Programme / Project Controller

Job content

We are looking for a Programme / Project Controller (M3) to join our Akkodis Aerospace team, working onsite at the European Space Agency in Harwell, United Kingdom. This is (initially) a temporary assignment for 18 months.

Akkodis has proudly supported the Aerospace & Defence industry for decades. Our partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) has been one of the many success stories allowing our people to expand their career horizons. Akkodis experts are contributing to some of the most important technical advances in Aerospace and Defence which impact the way we live our lives today, through specialised engineering expertise and other required skillsets. This could be your future. Become part of our successful team!

General tasks to be performed:

The work package covers provision of support to the Programmes and Projects. Depending on the size of the programmes / projects and the organisation of the ESA responsible entity the activity may cover one of several programmes/projects.

This may include different categories of ESA programmes/projects in relation to the nature of the corresponding activities, such as space programmes/projects, study and R&D activity programmes, EC projects and activities, etc.

· Support to the planning, preparation, execution and follow-up of projects / programmes activities in terms of schedule, related procurement actions, costs including preparation of CaC as relevant, manpower including support, etc. including:

• Assisting in preparing, developing and maintaining programme level plans.
• Assisting in the definition and in maintaining related work/procurement plans and related execution and contract actions plans using local tools as applicable.
• Monitoring of the implementation of the programmes and of activities, as appropriate, and preparation of related reports and provision of management information as required.
• Evaluating the results and main achievements of the programme, elaborating related KPIs, and preparing periodic overview publications.

· In the field of resources (i.e. financial and manpower) for programme/project(s):

• Assisting in the preparation of long-term, medium term and in-year resource plans.
• Monitoring and controlling the implementation of the plans in line with resource targets, performing forecasting, identifying deviations and related recovery actions, producing related reports.
• Reviewing / checking of ESA internal expenditures such as re-charges, support services and purchases for consistency with Cost–at– Completion (CAC) of industrial contracts.
• Checking commitments for consistency with budgets and ESA’s procedures and consumption of commitment ceiling and initiating related budgetary transfers as required.

· In the field of procurements and execution of contracts:

• Support to the preparation and follow-up of the Agency’s tender actions.
• Support to the proposal evaluations as expert for the price and schedule verification and analysis.
• Support to the preparation of the financial contract commitment and the data entry of the milestone payment plans in the Agency’s system(s).
• Contributing to the elaboration, consolidation of related procurement workplans and detailed implementation plans (e.g. Contract Action Plan baseline) and related commitment consumption, cost and disbursement profiles.
• Ensuring that above plans are properly inserted in the appropriate management tools.
• Following-up of the progress of the procurement actions and contracts, and keeping track of status and maintaining the current actual and forecasting in the appropriate ESA tools.
• Creating related objects in ESA-p, maintaining corresponding information in local applications as required and ensuring the correctness and coherence of related information.
• Monitoring and controlling of timely implementation of actions related to procurement and contractual matters, including monitoring of financial commitments, payment milestones and invoicing.
• Supporting industrial invoicing process and payment verification and control.
• Supporting programme inventory and export control activities, maintain relevant inventory databases.

· In the field of programme industrial return

• Initiation and coordination of the periodic updating of relevant Industrial Return data base to reflect the current commitments status and the industrial policy forecast for planned activities.
• Verification of coherence with ESA corporate Industrial Return data.
• Maintenance of list of specific compensation or improvement measures and follow-up the implementation.
• Verification of coherence of proposed procurement actions with the planned industrial return policy targets of the programme/project, including the compensation measures.

· Support to programme/project level risk management.

· Maintaining up to date the related data, performing data analysis, identifying deviations w.r.t. plans/targets and production of associated reports to the responsible management and to the concerned customers when relevant.

· Operation of the associated management information tools and system databases.

· Support to the responsible entity in the definition of new and improvement of existing processes and tools and production of related documents.

· Support the execution of the directorate’s Risk Management process

To successfully perform the above mentioned tasks, the following background / experience is required:

· Masters in Engineering or equivalent or MBA or equivalent University degree from a recognised Institution of secondary studies or equivalent qualification in Business Administration, with relevant experience.

· ESA experience would be considered a great asset.

· Proficient in the English language, both written and spoken, knowledge of another official ESA language is an asset.

· Experience in controlling and/or management of activities and resources in aerospace industry. For some tasks knowledge of Finance/Accounting may be required.

· Highly proficient in the use of modern activities and resource management support tools/databases of standard office automation support software packages including in particular advance usage of Excel (Ms-Office and in particular advanced use of Excel).

· Experience as user of SAP and in particular ECC and SRM modules and familiarity with relevant ESA corporate applications e.g. ESA-p) is an asset.

· Ability to rapidly understand and adapt to ESA specific context and environment including ESA corporate IT applications. Past experience with ESA in relevant activities is an asset.

About ESA ECSAT

The European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) is ESA’s new facility in the United Kingdom. It is based at the Harwell Science, Innovation and Business Campus in Oxfordshire.

ECSAT is the most recent addition to ESA’s operational sites across Europe. First opened in 2009, ECSAT will be developed by ESA following agreements reached between the UK and ESA in November 2012. ECSAT will support activities related to telecommunications, integrated applications, climate change, technology and science.

Please send your CV to recruitmentaerospace@akkodisgroup.com before 06/10/2023