Programme/Project Controller

Aurora is an established supplier of skilled manpower to ESA and in particular at ESTEC and ESAC. Aurora has the opportunity to expand our support to ESA in the domain of BMC – Business Management, Controlling & Administration.
Happiness of our employees has proven key to obtaining excellent results and a client who also regards us highly for excellent service.

Specific Tasks

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.
• Maintenance of list of specific compensation or improvement measures and follow-up the implementation.
• Support to programme/project level risk management.
• 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.

Specific Qualification Requirements

• Fluency in English, both written and spoken.
• Masters in Engineering or equivalent or MBA or equivalent University degree from a recognized Institution of secondary studies or equivalent qualification in Business Administration.
• At least 4 years of experience in a relevant field.
• Experience in controlling and/or management of activities and resources in aerospace industry.
• 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).
• Knowledge of contract procurement process.
• Knowledge of project control methods and calculating Milestone Payment Plans.
• Knowledge of preparing Power BI reports is an asset.
• 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.

Legal and Security Requirements

• All applicants must be legally allowed to work in The Netherlands.
• Applicants are required to provide a copy of their passport and degree certificate. Aurora will validate the Degree with the issuing University and provide evidence to ESA.
• Prior to issuing a letter of employment the applicant shall provide to Aurora a recent official document declaring that they are of good conduct from the country where currently resident.

Location

The work will be performed at the European Space Technology and Research Centre (ESTEC) at Noordwijk, The Netherlands.

Contract

• All employees receive good remuneration in line with function and experience.
• When autonomous then teleworking can often be utilised.
• Will be registered for both social security and tax in the Netherlands.
• The standard working hours are 40 per week.
• There are 12 public holidays and an additional 30 annual days holiday.
• Training to improve efficiency and provide strength for future career are of course included.
• Aurora contributes 15,4% of pensionable salary to a company pension scheme and employees can optionally make additional contributions.

To be considered for this Position

Prior to 28 March 2025 , please apply via our Job Application form quoting BMC-195 as reference.

Aurora will agree conditional employment terms and conditions with candidates before presenting them by 30 March 2025, 13.00 hours.

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