Job Description, Responsibilities & Requirements
About the Position
The Team Leader for the "Support to the Africa–EU Space Partnership Programme – AESPP Boost" is a pivotal role designed to drive political, technical, and market convergence between Africa and Europe in the space sector. This flagship 54-month technical assistance initiative aims to strengthen the Africa-EU Space Partnership by building robust stakeholder coalitions, enhancing visibility, and fostering the development of the private-sector ecosystem. The Team Leader will provide high-level strategic, political, and technical leadership, ensuring coherence, complementarity, and measurable impact across all programme objectives and related initiatives.
Responsibilities
- Steer the overall implementation of the programme, ensuring the quality and timely delivery of outputs.
- Lead a diverse and multidisciplinary team of experts.
- Maintain direct, high-level communication with the Contracting Authority, African Union bodies, EU Delegations, and other key stakeholders.
- Convene and facilitate strategic dialogues and coalition-building across the Africa-EU space ecosystem.
- Oversee the design and delivery of capacity-building, innovation, and business support activities.
- Represent the partnership at ministerial, industry, and technical fora, raising its visibility and impact.
Requirements
Essential:
- Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in Political Sciences, Business, Economics, Engineering, Geospatial Sciences, Climatology, or a related field. Alternatively, a Bachelor’s degree with 6 additional years of relevant senior experience.
- Excellent command of English (C1/C2); strong French (B2/C1) is mandatory; working knowledge of Portuguese and/or Arabic is highly desirable.
- Recognised public stature and credibility in both political and technical environments; proven spokesperson at ministerial, technical, and industry fora across Africa and Europe.
- Familiarity with EU space assets (Copernicus, Galileo/EGNOS) and African space programmes and policies.
- High political acumen, operational diplomacy, and coalition-building skills.
- Exceptional communication and advocacy skills; able to translate technical concepts into policy and business value.
- Strong leadership, coordination, and interpersonal skills; proven ability to lead and inspire multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
Desirable:
- Deep, up-to-date knowledge of both European and African space stakeholders and ecosystems.
- Established relationships with African Union Commission (AUC), African Space Agency (AfSA), Regional Economic Communities (RECs/RCCs), and European technical partners (ESA, EUMETSAT, ECMWF).
General professional experience:
- At least 20 years of progressive leadership experience spanning political, technical, diplomatic, economic, and communication dimensions relevant to the Africa–EU space partnership.
- Significant experience (7–10+ years) working in African contexts, including with continental and regional bodies (AUC/AfSA, RECs/RCCs) and with European technical partners.
- Demonstrated leadership of complex, multi-partner programmes funded by the EU or comparable donors.
- Strong track record in EU–AU policy dialogue, institutional capacity building, and public-private partnership development.
Specific professional experience:
- Proven coalition-builder across public sector, industry, academia, and civil society; experience engaging investors and market actors.
- Experience interfacing with ESA, EUMETSAT, ECMWF is an asset; familiarity with JRC, INTPA, EU Delegations, and DG DEFIS is desired.
- Experience in market development, investment facilitation, and innovation ecosystem support in the space sector.
We Offer
- Competitive salary
- Opportunity to work on a globally impactful project
- Professional growth and development opportunities
About the Company
This role is part of a flagship technical assistance initiative designed to drive political, technical, and market convergence between Africa and Europe in the space sector. The project aims to strengthen the Africa-EU Space Partnership by building robust stakeholder coalitions, enhancing visibility, and fostering the development of the private-sector ecosystem.
Application Details
- Application deadline: Sat, 30 May 2026 - 12:00
- Duration: 11/2026 - 05/2031
- Location: Global
- Languages: English (Advanced), French (Advanced), Portuguese (Working knowledge), Arabic (Working knowledge)
- Employment type: Full-time
- Experience level: Senior