Media Relations Officer for the ESA Director General, ESA HQ, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg

Job Requisition ID: 18829

Date Posted: 24 July 2024

Application Deadline: 15 September 2024 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication: Internal & External

Type of Contract: Fixed-Term

Directorate: Director General's Services

Workplace: Paris, FR

Grade Band: A2 - A4

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This is a non-renewable post for a limited duration of four years.

Location
ESA Headquarters, Paris, France

Description
Media Relations Officer for the ESA Director General, ESA HQ, France, Belgium and Luxembourg, Corporate and Institutional Communication Office, Communication Department, Director General's Services.

Under the direct authority of the Head of the Corporate and Institutional Communication Office, you will be responsible for the development and implementation of the media relations activities directly related to the ESA Director General.

You will therefore oversee the development of media relations activities for ESA HQ, as the establishment where the Director General is based, as well as for the Member States of France, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Duties
Your tasks and responsibilities will include the following:

• Performing all of the media relations activities of the ESA Director General by:
  • building strong relationships and networks within the media community, and fostering and managing engagement in the community of space journalists by facilitating their access to the Director General and answering their queries in a timely manner;
  • organising interviews and briefings for individual journalists, as well as preparing, sending and updating press releases and news releases when the Director General’s involvement is appropriate;
  • coordinating, with corporate media relations activities, the involvement of the Director General in an updated and consolidated agenda based on an analysis and prioritisation of all existing ESA communication interests, as well as the resulting communication opportunities and threats for ESA in terms of media activities, in particular in a potential crisis or contingency situation;
  • coordinating, with the Director General and Corporate Social Media Officer, the workflow based on an integrated planning to ensure fast, strategic publication across all ESA corporate social media channels.

• Ensuring that the media relations and newsroom processes are properly implemented at ESA HQ – as the home of the ESA Director General – and across France, Belgium and Luxembourg by:
  • developing, in close coordination with the relevant Head of Establishment office, the media relations activities at ESA HQ by organising media events when appropriate;
  • implementing the media relations activities related to France, Belgium and Luxembourg by fostering and managing engagement in the community of space journalists and facilitating their access to ESA experts and ESA programmes, while ensuring the necessary level of messaging consistency and that journalists’ queries are answered in a timely manner;
  • maintaining and updating relevant journalist databases, the ESA HQ spokespersons list, a log file for all media requests and media insight analysis;
  • organising interviews and briefings for individual journalists, as well as preparing, sending and updating press releases and news releases when appropriate.

Technical competencies
Understanding of the communication networks of Member States and relevant stakeholders

Good understanding of the European context, other organisations and key challenges faced

Excellent communication skills

Understanding of the Agency's core business and structures, and its relationship with other space agencies

Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking

Education
A master's degree in a relevant domain is required for this post.

Additional requirements
The capacity to work well under pressure with tight deadlines, the flexibility to adapt to new and unforeseen demands and the ability to manage challenging situations proactively and to be customer focused, plus the availability to be on standby in emergencies.
Strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day operational challenges, together with demonstrated planning and organisational skills and strong result orientation.
Experience in media relations is required as well as excellent knowledge of the French language and in-depth knowledge of the media landscape in France.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.

At the Agency we value diversity, and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact us via email at [email protected].

Important Information and Disclaimer
In principle, recruitment will be within the advertised grade band (A2-A4). However, if the selected candidate has less than four years of relevant professional experience following the completion of the master’s degree, the position may be filled at A1 level.

During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures.

Note that ESA is in the process of transitioning to a Matrix setup, which could lead to organisational changes affecting this position.

The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have.

Nationality and Languages
Please note that applications can only be considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to internal candidates and secondly to external candidates from under-represented Member States*.

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.

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