Programme and Strategy Coordinator - European Space Agency (Noordwijk)

Contract TypeOther
Deadline28 August 2026

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.

Job Requisition ID:20782

Date Posted:29 July 2026

Closing Date:28 August 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication:Internal & External

Directorate:Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity

**Location**

ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

## **Description**

Programme and Strategy Coordinator in the RNC Strategy and Coordination Office, Directorate of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity.

The Strategy and Coordination Office is a cross-cutting office supporting the Director of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity, as well as its departments and offices. The Office’s responsibilities include strategy, stakeholder relations, communications and outreach and overall coordination of activities falling under the responsibility of the Directorate.

The Directorate’s portfolio of activities is growing, covering the ESA programmes and European Commission-delegated tasks in the domains of Navigation, Connectivity and Resilience. The Directorate contributes to the seamless management of the Agency’s resilience-, security- and defence-related programmes.

You will join a dynamic team and provide expertise in strategy, policy and coordination, in particular resilience and defence matters. You will play a critical role in the planning and coordination of the Directorate’s activities.

## **Duties**

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

* drafting comprehensive documents and presentations relating to the preparation and implementation of the RNC programmes for internal and external stakeholders; * preparing analytical assessments and summarising background and contextual information from a wide variety of sources; * supporting effective stakeholder management and identifying and developing new stakeholder relations with relevant resilience and defence entities; * supporting the formulation and coordination of the Directorate’s strategy and translating these into coherent and implementable plans; * supporting the preparation of ESA Council meetings at ministerial level and programmatic agreements with other stakeholders, ensuring Directorate-wide strategic alignment; * organising and preparing director/directorate briefings for stakeholder meetings; * supporting process improvements and related digitalisation within the team, ensuring efficient data collection, analysis and reporting; * preparing and improving the Directorate’s strategic management processes; * facilitating effective communication and collaboration within the team and with partners; * any other activities, as needed, in support of the programmes and Head of Office.

## **Technical competencies**

Thorough understanding of the European and international defence, security and resilience landscape, including key institutional, governmental and industrial stakeholders relevant to ESA’s mission.

Thorough understanding of the functioning of the European Union and its institutions.

Understanding of ESA Resilience, Connectivity and Navigation programmes.

Knowledge of and preferably experience in strategy development, formulation and implementation, ensuring alignment with Directorate level priorities and organisational objectives.

Exceptional verbal and written communication capabilities, enabling clear articulation of complex policy, technical and programme matters.

Strong awareness of market, industry and technology trends in applicable domains, including disruptive technologies and changes in the industrial landscape.

Proven capability in change management, with experience driving improvements in digital workflows, process optimisation and the adoption of AI enabled tools and methodologies.

## **Behavioural competencies**

## **Education and professional experience**

A master’s degree in engineering, space policy, law or economics or another relevant subject is required for this post, together with four years of relevant professional experience. Alternatively, candidates with a bachelor’s degree and an additional four years of relevant professional experience may be considered.

## **Additional requirements**

* Ability to serve as a reliable and recognised point of reference in a non-hierarchical relationship environment; * Very strong team player; * Ability to work both independently and as part of a team, and to prioritise effectively across the diverse range of tasks associated with the role, including interactions with delegations and industry; * Ability to network in various environments, for example with ESA staff, delegations and industry; * The ability to make solution-oriented, pragmatic and timely decisions of a high standard and with integrity in close coordination with other team member.

International experience is an asset.

Position details

Reference
1419777933
Last Verified
6 August 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Programme and Strategy Coordinator at ESA based in Noordwijk (Other). The vacancy reference is 1419777933.

Job Requisition ID:20782

Date Posted:29 July 2026

Closing Date:28 August 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication:Internal & External

Directorate:Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity

Location

ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

## Description

Programme and Strategy Coordinator in the RNC Strategy and Coordination Office, Directorate of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity.

The Strategy and Coordination Office is a cross-cutting office supporting the Director of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity, as well as its departments and offices. The Office’s responsibilities include strategy, stakeholder relations, communications and outreach and overall coordination of activities falling under the responsibility of the Directorate.

The Directorate’s portfolio of activities is growing, covering the ESA programmes and European Commission-delegated tasks in the domains of Navigation, Connectivity and Resilience. The Directorate contributes to the seamless management of the Agency’s resilience-, security- and defence-related programmes.

