Head of the European Commercial Launcher Support Office

Head of the European Commercial Launcher Support Office Job Requisition ID: 20688 Date Posted: 11 August 2026 Closing Date: 8 September 2026 23:59 CET/CEST Publication: Internal & External Type of Appointment: 4 years, extendable to indefinite Directorate: Commercialisation and Industry Partnership Workplace: Paris, FR Grade Band: A6 - A6 Location ESA Headquarters, Paris, FranceDescription Head of the European Commercial Launcher Support Office, Directorate of Commercialisation and Industry Partnership. Reporting directly to the Director of Commercialisation and Industry Partnership, you, as Head of the European Commercial Launcher Support Office, will be a member of the Directorate’s management team and will participate in decision-making for all major activities covered by the Directorate. You will be responsible for the end-to-end management of the European Launcher Challenge and Boost! programmes. The European Launcher Challenge is the European Space Agency’s (ESA) initiative focused on expanding European launch service supply and therefore ensuring greater robustness in Europe’s access to space. Through the European Launcher Challenge, ESA will become a customer of newly developed commercial launch services, encouraging competition in the European space sector. With its Boost! programme, ESA is boosting commercial initiatives that offer transportation services to space, in space, and returning from space. The programme also supports Member States implementing national objectives for spaceports, testing facilities and more.Duties • Developing and motivating the members of the Office by assessing performance, encouraging learning and development, delegating responsibilities and providing regular and constructive feedback; • Ensuring the implementation of the activities related to the European Launcher Challenge and Boost! programmes within the agreed budgets and schedules; • Leading the commercial and technical evaluation of industrial proposals, while overseeing the processes for their submission and assessment, as well as the technical and programmatic discussions with Member States; • Establishing the long-term strategic view for the programmes and proposing continuous programmatic improvements; • Monitoring the technical and financial aspects of new commercial space transportation services in Europe; • Cooperating closely with the Space Transportation Directorate and its Future Space Transportation Department on developing future space transportation scenarios, taking into account the emergence of commercial systems, with the goal of developing synergies. You will be assisted by project managers, as well as by the Project Control and Management Support and System Support functions. In carrying out your duties, you will liaise closely with other departments and offices within the Directorate and draw on the support of other ESA directorates. You will also be responsible for identifying, assessing, managing and reporting the health and safety risks in your area of responsibility.Technical competencies Strong knowledge of European launcher sectorExperience in interaction with European space industry, especially newcomer companies developing future launchers, as well as with institutional and private investorsExperience in project and/or team management, including for processes developed by NewSpace companiesBehavioural 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 business administration, engineering or economics is required for this post together with 15 years of relevant professional experience. Additional requirements • Creative thinking; • Openness to innovative processes; • Adaptability and understanding of innovation and/or change management in a large organisation; • Proven experience of leading, motivating and developing a team; • The ability to provide strategic direction to individuals and teams and to relate team objectives to the overall, evolving organisational goals and 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; • 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. People management experience is required and international experience would be an asset, including outside your home country, as would 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, starting 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 Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations and eligible to acquire the security clearance by their national security administrations. 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. 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