Head of the Digital, Data and IT Infrastructure and Digital Workplace Division

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY; Frascati; Remote; EUR 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

European Space Agency seeks a senior leader to head the Digital, Data and IT Infrastructure and Digital Workplace Division. You will establish and evolve the agency’s technology foundations to enable mission delivery, resilience and digital transformation across directorates and programmes.

You will lead strategy, architecture and end-user services, driving cloud, HPC, data platforms and secure infrastructure while managing suppliers and fostering international collaboration within ESA.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in computer science, IT, engineering or physics.
• Minimum 15 years in digital technologies with leadership in infrastructure, cloud or digital workplace.
• At least eight years in senior leadership with large multidisciplinary teams and strategic suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Division, setting strategic direction.
• Oversee ESA infrastructure, cloud, HPC and end-user services.
• Ensure secure, resilient and scalable technology foundations across ESA.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across directorates to deliver mission-critical services.
• Manage suppliers, contracts and governance for cost-effective delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic direction

Governance

Infrastructure modernization

Education

Master's degree in computer science or related field

Tools

HPC platforms

Cloud platforms

Job description

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Head of the Digital, Data and IT Infrastructure and Digital Workplace Division

Description

Head of the Digital, Data and IT Infrastructure and Digital Workplace Division, Digital, Data and Information Technology Department, Directorate of Resources and Services.

Under the direct authority of the Chief Digital Information Officer (CDIO), you will be responsible for establishing, operating and continuously evolving ESA’s Agency-wide digital infrastructure, platform and workplace capabilities.

In this role, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for the technology foundations that enable mission delivery, business continuity, digital transformation and future growth across the Agency.

This includes responsibility for infrastructure platforms, cloud and computing services, high-performance computing, digital workplace technologies, end user services and local support functions, ensuring their security, resilience, scalability, interoperability and long-term evolution in line with ESA’s Digital, Data and IT Strategy.

The Division plays a central role in enabling ESA’s resilience, sovereignty and dual-use ambitions, while providing the shared technology capabilities required to support directorates, programmes and mission activities across the Agency.

Location
ESRIN, Frascati, Italy, or ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Duties

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• leading and developing the Division, providing strategic direction, organisational leadership and a strong performance culture across a multidisciplinary workforce;
• providing strategic leadership for the Agency’s infrastructure, platform and end-user technology capabilities;
• owning ESA’s Agency-wide infrastructure landscape, ensuring secure, resilient and scalable technology foundations that support mission operations, business continuity and future growth;
• driving the modernisation and transformation of ESA’s infrastructure ecosystem, including cloud, platform engineering, high-performance computing, digital workplace and shared technology services;
• enabling ESA’s Digital, Data and IT Strategy through shared platforms that increase interoperability, reuse, scalability and delivery speed across directorates and programmes;
• ensuring ESA’s resilience, sovereignty and dual-use ambitions are supported by robust, secure and future-ready infrastructure capabilities;
• leading Agency-wide collaboration with business, mission and technology stakeholders to deliver critical infrastructure capabilities supporting mission development, operations and enterprise transformation;
• managing strategic suppliers, technology partnerships, infrastructure investments and delivery organisations to ensure operational excellence, value for money and sustainable long-term capability development;
• leading the transformation and operation of ESA’s Agency-wide digital infrastructure, enabling mission success, business continuity, digital transformation and future growth through secure, resilient and sovereign technology capabilities;
• building the capabilities, leadership team and operating model required to deliver ESA’s future digital, data and IT ambitions;
• driving collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement across teams, suppliers and stakeholders in support of Agency-wide transformation objectives;
• fostering an environment that combines operational excellence, engineering innovation, resilience and service orientation.

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

Enterprise infrastructure strategy and operations

Cloud and hybrid cloud platforms

Data centre, network and compute infrastructure

Digital workplace and end-user computing services

Platform engineering and modern infrastructure architectures

IT service management and operational excellence

Infrastructure security, resilience and business continuity

Vendor, contract and managed service governance

Infrastructure transformation and modernisation

Technology risk management

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

A master’s degree in computer science, information technology, engineering, mathematics, physics or a related discipline is required, together with a minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience in digital technologies, data and IT, including substantial leadership responsibility for complex infrastructure, platform, cloud, digital workplace or technology operations environments.

At least eight years of experience in senior leadership positions with accountability for large multidisciplinary teams, strategic suppliers and mission-or business-critical technology services.

Additional requirements

The following competences are highly desirable:

• High-performance computing (HPC);
• Infrastructure supporting data and Al workloads;
• Zero trust, secure-by-design and infrastructure security architecture;
• Infrastructure supporting classified, sovereign or dual-use environments;
• Automation, DevOps and Platform-as-a-Service concepts;
• Large-scale technology consolidation and rationalisation programmes;
• Mission-critical operational environments.

You should have:

• 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, resolve complex issues and relate situations to their 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, in this process.

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 [e-mail].

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 & 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 undertake 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.