Team Leader Academic Partnership and Support

Team Leader Academic Partnership and Support

You will report to the Head of the ESA Academy and lead the Academic Partnership function within the ESA Education Office, part of the Human Resources Department, with overall responsibility for the Training and Academic Partnership activity areas and their associated teams and contracts.

The ESA Academy is ESA’s flagship programme for university students and early-career professionals, combining training, project experience and engagement activities to support career readiness in the space sector. The new Academic Partnership function will further establish structured frameworks, including academic scholarships and grants, courses co-developed by ESA and academia, joint initiatives, exchange platforms, and collaboration on large-scale student competitions. It will also serve as a focal point for long‑term institutional cooperation with universities and academic networks across Europe.

In this role, you will drive the strategic development of the existing ESA Academy Training portfolio and establish Academic Partnership as a cohesive framework for collaboration with universities.

This includes partnerships with higher‑education institutions, academic networking, development of ESA‑enabled learning opportunities, and the progressive establishment of federated partnership models with universities in support of future‑oriented skills, visibility, mobility and coordinated educational initiatives. The role will contribute to shaping a more integrated European academic ecosystem for space education, research visibility and talent development.

You will also oversee programme delivery, including on‑site and digital training activities at the European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC), ensure the quality and relevance of educational content, and support the expansion of accessible, inclusive learning opportunities across ESA Member States and Associate Members.

• leading and coordinating the ESA Academy Academic Partnership and Support domain, covering both training and academic partnerships at strategic and operational levels;
• managing and guiding teams responsible for training and academic partnerships, ensuring coherent planning, quality delivery, and strong performance;
• defining and evolving the ESA Academy training strategy and portfolio (onsite, online and hybrid), ensuring alignment with ESA priorities and future skills needs;
• overseeing the end‑to‑end design, delivery, quality assurance and continuous improvement of training programmes, including content validation and collaboration with experts;
• developing and steering the Academic Partnership framework, building and maintaining strategic relationships with universities and higher‑education stakeholders across Europe;
• contributing to the development of coordinated initiatives linked to future‑critical skills, doctoral research visibility and broader education‑to‑career continuity, in coordination with relevant ESA entities and external partners;
• ensuring effective programme management, including partnerships, budget oversight, performance monitoring, reporting, and promotion of diversity, inclusion, and outreach.

Leadership and programme management skills in complex educational or partnership environments.

Demonstrated knowledge of higher‑education systems, academic governance, tertiary education trends and academic partnership models in an international context.

Experience in designing, developing or steering university‑level educational initiatives, training programmes or academic collaboration frameworks.

Experience in establishing and maintaining partnerships with universities, public institutions and external stakeholders at senior level.

Knowledge of quality assurance, educational monitoring and evaluation approaches for training and higher‑education programmes.

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

A master's degree in a relevant domain, such as education, higher education, organisational development, engineering or science is required for this post together with 10 years of…