Media Relations Officer for ESA Director General and Corporate Matters
Paris, FR
This is a fixed-term appointment with an initial duration of 4 years. Depending upon performance and organisational needs, the appointment may be extended up to a possible maximum duration of 8 years.
Location
ESA Headquarters, Paris, France
Description
Media Relations Officer for ESA Director General and Corporate Matters, 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.
In addition, you will support the Head of the Corporate and Institutional Communication Office with media activities related to corporate matters.
Duties
Your tasks and responsibilities will include:
- conducting all media relations activities of the ESA Director General by:
- building strong relationships and networks within the media community, as well as 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;
- maintaining and updating relevant journalist databases, a log file for all Director General media requests and media insight analysis;
- coordinating, with the Director General and Corporate Communication Officer, the workflow based on an integrated planning to ensure fast, strategic publication across all ESA corporate social media channels;
- ensuring, in liaison with the Media Relations Officer for ESA Headquarters (as the home of the ESA Director General), that ESA Director General media relations activities are properly embedded within the media relations strategies for Headquarters, by seeking out and developing strategic media opportunities for the ESA Director General where appropriate.
- contributing to the media relations activities for corporate matters by liaising with both the Corporate Media Relations Officer and the Head of the ESA Member States Outreach Office for:
- managing 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;
- ensuring that ESA Director General media relations activities are embedded properly within the Member States’ media relations strategies, by seeking out and developing strategic media opportunities for the ESA Director General where appropriate;
- supporting the Head of the Corporate and Institutional Office by:
- contributing to the definition and development of the global ESA Media Relations Policy and Strategy as well as the related activity monitoring.
- establishing a transparent, open and shared process to develop and implement an excellent working team spirit and close cooperation across the Department, in particular with the different Media Relations Officers of the Department’s ESA Member States Outreach Office for their expertise and knowledge of national media landscapes.
Technical competencies
Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking
For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook
Education
A master's degree in a relevant domain is required for this post.
Additional requirements
The capacity to work well under pressure and to 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 specific crisis situations.
Strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day operational challenges, together with demonstrated planning, organisational skills and strong result orientation.
At least 10 years of 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 in particular.
Knowledge of German would be considered an additional asset.
Availability to travel frequently within Europe (at least two to three times a month).
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, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.
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 contact.human.resources@esa.int.
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.
Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations & eligible to acquire the security clearance by their national security administrations.
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 are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.
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.