Call for Applications for Chair of the Advisory Board of the European Space Agency
Paris, FR
Description
Chair of the Advisory Board
The European Space Agency (ESA) is looking for a Chair of its Advisory Board. The Advisory Board is an internal review body that hears cases of employment-related disputes between ESA and its staff members, former staff members or persons entitled under them. The Board issues recommendations to the Director General.
The Advisory Board consists of the external Chair and two/four staff members appointed, in equal numbers, by the Director General and the Chair of the Central Staff Committee.
The Advisory Board is administratively supported by a Secretariat.
Location
Remote work from an ESA Member State with some travel to different ESA establishments.
The Secretariat of the Advisory Board is located at ESA’s Headquarters in Paris, France.
Appointment
The Chair of the Advisory Board is appointed for a five-year term by the Director General after consultation with the Chair of the Central Staff Committee, and may be reappointed for one additional five-year term.
Sessions of the Board can be held at all ESA sites but mainly in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands or the United Kingdom. The caseload of the Board varies from year to year, in past years it has been between 3 and 10 cases per year.
The appointment as the Chair of the Advisory Board shall not be regarded for any purposes as establishing an employment relationship between ESA and the Chair.
ESA is considering appointing a Deputy Chair and may use the applications to the present vacancy for this purpose.
Technical competencies
The successful candidate shall:
- be a national of an ESA member state or cooperating state and be entitled to their full rights as a citizen;
- not be an active or former staff member of the Agency nor of a delegation of a member state or cooperating state of the Agency;
- be a person of high moral character and be of recognised competence in law;
- have a high degree of professionalism, independence and impartiality; and
- be available for a term of five years (with the possibility of re-appointment).
Education and experience
A recognised competence in law is required.
The ability of the candidate to satisfy any of the following additional criteria would be advantageous:
- professional experience of at least 10 years in the areas of employment relations, the international civil service and/or the administration of international organisations;
- experience in adjudication and/or arbitration, preferably as a judge or arbitrator.
Assessment and appointment
Qualifying candidates will be assessed by a pre-selection Board. Based on the recommendations of the Board, the ESA Director General will appoint the selected candidate.
Remuneration and additional information
Owing to the advisory and demand-led nature of the role, the Chair of the Advisory Board role will be governed by ESA's arrangements for expert and consultancy contracts, with the remuneration based on a days-worked basis.
Please note that the Agency will only consider candidates from 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, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.
The working languages of the Agency being English and French a high proficiency in both languages is required. A good level in one of the other languages of a member state of the Agency is an asset.
The selected candidate will be required to undergo background screening, including checking of references.
The closing date for submission of applications is 4 weeks after publication.
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.
