EAC Real Estate and Facilities Management Site Manager

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EAC Real Estate and Facilities Management Site Manager

Job Requisition ID: 19719

Date Posted: 15 July 2025

Closing Date: 26 August 2025 23:59 CET/CEST

EAC Real Estate and Facilities Management Site Manager, Division C, Real Estate and Facilities Management (REFM) Department, Directorate of Resources and Services.

As the EAC REFM Site Manager, you will be responsible for the tactical and operational management and delivery of all REFM activities at the ESA European Astronaut Centre (EAC) site.

Alongside other site managers across Europe, you will be a member of the REFM Leadership Team, led by the Head of Department and the Heads of Division, who are responsible for optimising REFM deliverables across sites by establishing a common set of strategic objectives, guidelines, performance and quality management systems, optimised methods and processes, planning and coordination, and governance and reporting, in a cross-cutting (matrix) departmental structure. Your role will require that you work closely with the Leadership Team to address the overlapping responsibilities of a matrix organisation and ensure consistency across the ESA sites.

The Real Estate and Facilities Management Department is responsible for eight sites across Europe, with a total of approximately 250,000sqm of working space as well as technical facilities, and a population of over 7,000 staff and contractors.

EAC is the European centre of excellence for astronaut training, operations and space medicine. With a total of approximately 14,000sqm of working space, it is equipped with a range of specialist training facilities. The site has a population of over 200 staff and contractors. EAC is located on the campus of the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

Duties

Reporting to the Head of REFM Division C, you will define, propose and implement the full range of agreed REFM services in accordance with relevant ESA policies, resource availability and the requirements expressed by the Head of EAC and other on-site customers while ensuring consistency with the Agency’s common approach to facilities management.

You will support the formulation and implementation of the agreed customer service level agreements at your site and will prepare, propose and implement agreed budget and work plans associated with this activity. You will be responsible for the allocated budget, projects and running operations under the overall sponsorship of the REFM Head of Division C. You will optimise the services to the EAC site while adhering to a cross-site strategy for the various facilities services.

You will be responsible for managing a variety of contracted FM services, with an operating budget responsibility exceeding €1.6m per year. In this role, you will be required to deliver the strategic oversight of the site by applying your competences and skills in a wide variety of domains: people management, compliance, crisis management and business continuity, maintenance and operations, safety and security, asset management, capital and operating planning and expenditure. You will also be a key point of contact for your DLR counterparts for all REFM-related matters.

Your responsibilities will include:

• ensuring that the site’s functioning and services align with the REFM strategic decisions endorsed by the Senior Leadership Team, and proactively contributing to shaping REFM strategic decisions;
• developing strong relationships with and providing leadership to the REFM EAC operational teams to enhance service delivery and optimal support to EAC users;
• developing effective interfaces and a sound working relationship, within REFM\’s remit, with:
  • the ESA directorates on site, including by representing REFM in various local committees, as well as the Staff Association Committee;
  • DLR, whose site is home to EAC, and the German local entities responsible for the provision and oversight of zoning plans and related permissions, policing, fire and rescue services, and safety, security and environmental compliance;
• providing specialist advice to the Head of EAC, in particular with respect to compliance with applicable legislation and ESA policies and support in interfacing with relevant national stakeholders, as well as with respect to crisis management and business continuity;
• in close coordination with the DLR department in charge of facility management and technical infrastructure, identifying, managing and reporting on the safety and environmental and physical security risks, within REFM’s remit, in compliance with national legislation and ESA policies and regulations, and initiating and/or coordinating related audits and inspections and prevention exercises, for example;
• overseeing preparation and conclusion, objective-setting and performance management, for customer service level agreements (SLAs) for the provision of utilities and common physical infrastructure and, as mandated, programme-dedicated infrastructure, as well as FM services, in accordance with specifically agreed customer requirements, and associated budgetary and work plans.

Proven experience in the REFM domain, with the leadership qualities required to manage a variety of contracted FM services in a complex organisation with a strong customer focus

Synthesis skills: ability to take in a variety of complex information and effectively simplify, organise and translate it into action

Analytical skills: proficiency in data analysis tools to evaluate and make recommendations for improvement

Proven experience in activity and project management with effective skills including planning, preparing, executing and evaluating projects

Knowledge and experience of planning and scheduling, allocation and execution monitoring of resources and maintaining a balanced workload

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

A master\’s degree in a relevant discipline is required for this post.

Additional requirements

• Team leadership, with the ability to lead and motivate a team, ensuring that each member is engaged and productive; Strong leadership capabilities, with proven relationship management and communication skills;
• 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 both orally and in writing;
  Effective delegation skills to ensure that tasks are assigned appropriately and team members are empowered to take ownership of their responsibilities;
• Performance management: skills in setting clear performance expectations, providing regular feedback, and conducting performance reviews, with the ability to drive your team’s performance, developing your people by encouraging learning, delegating responsibility and giving regular and constructive feedback;
• Conflict resolution: proficiency in resolving conflicts within the team in a constructive manner;
• The ability to manage challenging situations proactively and constructively and to be customer-focused;
• Development and training: commitment to the professional development of team members through training, mentoring and providing growth opportunities.

People management experience is an asset, as is international experience, i.e. outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities.

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 at contact.human.resources@esa.int .

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 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 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 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, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.

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.

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