Commercialisation Officer (2 Posts) in Harwell

Closing Date: 27 August 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Directorate: Commercialisation and Industry Partnership

This vacancy is published to recruit for either: an appointment of 4 years, extendable to an indefinite duration; or a fixed-term appointment with an initial duration of 4 years that depending on performance and organisational needs, may be extended up to a maximum total duration of 8 years.

Location: ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands or ECSAT, Harwell, United Kingdom.

Description:

Reporting to a Head of Section within the ScaleUp Programme Division, you will be responsible for guiding the development and growth of commercial businesses in the European space economy. This will be achieved with the help of a network of ESA Commercialisation Network partners (local administrators), who execute commercialisation support activities on behalf of the Agency. You will be part of a team which supervises, coordinates and expands this network in ESA’s Member States and internationally.

Duties:

• Daily technical and project management of assigned ESA Commercialisation Network partners, currently comprising ESA Business Incubation Centres (BICs), Phi-Labs (Phi-LabNet), ESA Technology Brokers, and ESA Business Accelerators, which are established in ESA Member States in agreement with national delegates;
• Overseeing a portfolio of commercialisation activities that are supported by the Network partners and also through the ScaleUp Marketplace. This will involve interfacing daily with local business partners, local authorities and government agencies, and chairing selection boards for startups and project activities in accordance with the Directorate’s best practices;
• Contract management of assigned Network partners, including obtaining quarterly reports, holding yearly reviews, and obtaining required deliverables;
• Strengthening assigned Network partner activities and setting up new activities, supporting new procurements and amending current contracts as required, ensuring that a broad range of technical, business and investment support is available to companies supported through the Network;
• Working in coordination with national delegations to ensure that locally-driven stakeholder meetings lead to strong and sustained commercialisation activities, and implementing and streamlining a development pathway for selected businesses that takes advantage of other ESA technical and commercialisation support;
• Developing personal expertise and leadership in the evolution of the space business ecosystem in one or more European regions in order to contribute to a European industrial development strategy;
• Acting as a spokesperson and voice of ESA’s strategy in your areas of expertise and responsibility.

Knowledge of:

• Business management in innovation-related processes
• Stakeholder management
• Technical domains and related R&D space industry trends

Technical domains, in particular space system development

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

A master’s degree in technology and innovation is required for this post together with 4 years of relevant professional experience. Alternatively, candidates with a bachelor’s degree, complemented by an additional four (8) years of relevant professional experience can be considered.

Additional requirements:

• You possess good interpersonal and communication skills.
• You can work autonomously, effectively, and cooperatively in a diverse, international team environment and are able to chair evaluation boards effectively.
• In addition, you have demonstrated analytical, organisational, and reporting skills. The latter includes the ability to report on KPIs and trends through statistical analyses. Hence, a good understanding of such principles and tools is an advantage, as is a proactive attitude to solving problems and an interest in innovative technologies and innovation in general.
• Experience in business-driven innovation programmes, such as Business Incubation Centres, technology transfer and technology commercialisation programmes, is considered an asset.

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.

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. Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations. 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.