Head of the Corporate Physical Security Unit

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

You will be responsible for ensuring a consistent, corporate approach to ESA’s physical security and crisis management and will provide security advice to the Head of the Estates and Facilities Management Department, who may issue security instructions as appropriate to ensure compliance with ESA policy and procedures.
You will maintain an in-depth and up-to-date overview of the overall physical security situation insofar as it may affect ESA operations or the security of ESA staff. This includes considering potential threats at ESA establishments and centres and to staff on mission.

Your tasks and responsibilities will include in particular:

• providing expert advice to decision-makers on all physical security matters under the responsibility of the Estates and Facilities Management Department, providing input concerning the appropriate ESA vigilance level and other security measures to ensure they are commensurate with the prevailing security situation globally and locally;
• briefing the ESA central crisis management team as required when it meets to formulate responses to crises with a security component;
• managing ESA’s corporate physical security contract, acting as its technical officer, ensuring full compliance with the statement of work at both corporate and local levels and monitoring agreed levels of service delivered through site managers, health and safety/security officers and the contractor’s country managers;
• managing ESA’s travel security contract, acting as its technical officer, ensuring consistent implementation and service delivery, liaising with the Head of the ESA Business Travel Unit concerning travel security matters and ensuring that all ESA mission travellers are informed of security and personal safety matters pertaining to their destinations;
• maintaining a permanent interface with the ESA Security Office to ensure timely implementation of physical security policy and responses to audit observations;
• ensuring a consistent and timely response to audits and inspections carried out by the ESA Security Office, providing specific advice to ensure proper allocation of resources in the physical security domain;
• maintaining a permanent assessment of security-related resources at ESA establishments and centres, in full coordination with health and safety/security officers and EFM site managers, to enable full compliance with ESA physical security policies and procedures;
• liaising with and supporting EFM site managers and health and safety/security officers, ensuring close coordination with EFM departmental managers for crisis management and business continuity;
• performing proactive and regular expert analysis of physical security incidents to ensure early identification of trends or patterns, providing expert advice as part of a managed response;
• overseeing ESA’s corporate physical security infrastructure to ensure it remains fit for purpose and reflects developments within the sector, in particular considering matters relating to interoperability, maintenance and management throughout the equipment life cycle;
• liaising with the prime ESA duty-holders for matters concerning EFM departmental information security;
• serving as Agency lead for crisis management training across all sites, providing advice and support to the Heads of Establishment and centres and health and safety/security officers;
• managing and developing physical security awareness training programmes, providing advice from a corporate perspective when required.

State-of-the-art knowledge in your area of responsibility at the required level

Proven experience in the area of security

Knowledge and understanding of the Agency’s core business

Stakeholder management: the ability to brief senior decision-makers in crisis conditions

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

A master’s in a relevant domain is required for this post.

In addition, you should have:

• the ability to organise your activities and ensure a motivating work environment;
• the ability to rapidly assimilate and synthesise complex information; 
• the ability to act calmly under pressure; 
• strong leadership capabilities, with proven relationship management and communication skills;
• the ability to drive team performance, developing team members by encouraging lifelong learning, delegating responsibility and giving regular and constructive feedback;
• strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day operational challenges, together with demonstrated planning and organisational skills;
• a strong result orientation with the ability to set priorities and present practical solutions orally and in writing;
• the ability to manage challenging situations proactively and constructively and to be customer-focused.

People management experience is an asset, as is international experience, i.e. outside your home country.

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, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.

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 [email protected] .
Important Information and Disclaimer
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 for 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 can only be considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia. 

According to the ESA Convention , the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to internal candidates and secondly to external candidates from under-represented 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.  

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.