Governance and Business Operations Specialist; Reserve list

Governance and Business Operations Specialist (Reserve List)

This job opening is for the purposes of Reserve list recruitment on multiple positions. ESA is initiating a Reserve list recruitment process to meet the consistently high demand for Governance and Business Operations Specialists in support of the Agency's cutting-edge space projects and programmes. This Reserve list will comprise of candidates who have been pre-assessed and pre-approved by the ESA hiring team and who have already undergone a basic background screening.

If selected, you will remain on the Reserve list for a period of 24 months, during which you will be fast-tracked for positions in upcoming projects. While inclusion in the Reserve list does not guarantee recruitment, it positions you as a valuable resource to fill ESA's future vacancies. When a relevant position arises, your candidacy will be reviewed. In that context, you may be invited to a brief follow-up interview and, if successful, an offer will be made.

No action is required on your part if you are placed on a Reserve list; ESA will contact you directly about relevant opportunities.

Location:

Noordwijk, Cologne, Darmstadt, Frascati, Harwell, Paris, Redu, Villanueva de la Cañada (Madrid)

Description:

The Governance and Business Operations Specialist ensures the effective coordination, quality and alignment of corporate governance and operational processes across the organisation. Acting as a key interface between stakeholders, you will contribute to the reliability, consistency and efficiency of the Agency's activities, supporting well-informed decision-making and the sound execution of business processes. Operating within defined institutional frameworks, in this role, you will enable and structure complex processes by ensuring the integrity, timeliness and compliance of documentation, data, workflows and stakeholder interactions, while contributing to their continuous improvement.

In addition, you will provide structured coordination of management activities, ensuring effective planning, monitoring and follow-up of a portfolio of priorities and activities. If selected for this role, you may support various functional areas, including but not limited to: procurement and contracting planning processes; industrial policy implementation; HR support services and staff administration;
Agency-level planning, budgeting, monitoring processes and tools; strategy, programmatic, international relations and coordination activities; coordination of management support activities.

Duties:

• Governance and organisational process coordination:
  Coordinate the end-to-end preparation, execution and follow-up of organisational processes contributing to the delivery of the Agency's programmes, projects and activities;
  Ensure coherence, timeliness and alignment of inputs across contributing organisational units, identifying dependencies and supporting their resolution;
  Structure and manage workflows and planning cycles, ensuring efficient, consistent and compliant execution of activities.
• Stakeholder interface (procedural and operational):
  Act as a key operational interface with internal and external stakeholders, including Member State delegations, institutional partners, industry and other ESA directorates;
  Ensure the smooth functioning of high-level representatives' exchanges with ESA, following up on protocol obligations;
  Facilitate alignment across stakeholders by ensuring clear, structured and timely exchanges of information, data and documentation;
  Provide guidance on processes, procedures and tools, supporting consistent understanding and application across organisational units.
• Information integrity, compliance and internal control:
  Ensure that outputs, such as documentation, data, tender actions, payroll inputs and governance artefacts, meet applicable rules, standards and regulatory frameworks;
  Apply "need-to-know" principles in determining access to and dissemination of information, ensuring appropriate use and handling of sensitive and restricted data;
  Contribute to audit readiness, internal control and risk mitigation by ensuring compliance with institutional, financial and data protection requirements.
• Process implementation, monitoring and improvement:
  Contribute to the continuous improvement and digitalisation of communication, coordination and workflow processes, including the implementation and optimisation of digital tools, platforms and dashboards supporting operational efficiency and transparency;
  Coordinate and monitor the implementation of organisational processes across domains such as procurement, HR, governance and industrial policy;
  Identify inefficiencies and contribute to the continuous improvement and harmonisation of procedures, tools and working methods. Contribute to the implementation and evolution of digital systems and tools, ensuring alignment with operational needs, translating operational requirements into structured inputs for process and system enhancements.
• Data…