Job Requisition ID: 20454
Date Posted: 27 March 2026
Closing Date: 17 April 2026 23:59 CET/CEST
Publication: Internal & External
Type of Appointment: Fixed-Term
Directorate: Resources and Services
Workplace: Noordwijk, NL; Paris, FR; Frascati, IT; Darmstadt, DE; Villanueva de la Cañada, ES
Grade Band: A2 - A4
This is a fixed-term appointment with an initial duration of 2 years. Depending upon performance and organisational needs, the appointment may be extended up to a possible maximum duration of 8 years.
Location: ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands; ESRIN, Frascati, Italy; ESA Headquarters, Paris, France; ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany; ESAC, Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain
DescriptionTalent Acquisition Partner
We are building and strengthening ESA’s HR Recruitment Hub to support the Agency’s growing recruitment needs and to contribute to the delivery of efficient, high-quality and forward‑looking sourcing and recruitment across ESA.
We are looking for talent acquisition experts who will act as strategic partners in conducting sourcing and recruitment for the assigned business areas. They will also act as agents of change, proactively bringing ESA's talent acquisition strategy to life and bringing the needs of the business areas they serve to the forefront.
By collaborating and partnering with our clients — the HR Business Partners and the Workforce Management Office — the Talent Acquisition Partners will help build a more agile and proactive HR function with strong customer orientation, capable of attracting and hiring the diverse and high‑quality talent ESA needs to deliver on its inspiring mandate.
Reporting to the Head of the Recruitment Hub, you will contribute to the implementation and delivery of recruitment activities across the Agency. The Recruitment Hub is responsible for the full end‑to‑end implementation of recruitment processes, including selection coordination and candidate management.
In this role, you will support ESA in recruiting talent in a highly competitive international labour market, contributing to the Agency’s long-term capability needs and workforce development.
DutiesYou will be key to shaping ESA’s future workforce by driving strategic talent decisions across the organisation. Your main responsibilities will include:
- Recruitment management
- Driving talent hiring activities aligned with business priorities, under the coordination of the Head of the Recruitment Hub, in collaboration with HR Business Partners and hiring managers.
- Turning ESA’s strategic objectives and workforce planning into targeted and actionable hiring and selection approaches.
- Playing an active role in recruitment campaigns aligned with ESA’s revised Job Architecture.
- Representing HR in the selection process while ensuring compliance with recruitment policies and procedures, thus ensuring high‑quality hiring outcomes.
- Taking ownership of key HR initiatives concerning hiring and internal mobility, such as the evolution of selection board policies and practices.
- Candidate management
- Participating in the design and delivery of a seamless, professional and engaging candidate journey, positioning ESA as an employer of choice.
- Building and proactively nurturing talent pipelines, leveraging market insights and creative sourcing to secure talent.
- Recruitment analytics and process improvement
- Processing recruitment data analytics to identify opportunities for increased efficiency, digitalisation and stakeholder satisfaction.
- Leveraging recruitment data to ensure that informed strategic workforce decisions are made and future capability needs are anticipated.
- Stakeholder management
- Collaborating across HR and the wider business to drive alignment and deliver impactful hiring outcomes.
- Managing and coordinating external service partners and tools to enhance recruitment effectiveness and innovation.
- Providing guidance and mentorship to junior team members, fostering capability growth within the team.
This role involves collaboration across multiple stakeholders and functions, with occasional travel within Europe.
Technical competencies- Experience in managing recruitment processes
- Knowledge of sourcing methods and talent acquisition practices
- Experience with competency-based and structured interviews
- Knowledge of state‑of‑the‑art selection methodologies and off‑the‑shelf assessment tools
- Ability to manage multiple recruitment processes simultaneously, to the satisfaction of stakeholders
- Experience in working with digital HR recruitment systems and tools, in particular SAP SuccessFactors or comparable systems
- Result Orientation
- Operational Efficiency
- Fostering Cooperation
- Relationship Management
- Continuous Improvement
- Forward Thinking
For more information, please refer to the ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook.
EducationA master’s degree in e.g. Human Resources, Business Administration, Engineering or Psychology, is required for this post, together with 4 years of directly relevant professional experience.
Alternatively, candidates with a bachelor’s degree, complemented by an additional 4 years of relevant professional experience can be considered.
Additional requirementsCandidates should demonstrate a track record of managing recruitment processes and delivering effective hiring outcomes, ideally within organisations operating in highly specialised labour markets.
Experience in recruiting profiles in engineering, scientific or technical environments would be a strong asset.
Additionally, candidates should demonstrate:
- strong organisational and coordination skills;
- excellent interpersonal and communication abilities;
- the capacity to work effectively with managers, internal stakeholders and service providers in a complex organisational environment;
- utmost discretion and professionalism when handling confidential information.
Data analytics experience would be an asset.
Diversity, Equity and InclusivenessESA 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 DisclaimerIn 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 set‑up, 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 LanguagesPlease 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, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.
According to the ESA Convention, staff shall be recruited on the basis of their qualifications, taking into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the 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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr€60000 - €85000 monthly