You will join a dynamic team and provide expertise in strategy, policy and coordination, in particular resilience and defence matters. You will play a critical role in the planning and coordination of the Directorate’s activities.

## Duties

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

* drafting comprehensive documents and presentations relating to the preparation and implementation of the RNC programmes for internal and external stakeholders; * preparing analytical assessments and summarising background and contextual information from a wide variety of sources; * supporting effective stakeholder management and identifying and developing new stakeholder relations with relevant resilience and defence entities; * supporting the formulation and coordination of the Directorate’s strategy and translating these into coherent and implementable plans; * supporting the preparation of ESA Council meetings at ministerial level and programmatic agreements with other stakeholders, ensuring Directorate-wide strategic alignment; * organising and preparing director/directorate briefings for stakeholder meetings; * supporting process improvements and related digitalisation within the team, ensuring efficient data collection, analysis and reporting; * preparing and improving the Directorate’s strategic management processes; * facilitating effective communication and collaboration within the team and with partners; * any other activities, as needed, in support of the programmes and Head of Office.

## Technical competencies

Thorough understanding of the European and international defence, security and resilience landscape, including key institutional, governmental and industrial stakeholders relevant to ESA’s mission.

Thorough understanding of the functioning of the European Union and its institutions.

Understanding of ESA Resilience, Connectivity and Navigation programmes.

Knowledge of and preferably experience in strategy development, formulation and implementation, ensuring alignment with Directorate level priorities and organisational objectives.

Exceptional verbal and written communication capabilities, enabling clear articulation of complex policy, technical and programme matters.

Strong awareness of market, industry and technology trends in applicable domains, including disruptive technologies and changes in the industrial landscape.

Proven capability in change management, with experience driving improvements in digital workflows, process optimisation and the adoption of AI enabled tools and methodologies.

## Behavioural competencies

## Education and professional experience

A master’s degree in engineering, space policy, law or economics or another relevant subject is required for this post, together with four years of relevant professional experience. Alternatively, candidates with a bachelor’s degree and an additional four years of relevant professional experience may be considered.

## Additional requirements

* Ability to serve as a reliable and recognised point of reference in a non-hierarchical relationship environment; * Very strong team player; * Ability to work both independently and as part of a team, and to prioritise effectively across the diverse range of tasks associated with the role, including interactions with delegations and industry; * Ability to network in various environments, for example with ESA staff, delegations and industry; * The ability to make solution-oriented, pragmatic and timely decisions of a high standard and with integrity in close coordination with other team member.

International experience is an asset.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 29 July 2026, 8 days ago.

The application deadline is 28 August 2026, 21 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 6 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.

Career trajectory

Career progression for this grade staff is governed by Articles 44 to 46 of the Staff Regulations (consolidated text on EUR-Lex) and Annex IB on the promotion procedure. Step increases are automatic every two years (Art. 44); grade promotion is competitive, based on the appraisal exercise (Art. 45) and the Career Development Review. For roles at ESA, progression to the next grade typically takes three to five years on merit, with two-yearly step increases in between. Article 46 governs the classification at recruitment, which sets the starting step within the grade (usually step 1 for external recruits without prior EU service, step 2 or 3 where relevant professional experience is recognised).
Mobility within the institutions is encouraged via the inter-institutional and intra-institutional vacancy publication system: temporary agents who pass the probation period and reservists from EPSO laureate lists can typically apply to internal vacancies after one year of service. Lateral moves between Directorates-General reset the seniority clock for promotion only if the new post carries a different grade.

Language profile

Beyond the formal language requirements stated in the vacancy notice, the day-to-day working languages at this employer are English and French in roughly equal measure, with German appearing in some technical files. Internal meetings and most policy drafting in Brussels run in English; French remains the preferred internal language in Luxembourg-based services and parts of DG TRADE.

Application cadence

ESA has not advertised another comparable role with the same grade and subject signature in the past twenty-four months. This opening has rarely been seen on the EU Careers feed and may be the first such posting in our two-year window. Applicants who pass the eligibility checks should not assume the same profile will reopen on a predictable cadence.

Source: This job listing was sourced from the officialEU Careers portal (EPSO). First published: .

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