Materials, Environments and Contamination Control Section in the Structures, Mechanisms and Materials Division, Mechanical Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

Reporting to the Head of the Structures, Mechanisms and Materials Division, as the Head of the Materials, Environments and Contamination Control Section, you will be responsible for the management of the Section, its resources and activities. In addition, you will be accountable within the Agency for the outcome of operational activities within the technical domains of the Section.

The Section covers the following technical domains: materials and processes, cleanliness and contamination, chemical analysis, materials in the space environment, materials modelling and materials laboratory testing. This also includes the development of novel materials with enhanced/enabling performances and technical support to Life Cycle Assessments.

Duties

Within the technical domain defined above, your tasks and responsibilities will include:

workload assessment and assignment:
•    Establishing the multi-year plan of activities for the Section, covering required competences and assignment of resources;
•    Establishing annual objectives and managing and coordinating, on a day-to-day basis, the specialised technical support in the fields of expertise of the Section in full collaboration with the functional managers;
•    Actively contributing to the increased agility and flexibility required to meet short-notice and peak-period project resource needs;
•    Being accountable for all activities and resources delegated to the Section and for resolving possible conflicting demands on the use of the resources of the Section.

talent management:
•    Maintaining a state-of-the-art expertise in the Section, identifying, developing, maintaining and tracking the technical competences required to meet current and future strategic needs;
•    Establishing individual talent management (competence and development) plans for the Section’s members, covering technical and behavioural aspects;
•    Collaborating with functional managers whenever needed;
•    Driving the development of people within your own area of responsibility, facilitating the development of people beyond your own area of responsibility, and encouraging mobility where it serves the organisation’s interests;
•    Encouraging the integration of newcomers and contributing to their initial development plans, in particular in the first three years of their contracts;
•    Managing staff (functional) mobility and changes, such as arrivals, departures, reassignments, probation and contract extensions, with minimum disruption to the activities of the Section.

management support: 
•    Monitoring, measuring and reporting on performance at individual and team levels, in particular regarding the Section objectives;
•    Being accountable to the hierarchy for all daily matters within the Section and for the realisation of the objectives of the Section;
•    Being accountable for the Section members' career management, for performing individual performance assessment and merit recognition exercises, and for providing regular feedback.

expertise provision: tools/processes/working method management:
•    Ensuring regular interaction between the Section members, striving for teamwork, the exchange of experience and lessons learned and gathering feedback;
•    Contributing to the continuous improvement of working procedures, tools, processes, expert working methods and delivery methods, such as lessons learned and knowledge management, and to reflections on the evolution of the Section's role and activities;
•    Contributing to (independent) technical assessment capability and supporting project reviews;
•    Representing the Agency in your area(s) of expertise within ESA and with external entities, such as industry and delegations;
•    Coordinating the dissemination of the results of the Section within and outside ESA, in particular through conferences, workshops and R&D presentation days.

.

R&D/technology management:
•    In line with anticipated technology trends and project needs, defining, promoting and implementing the Section’s contributions to ESA technology programmes and R&D activities;
•    Coordinating, where applicable, the requirements of technology elements in your domain of expertise with the overall requirements of systems being developed under the responsibility of other areas in the Directorate;
•    Liaison with relevant technology expert groups and coordination mechanisms.

laboratories:
•    Acting as the technical officer responsible for the ESA materials and components laboratory and the associated IT infrastructure.

general responsibilities and leadership:
•    Ensuring a positive and motivating working environment for the Section;
•    Communicating ESA values and ensuring compliance with all ESA policies;
•    Acting as the person responsible within the Section for brokering agreements with other parties and for actively encouraging cross-unit cooperation;
•    Anticipating and resolving sensitive or difficult situations, detecting and managing health and safety issues and liaising with HR as required;
•    Establishing good working relationships and technical networks with users, project groups and other organisations both inside and outside the Agency;
•    Reporting to high-level management and ensuring flowdown of communication from management.

interface management:
•    Supporting the Product Assurance and Safety Managers in the qualification and approval of all relevant materials, mechanical parts and associated manufacturing processes, including cleanliness and contamination control aspects, for all ESA projects and programmes;
•    Supporting the Mechanical, Thermal and Propulsion Architects and the System Engineers in the selection, design and characterisation of all relevant materials and processes;
•    Coordinating the evolution of the standards in the context of the ECSS system that are related to the technical domains of the Section;
•    Coordinating with the Materials, Manufacturing and Assembly Section in the Materials and Processes Team within the Division.

You will also be responsible for identifying, assessing, managing and reporting the health and safety risks in your area of responsibility.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

A master's degree in materials engineering and science, materials physics and chemistry or another related field is required for this post.

Additional requirements

You should, in addition, have:
•    the potential to manage individuals or a team of experts in a project or R&D setting; 
•    the ability to organise individual and team activities and ensure a motivating work environment;
•    strong leadership capabilities, with proven relationship management and communication skills;
•    the ability to drive your team’s performance, developing your people by encouraging learning, delegating responsibility and giving regular and constructive feedback;
•    strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day operational challenges, together with demonstrated planning and organisational skills;
•    a strong result orientation with the ability to set priorities and present practical solutions both orally and in writing;
•    the ability to manage challenging situations proactively and constructively and to be customer-focused;
•    the ability to represent the Agency in interfaces with industry and government agencies.

Previous people management experience is an asset, as is international experience, i.e. outside your home country, and experience in diverse functional areas relevant to the activities of ESA.