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EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY

Paolo DonzelliESTEC HR DivisionDen Haag27 November 2008

Alternative Career Paths for Technical Specialists

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“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

PURPOSE OF ESA

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• 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.

18 MEMBER STATES

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• 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.

ACTIVITIES

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Houston

Washington

Kourou

Moscow

Establishments & Centres

Offices

ESTEC(Noordwijk)

Brussels

ESA HQ(Paris) Toulouse

ESAC(Villafranca)

ESRIN(Frascati)

EAC (Cologne)

ESOC(Darmstadt)

ESA’S LOCATIONS

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• 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

ESA FACTS AND FIGURES

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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

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

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TECHNICAL CAREER AT ESA (THE PAST)

A2 A3 A4 A5 A6

TECHNICALCAREER

JUNIOR(ENTRY LEVEL)

ASSOCIATED SENIOR

MANAGERIALCAREER

HEAD OF SECTION

HEAD OF DIVISION

HEAD OF DEPART.

FROM A2 TO A4: PROGRESSION BY PROMOTIONFROM A4 TO A5, A5 TO A6: PROGRESSION BY VACANCY NOTICE

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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)

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SOLUTION: A new schema for A5 ad personam

A2 A3 A4 A5 A6

TECHNICALCAREER

JUNIOR(ENTRY LEVEL)

ASSOCIATED SENIOR

SENIORADVISOR

(RETAIN CURRENT JOB)

MANAGERIALCAREER

HEAD OF SECTION

HEAD OF DIVISION

HEAD OF DEPART.

FROM A2 TO A4: PROGRESSION BY PROMOTIONFROM A4 TO A5: BY APPLYING FOR AN A5 AD PERSONAMFROM A4 TO A5, A5 TO A6: PROGRESSION BY VACANCY NOTICE

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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DETAILED DATA

Elig

ible

App

lican

ts

% o

f app

's

% o

f elig

.

S/L

% o

f S/L

Sele

cted

Elig

ible

App

lican

ts

% o

f app

's

% o

f elig

.

S/L

% o

f S/L

Sele

cted

Technical Direcorate 97 21 28% 22% 4 27% 2 111 17 30% 15% 3 20% 2Scientific Directorate 64 15 20% 23% 3 20% 3 63 5 9% 8% 1 7% 1

Administration (HR, Fin, Proc) 40 1 1% 3% 0 0% 0 35 1 2% 3% 0 0% 0Satellite Operations 84 9 12% 11% 2 13% 2 107 7 12% 7% 3 20% 2

Launchers 20 2 3% 10% 0 0% 0 21 3 5% 14% 0 0% 0Human Spaceflights 83 7 9% 8% 1 7% 0 70 5 9% 7% 1 7% 0

Legal and International Affairs 15 3 4% 20% 0 0% 0 20 2 4% 10% 0 0% 0Telecom and Navigation 46 4 5% 9% 2 13% 1 47 2 4% 4% 1 7% 1

Earth Observation 82 13 17% 16% 3 20% 2 81 14 25% 17% 6 40% 4Director General Cabinet (strategy) 12 1 1% 8% 0 0% 0 10 1 2% 10% 0 0% 0

Total 543 76 15 10 565 57 15 10

2006 2008

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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

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Questions?