Head of the Infrastructure Office in the Space Sector Promotion Area of ​​Catalonia (APEC)

Head of the Infrastructure Office in the Space Sector Promotion Area of ​​Catalonia (APEC)

IEEC - Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia

Castelldefels, Spain

Introduction

The purpose of this call is the selection process for a candidate to fill the position of Head of the Infrastructure Office assigned to the Space Sector Promotion Area of Catalonia at the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia.

Description of position

Professional group: Group I. Management, administration, and services personnel
Professional category: Office Head
Working hours: 37.5 hours/week
Work location: Baix Llobregat Campus of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Castelldefels, in the RDIT building of the mentioned Campus

Functions

The Head of the Infrastructure Office will report to the APEC Director and will have, among others, the following responsibilities:

• Technical coordination of space infrastructures in Catalonia;
• Project management, ensuring compliance with regulations, deadlines, and deliverables;
• Supervision and execution of public procurement and industrial agreements for the development of infrastructures and space missions;
• Management of Earth Observation missions through public procurement processes;
• Promotion and coordination of competitive proposals driven by IEEC members;
• Encouragement of interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers and the space industry;
• Organisation of technical meetings, events, and workshops related to space infrastructures;
• Maintenance and promotion of standards for technical project management and infrastructure operations;
• Coordination with IEEC programme managers;
• Continuous interaction with public procurement and purchasing teams;
• Team management and leadership;
• Technical visits to facilities and participation in management and technical meetings.

This position requires availability for travel within Catalonia and Europe, with occasional overnight stays.

Participation requirements and selection criteria

The following criteria will be assessed during the selection process:

• Trainning: Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Telecommunications, Computer Science, Physics, or an equivalent field;
• Experience: A minimum of 3 years’ experience in the last 10 years in technical project management (e.g., ESA, H2020, FP7, EUSPA, EUMETSAT, national projects) within the scientific or space sectors or in industrial sectors with equivalent quality standards.

The following aspects will be considered desirable merits:

• At least 7 years of experience performing similar functions as described above;
• Experience in public procurement procedures;
• Knowledge of ground segment infrastructures for satellites, satellite testing and integration, engine and launcher testing;
• Understanding of the complete life cycle of space technical projects and space infrastructure operations;
• Experience in implementing quality procedures for space instrumentation (ECSS, CCSDS);
• Ability to coordinate and manage projects, ensuring compliance with deadlines and contracts;
• Knowledge of space missions and scientific instrumentation;
• Experience in team management, with leadership and motivational skills;
• Knowledge of the space sector and industry in Catalonia and Europe;
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical information to non-expert audiences;
• Oral and written proficiency in the Catalan language at a C1 level according to the Directorate General of Language Policy or equivalent;
• Proficiency in English (oral and written);
• Ability to prioritise and manage multiple simultaneous projects;
• Strong analytical and synthesis skills.

Contact and deadline

Interested candidates who meet the established requirements can send a motivation letter, along with a personal CV in PDF format, signed as certification, including a brief description of the tasks performed in previous positions, to the following email address: RecursosHumans@ieec.cat indicating the reference “Surname and name _OF_IEEC_183_2025", in the subject line of the email.

The reception of applications ends on 30/04/2025.

Applications that do not meet the requirements included in the cases provided for, or those which are not processed in accordance with the established procedure will not be considered.

Selection procedure

Initially, a verification of the requirements of participation will be carried out and a first selection of candidates will be made based on the documents contributed. Next, if necessary, the shortlisted candidates may be called to a personal interview to expand the detailed information in the curriculum and assess aspects related to professional competences.

Interested persons must have the originals of the certificates accrediting the training and work experience mentioned in the curriculum and must submit them if required.

In compliance with the LISMI (Spanish General Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities), the IEEC will consider a reserved quota for candidates who can certify a disability equal to or greater than 33%, provided they are suitable for carrying out the required functions.