Director of Commercialisation and Industry Partnership in Harwell

The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA’s annual budget in 2026 is 8.26 billion Euro.

You will report to the Director General and will be responsible for contributing to ESA-wide management as a member of the ESA Executive Board supporting the Director General in his responsibilities in the pursuit of ESA’s overall objectives, fostering efficiency, and ensuring compliance with the applicable regulatory framework.

Under delegation from the Director General, you will have the responsibility for the commercialisation and business development strategy of ESA. You will support the industrialisation and the commercialisation of space products and services, the development of integrated downstream applications and solutions, the scale-up on global markets as well as access to investments and finance for European space industry.

Furthermore, you will be responsible for ARTES 4.0 commercial partnership projects conducted in partnership with European and Canadian industries and operators, ensuring that the commercial nature of ARTES is maintained and enhanced. You will also be responsible for the ELC (European Launcher Challenge), Boost! and ACCESS (Accelerating Commercialisation and Competitiveness of European Space Sector) programmes and other relevant programmes as required. The ELC and Boost! programmes will be implemented in close cooperation with the Directorate of Space Transportation.

In addition, you will be responsible for the coordination with other programme elements or projects that are related to commercialisation managed by other Directorates. You will liaise with external entities such as Member State delegations, industry (space and non-space), academia, international partners, and stakeholder organisations as required. You will also be the official Head of Establishment at ECSAT.

You will actively work to ensure the well-being, motivation, training and career progression of your Directorate workforce, incentivising a spirit of initiative, transparency, information flow and collaboration with other Directorates. You will also be responsible for identifying, assessing, managing, and reporting the health and safety risks in your area of responsibility.

More than 10 years’ experience in similar senior management positions at executive level, and in the management of teams and programmes of significant size in terms of budget and human resources preferably in an international context.

A well-established network and a deep understanding of challenges and opportunities related to the commercialisation of technology or space-related programmes.

Strong knowledge of the key space-industrial stakeholders in Europe and worldwide.

Knowledge of the ESA institutional framework, and of the European and international space sector (institutional, commercial and/or industrial).

Proven experience in business management, including the ability to develop innovative strategies to increase operational efficiency, and to build strong relationships with key stakeholders to drive successful business outcomes.

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

A master's is required for this post, either in law or economics, business administration, or in any other technical domain.

Key qualities required for the post are an innovative spirit and a strategically oriented mind, a proven capacity to lead change and manage people and teams, excellent relationship management and negotiation skills and the ability to influence high-level decisions.

In addition, you should have:

• The ability to provide strategic direction to the individuals and teams and to relate team objectives to the overall, evolving organisational goals and context;
• The ability to drive performance within and across teams throughout the organisation;
• Demonstrated excellent leadership, relationship management and communication skills, both oral and written;
• Excellent cognitive, analytical, delegation, planning and organisational skills;
• The ability to anticipate problems, solve complex issues and relate situations to their context;
• The ability to reach solution-oriented, pragmatic and timely decisions of a high standard and with integrity as well as to support others (team members, upper management, other stakeholders) in this process.

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.

Important Information and Disclaimer

Applicants must be eligible to acquire the security clearance by their national security administrations. Please note that applicants will be required to undergo psychometric testing and other assessments, and, if invited for interview, asked to provide references. 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.

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 and the United Kingdom. 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.