Commercialisation Officer (2 Posts)

ESA; Noordwijk; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

ESA seeks a senior professional to guide the development of commercial businesses in the European space economy. You will oversee a network of ESA Commercialisation Network partners and coordinate activities across ESA Member States and internationally.

You will lead contract management, strengthen partner activities, and steer development pathways for selected companies, reporting to the Head of Section and acting as a spokesperson for ESA's strategy in your areas of expertise.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in technology and innovation with 4 years of relevant professional experience.
• Bachelor's degree plus 8 years of relevant professional experience can be considered in lieu of a master's degree.

Responsibilities

• Daily technical and project management of ESA Commercialisation Network partners (BICs, Phi-Labs, ESA Technology Brokers, Accelerators).
• Overseeing a portfolio of commercialisation activities supported by Network partners and the ScaleUp Marketplace.
• Interface with local partners, authorities, and government agencies; chair selection boards for startups and projects.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Business management in innovation

Space industry trends

Education

Master's degree in technology and innovation

Bachelor's degree +8 years experience

Job description

This role is based within the ScaleUp Programme Division and reports to a Head of Section. 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 that 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;
• 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.

Technical competencies

• Knowledge of business management in innovation-related processes
• Knowledge of stakeholder management
• Knowledge of technical domains and related R&D space industry trends
• Technical domains, in particular space system development

Behavioural competencies

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

Education and professional experience

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

• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work autonomously, effectively, and cooperatively in a diverse, international team environment
• Ability to chair evaluation boards effectively
• Demonstrated analytical, organisational, and reporting skills
• Ability to report on KPIs and trends through statistical analyses
• A good understanding of such principles and tools is an advantage
• Proactive attitude to solving problems
• 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

Important information

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.

Note that ESA is in the process of transitioning to a Matrix setup, which could lead to organisational changes affecting this position.

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, 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.