1. Paolo Donzelli ESTEC HR Division Den Haag 27 November 2008
EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
Alternative Career Paths for Technical Specialists
Paolo Donzelli
ESTEC HR Division
Den Haag
27 November 2008

2. PURPOSE OF ESA
“To provide for and promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European states in space research and technology and their space applications.”
Article 2 of
ESA Convention

3. 18 MEMBER STATES
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Canada takes part in some projects under a cooperation agreement.
Hungary, Romania and Poland are European Cooperating States.
Estonia and Slovenia have recently signed cooperation agreements with ESA.

4. ACTIVITIES
Space science
Human spaceflight
Exploration
Earth observation
Launchers
Navigation
Telecommunications
Technology
Operations
ESA is one of the few space agencies in the world to combine responsibility in all areas of space activity.

5. ESA’S LOCATIONS EAC (Cologne) ESTEC (Noordwijk)
Establishments & Centres
Brussels
ESOC
(Darmstadt)
ESA HQ
(Paris)
Offices
Toulouse
ESRIN
(Frascati)
ESAC
(Villafranca)
Moscow
Washington
Kourou
Houston

6. ESA FACTS AND FIGURES Over 30 years of experience 18 Member States
Four establishments, 2043 staff
3 000 million Euros budget (2008)
Over 60 satellites designed and
tested
14 scientific satellites in operation
Five types of launcher developed
More than 180 launches made

7. ESA STAFF FIGURES
2000+
Grade Structure from Coordinated Organisations (like NATO)
20% Administrative (B1 to B6)
10% Management (A5, A6 and Hors Class)
70 % Professionals (A2 to A4):
15% Business Support (HR, Finance, Legal, Procurement, IT,...)
10% Scientists
45% Engineers
Contract Policy: 4Y + 6Y + Indefinite

8. New Career Paths for Technical Specialists: THE A5 AD PERSONAM PROGRAM

9. TECHNICAL CAREER AT ESA (THE PAST)
JUNIOR
(ENTRY LEVEL)
ASSOCIATED
SENIOR
MANAGERIAL
HEAD OF SECTION
HEAD
OF DIVISION
OF DEPART.
FROM A2 TO A4: PROGRESSION BY PROMOTION
FROM A4 TO A5, A5 TO A6: PROGRESSION BY VACANCY NOTICE

10. PROBLEMS
ESA success is based on its technical competences but it could not reward and promote its best technical staff
Good scientists and engineers were left without career perspectives for their last 10/15 years at ESA
Good technical staff are not, by default, good managers (especially when they become managers but they want to keep technical and operational roles)

11. SOLUTION: A new schema for A5 ad personam
TECHNICAL
CAREER
JUNIOR
(ENTRY LEVEL)
ASSOCIATED
SENIOR
ADVISOR
(RETAIN CURRENT JOB)
MANAGERIAL
HEAD OF SECTION
HEAD
OF DIVISION
OF DEPART.
FROM A2 TO A4: PROGRESSION BY PROMOTION
FROM A4 TO A5: BY APPLYING FOR AN A5 AD PERSONAM
FROM A4 TO A5, A5 TO A6: PROGRESSION BY VACANCY NOTICE

12. OBJECTIVES
Extend the career opportunities for high qualified professionals in the ESA core businesses: space science and space engineering
Rewards continuous outstanding results
Reinforce the technical and scientific culture of ESA
Set up a network of experts, visible and recognized through the organization, able to disseminate knowledge and passion for Space

13. PRINCIPLES
The promotion from A4 to the grade A5 ad personam is based on the PERSONAL competences and skills of the staff. When promoted the staff member maintains the current functions. The grade is linked to the staff member.
The promotion from A4 to A5 by applying to an open Vacancy Notice is based on the responsibilities of the new job. The grade is linked to the post.

14. PROCESS
Scheme approved in 2001 by ESA Governing Bodies: Max of 30 A5 AP positions for all ESA
In 2001 and 2002 selection by the top (directors). It did not work: heterogeneous and wrong profiles selected and no consistency in the selection.
Targeting only Technical and Scientific Staff at A4 grade
Selection Campaign usually every other year (subject to 30 post cap, replacement of A5 AP retiring)
As from 2006 new bottom-up scheme: All A4 staff may apply providing CV, list of publications and references
HR and a board of four (kept anonymous) senior reviewers, selected for integrity and competence, evaluate the applicants by objective criteria and rank them
The first 15 ranked applicants are short-listed for the final interview with a selection board composed of ESA directors and HR
10 are finally selected and appointed by the ESA Director General
Appointed staff retain their present functions but are required to contribute to the exchange of knowledge inside/outside ESA through lectures and courses in their domains of competence

15. SELECTION CRITERIA Internal recognition
Participation to Technical Reviews and Boards
External recognition
Publication in internationally recognized Technical and Scientific Journals
Membership of Professional Associations
Past contribution to ESA activities and projects
Patents
Demonstrated contribution to the solutions to complex technical issues
Potential future contribution to ESA activities and projects

16. DETAILED DATA

17. LESSONS LEARNED
Keep the bottom-up approach: all senior professionals staff may apply and have a chance through open and fair competition
Strength the internal recognition criteria over the external ones (scientists publish papers on Nature, engineers write technical notes nobody reads...)
Rotate the reviewers in charge of ranking the candidates to maintain variation in the selection process
Keep top management away until the final decision has been made (to avoid influence)
Don’t be afraid of diversity: experts are good for the organization as they are all different
Be fair and transparent through the whole process and debrief applicants at anytime

18. Questions?