Job Description

Location

ESA Headquarters, Paris, France

Description

Head of the CFO Strategy and Coordination Office, Directorate of Controlling, Finance and Operational Procurement (CFO).

Under the direct authority of the Director of Controlling, Finance and Operational Procurement, the Head of the CFO Strategy and Coordination Office is responsible for supporting the Director in the strategic coordination and effective management of the Directorate, with a special focus on process review, simplification and digitalisation within the Directorate.

As Head of Office, you will coordinate within the CFO Directorate to ensure a consistent CFO message and strategy and coherent communication. You will oversee the implementation of integrated processes, provision of reliable analytics and secure information management to enable effective decision-making and overall Directorate performance. In close coordination with the other Departments, you will be responsible for defining and implementing end-to-end processes across the Directorate, with the aim of improving efficiency, data integrity and the effectiveness of project procurement and implementation. In this context, you will be main point of contact for the Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) and a member of the management team of the CFO Directorate.

Duties

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• managing and coordinating CFO internal and external communication activities, including the preparation, coordination and support of key documents, inputs and briefings for meetings,
• speeches and presentations with internal and external stakeholders;
• providing policy and strategy support to the Director;
• leading a Directorate-wide approach towards the implementation of efficiency measures in coordination with the Heads of Department, providing data and KPI for management solutions and strategy decision support to the Director;
• ensuring an integrated review of the Directorate’s processes for the establishment of an integral end-to-end process framework. This adapted process framework shall establish new approaches and ways of working to increase the efficiency and performance of the Agency in project procurement and implementation, while ensuring controlled system transition and strengthened data integrity;
• managing and coordinating the modernisation initiatives of the Departments, including harmonisation across the Directorate and providing requirements for the digital transformation of the supervised functions to reduce dependency on manual enrichments and lower the operational risk during legacy tool changes;
• serving as the main interface for digitalisation and automation initiatives for the Agency’s CDIO for transformation and efficiency projects;
• reviewing, coordinating and managing the Directorate’s data analytics provision, including corporate performance indicators and cross-functional reporting frameworks, for coherent reporting services and harmonised and streamlined dashboard development across the Directorate with implications for ESA-wide dashboarding;
• overall responsibility for the coherence and accuracy of the Agency’s return data;
• developing and motivating the members of the Office by assessing performance, encouraging learning and development, delegating responsibilities and providing regular and constructive feedback;
• overseeing the Directorate Information Security Officer (ISO) function, ensuring implementation of the ESA security framework within the Directorate in close coordination with ESO, the CDIO and the Directorate Project/System Security Officers.

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

Technical competencies

Strong analytical skills

Experience in organisational transformation, end-to-end process improvement and change management

Knowledge of or experience in business analysis, digital tools and reporting

Knowledge of or experience in the ESA regulatory framework and overall ESA processes

Knowledge of or experience in managing multiple interfaces with various entities and stakeholders

Knowledge of or experience in SAP-based ERP systems

Knowledge of the European space industry

Ambassadorship to develop and maintain a network of contacts

Adept in IT solutions, digitalisation and automation

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 and professional experience

A master’s degree in a relevant domain is required for this post, together with 10 years of relevant professional experience.

Additional requirements

• Proven experience of leading, motivating and developing a team;
• The ability to provide strategic direction to the individuals and teams within the Office and to relate team objectives to the overall, evolving organisational goals and 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;
• 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 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.

People management experience is required, international experience is an asset, including outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities.

Mobility is inherent to management functions and this position may be subject to rotation.

Therefore, mobility opportunities may be offered to you as part of your career evolution at ESA, beginning after approximately five years in this role.

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

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, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.

According to the ESA Convention, staff shall be recruited on the basis of their qualifications, taking into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the 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.