Concession Contract

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 we 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 with a resident assignment to ESA Brussels Office, Brussels, Belgium.

Description

Concession contract – Officer in the Telecommunications and Earth Observation Contracts Division, Contracts Department, Directorate of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness.

On 15 March 2023, the European Parliament and the EU Council adopted Regulation (EU) 2023/588 establishing the Union Secure Connectivity Programme for the period

The Union Secure Connectivity Programme aims at deploying an EU satellite constellation: 'IRIS2' (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite). It will provide for a Union satellite-based, multi-orbital communication infrastructure for governmental use, while integrating and complementing existing and future national and European capacities in the frame of the GOVSATCOM component of the Union Space Programme.

The "ESA Programme related to EU Secure Connectivity", hereinafter referred to as the ESA Programme, intends to support the effective development and validation of the EU Secure Connectivity (IRIS2) Governmental Infrastructure, which is to be developed, deployed and operated under a Concession Contract signed by the EU with a private consortium, and the services provided by it; to support validation and demonstration of services based on the Commercial Infrastructure developed by the contractor(s) delivering the EU Secure Connectivity Governmental Infrastructure.

The European Commission and ESA will set up an Integrated Programme Team (IPT) to manage the EU IRIS2 Programme and in particular its related Concession Contract, as well as for ensuring close coordination between all IRIS2 related activities.

The Concession Contract Officer (CCO)will be under the hierarchical authority of the ESA Head of the Earth Observation and Telecom Contracts Division, as part of the ESA Contracts Department within the Directorate of Commercialization, Industry and Competitiveness.

The Concession Contract Officer will report functionally to the Deployment Manager and the Exploitation Manager who are in charge.

The CCO will be responsible for the day to day management of the contractual aspects of the concession contract in support of the Project team and under the authority of the Exploitation Manager.

Initial assignment to Brussels is until Q1 2028 with a possible extension, within the framework of the 12 year Contribution Agreement between ESA and EC. At the end of the assignment, you will be reassigned to a position within CIC Directorate.

Duties

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• Preparing the various elements of the relevant contract(s) in close cooperation with the IPT and in compliance with the relevant legal framework and ESA/EU policies and standards;
• Providing guidelines to apply the relevant, up-to-date legal measures throughout any further tendering and contractual implementation processes in coordination with the IPT Legal officer;
• Organising and coordinating with the IPT and line management as necessary all stages of procurement, including the preparation and issuing of the tenders, evaluation of proposals and contract negotiations as the case may be;
• Monitoring the implementation of the contracts under your responsibility in accordance with the applicable rules including the negotiation of all amendments to the contract;
• Interfacing internally with the members of the Integrated Project team and in particular the Deployment manager, the Exploitation Manager and project controllers and their respective teams, advising them on all contracts-related matters.
• Coordinate closely with the ESA contract Officer and Project team in charge of the EU Entrusted tasks and/or of the ESA Partnership Programme in accordance with the respective allocation of tasks and responsibilities ad defined in the Project Management Plan.
• Interfacing with industry on matters related to the IRIS2 contract management.
• Regular report and request assistance as needed to Line Manager on the status and issues faced in the implementation of the work.
  
  

Technical competencies
Good knowledge and experience in contract, procurement or international business law gained in law firms, industry or public administrationGood understanding of intellectual property issuesAbility to critically assess technical tender documentation and to draft tailored contract conditionsKnowledge of European and/or international business (institutional, commercial and/or industrial), preferably in the space sectorGood understanding of economic and financial aspects of contractsBehavioural competencies

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

Education

A master's in law is required for this post.

Additional requirements

• Excellent communication skills, in verbal and written form;
• 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 capacity to adapt to a fast-paced environment;
• Knowledge of French and English as well as the ability to understand and formulate contractual/legal texts in both languages;
• Ability to understand issues of a technical and management nature;
• Discretion and integrity.

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.

Applicants must be eligible to access technology and hardware which is subject to European and US export control regulations and for security clearance by their national security administrations.

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

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.

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