Head of the Space Segment Section - European Space Agency (Noordwijk)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Space Agency on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Initiate, implement and manage activities devoted to development of satellite space segment technology and products for satellite communication market
• Provide regular technical, programmatic and financial reporting to ESA management and ESA Member State delegations
• Manage the Section, including preparation of manpower plans and resource requirements
• Provide engineering support to projects and activities with emphasis on adoption of innovative and disruptive technologies in satellite communication domain
• Identify and define technology needs for future satellite communication space segment products and their associated roadmaps
• Coordinate required support provided by other ESA organisational units
• Support preparation of yearly ESA-initiated ARTES workplans
• Establish close collaboration with other functional elements of the Department and Directorate

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Education: Master's degree in a relevant domain required, or bachelor's degree with additional four years of relevant professional experience
• Experience: 8 years of relevant professional experience required with master's degree, or 12 years total with bachelor's degree. Experience in managing and monitoring technology and product development activities carried out by industry for satellite communication applications. Experience of interacting with space industry, ESA Member State delegations and stakeholders.
• Key skills: Knowledge of ESA and industrial development, verification and procurement processes, Knowledge of satcom market and associated technology trends in space segment domain, Background in technical domains covered by the position, Potential to manage individuals or a team, Ability to organise individual and team activities and ensure motivating work environment, Strong leadership capabilities with proven relationship management and communication skills, Ability to drive team performance and develop people, Strong problem-solving skills, Planning and organisational skills, Result orientation with ability to set priorities and present practical solutions orally and in writing

Contract and working arrangements

Working arrangements: ECSAT, Harwell, United Kingdom or ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands.

Hiring unit: Technology and Products Management Division, Future Missions Department, Directorate for Resilience, Navigation and Con….

Position details

Reference

1382163933

Last Verified

11 August 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Head of the Space Segment Section at ESA based in Noordwijk (Other). The vacancy reference is 1382163933.

Job Requisition ID:20477

Date Posted:10 August 2026

Closing Date:6 September 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication:Internal & External

Directorate:Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity

Workplace: Harwell, GB Noordwijk, NL

Location

ECSAT, Harwell, United Kingdom or ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Description

Head of the Space Segment Section, Technology and Products Management Division, Future Missions Department, Directorate for Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity.

In this role, you will be responsible for managing activities devoted to the development of telecommunication space segment technology and products.

Duties

Under the direct authority of the Head of the Technologies and Products Management Division, the Head of the Space Segment Section is responsible for:

- initiating, implementing and managing activities devoted to the development of satellite space (payload and platform) segment technology and products for the satellite communication market funded by ARTES Industrial Competitiveness (IC), as well as by the Strategic Programme Lines; - providing regular technical, programmatic and financial reporting to ESA management and ESA Member State delegations; - managing the Section, including the preparation of manpower plans and resource requirements; - providing engineering support to projects and activities with an emphasis on the adoption of innovative and disruptive technologies in the satellite communication domain; - identifying and defining technology needs for future satellite communication space segment products and their associated roadmaps; - coordinating the required support provided by other ESA organisational units, such as the Directorate of Operations, the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality and the Directorate of Commercialisation and Industry Partnership; - supporting the preparation of the yearly ESA-initiated ARTES workplans; - establishing close collaboration with other functional elements of the Department and Directorate as necessary; - supporting the promotion of the ARTES IC programme and the ARTES socioeconomic impact analysis; - supporting the development and maintenance of dashboards for the monitoring and control of internal resources.

Technical competencies

Experience in managing and monitoring technology and product development activities carried out by industry for satellite communication applications

Knowledge of ESA and industrial development, verification and procurement processes

Knowledge of the satcom market and associated technology trends in the space segment domain

Background in the technical domains covered by the position

Experience of interacting with the space industry, ESA Member State delegations and stakeholders

Behavioural competencies

Education and professional experience

A master’s degree in a relevant domain is required for this post together with 8 years of relevant professional experience. Alternatively, candidates with a bachelor’s degree, complemented by an additional four (4) years of relevant professional experience can be considered.

Additional requirements

- The potential to manage individuals or a team; - The ability to organise individual and team activities and ensure a motivating work environment; - Strong leadership capabilities, with proven relationship management and communication skills; - The ability to drive your team’s performance, developing your people by encouraging 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 both 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, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities.

Experience in managing complex research and development programmes, preferably in the telecommunications domain, is desirable

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 11 August 2026, today.

The application deadline is 6 September 2026, 25 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 11 August 2026.

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at ESA see the ESA institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Noordwijk see our Noordwijk location page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.