European Space Agency Policy Manager

Background: The UK Space Agency: 

The UK Space Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) and provides technical advice on the government’s space strategy, supporting the UK space sector to deliver the government’s vision. 

Space is a part of everyday life. Satellites underpin our national economy, from agriculture and banking to aviation and shipping, and support our national security. Space science provides critical data to understand and address global challenges such as climate change, while missions to explore our solar system unite nations and advance humanity’s horizons. 

We support a thriving space sector in the UK, which generates an annual income of £16.5 billion and employs 47,000 people across the country. 

Through our portfolio of programmes and projects, we encourage the development of national space capabilities and are an early-stage investor in space research and development.  We also promote the UK space sector’s interests and achievements; make connections to join up industry and academia; and represent the UK in international space programmes. 

We have a powerful global voice, partnering with institutions across the world, including the European Space Agency. 

More information about the Agency is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-space-agency 

To discover more please watch this film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZZ-o0IkVU

Our Inclusive Environment

We have an inclusive culture to make UK Space Agency a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.

We offer first-class flexible working benefits, excellent employee well-being support and a great pension. We are fortunate to have a range of excellent staff networks and are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We will support talented people from all backgrounds to build a career and thrive.

We actively welcome applications from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion.

This is an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to be an integral part of the UK Space Agency’s work on European Space Agency (ESA) cross-cutting policy.

Many teams across the UK Space Agency work on ESA programmes. The ESA policy team deal specifically with supporting these teams and working with them to maximise our membership of ESA, including supporting the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as they develop the long-term strategy for our future investment in ESA. 

The core of this role is to build relationships with your counterparts in ESA to support our wider ESA membership, working with DSIT and teams across the Agency, and in particular, the International Relations team, to ensure an coherent government approach to Europe.

Key Responsibilities:

• Liaising with teams across the Agency and DSIT to support and develop our relationships within ESA.
• Leading on our external ESA communications, working closely with the Agency’s communications team, to prepare for events, develop briefing etc.
• Attending the ESA International Relationship Committee (IRC), developing briefing and determining wider objectives through liaising with teams across the Agency.
• Support the wider agency in ensuring that their views are represented at ESA Council and IRC and working with teams to cohere our international and ESA policies.
• Support wider cross-cutting ESA policy issues as they arise, including supporting future bids for ESA funding.

UK Space Agency Generic Responsibilities (This is a requirement of all posts)

• Ensure compliance with statutory and legal provisions as set out in the UK Space Agency’s policies and procedures. In particular in relation to: Financial Regulations, Equal Opportunities and Diversity, Health and Safety, Civil Service Code, Data Protection & the Official Secrets Act.
• Comply with the behaviours and standard requisites as relevant to your post as detailed in your job description, person specification and take responsibility for continuing self-development, participating in training and development activities as required or requested by your line manager.
• Attend meetings as required some of which may be outside normal working hours

The above mentioned tasks and responsibilities are neither inclusive nor exhaustive. The post holder may be called upon to carry out such other appropriate duties as may be required by the Chief Executive and/or senior officer(s) within the grading level of the post and the competence of the post holder.

Essential:

• Working together: The job holder needs to have experience of dealing with stakeholders.
• Making effective decisions : This is particularly about working with experts to use evidence for the formulation of policy.
• Communicating and influencing: The job holder should be able to communicate about space in an engaging manner and influence outcomes in the space domain.
• Delivering at pace: The job holder should be comfortable responding to policy requests from Ministers in a timely manner.

Desirable

Enthusiasm and interest in space is an advantage. Experience in European fora would also be an advantage but not essential as this role offers many opportunities to develop this.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

UK Space Agency offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
• Access to a range of retail, travel, and lifestyle employee discounts.
• A generous maternity/paternity and adoption leave package.
• This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is an informal, non-contractual and voluntary arrangement, blending a balance of attendance in the workplace (your permanent duty station which is based on business assessment of where the work is best done) and working from home, or elsewhere, as a personal choice (if the role is suitable for this).  If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
• The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Job contact :

• Name : Emily Newton
• Email : emily.newton@ukspaceagency.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : uksarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk