Project Business Controller

Job Introduction

For more than half a century, Serco has walked alongside the pioneers of space. Serco has supported over 50 ESA missions where our teams have helped launch satellites, guide spacecraft across the void and turn data into discoveries that reshape our world. 
With thousands of specialists contributing across the entire space lifecycle from satellite testing to launch services, LEOP to operations and surveillance, we’ve become a trusted force in national And European space strategies. And now, the next chapter could include you.

As part of our long-standing partnership with the European Space Agency, we’re seeking a Project Business Controller to join us onsite at ESTEC, ESA’s technical heart in Noordwijk. This is the place where Europe’s missions are born, where engineers, scientists and innovators gather to turn bold ideas into the spacecraft that will explore our planet, our solar system and beyond.

The Community You’ll Step Into

Every day at ESTEC, you walk into a campus humming with possibility. Around you are Europe’s most advanced testing facilities, vast thermal-vacuum chambers, powerful vibration and acoustic halls, electromagnetic test bays, spaces where entire spacecraft experience the conditions of launch and the extremes of deep space. 
You’ll be part of a community where collaboration feels natural: engineers, researchers, universities, and industry experts working side by side, solving challenges that push the boundaries of physics and imagination. This is where sketches become hardware, where prototypes become missions, and where your work becomes part of European space history.

Key Responsibilities

• Implement and operate planning and control procedures to ensure full visibility over all activities relating to project progress, utilise established procedures and information systems, prepare cost and schedule estimates for new activities and maintain relevant historical databases.
• Support the establishment and application of risk management procedures, identify potential problem areas, propose remedial actions, and prepare reports as required.
• Assist in preparing tender documentation with respect to cost and schedule/planning requirements, participate in proposal evaluation, prepare information for subsequent contract negotiations and contribute to all tasks relating to the placement and controlling of industrial contracts.
• Following-up of the progress of the procurement actions and contracts and keeping track of status and maintaining the current actual and forecasting in the appropriate ESA tools.
• Creating related objects in ESA-p, maintaining corresponding information in local applications as required and ensuring the correctness and coherence of related information.
• Monitoring and controlling of timely implementation of actions related to procurement and contractual matters, including monitoring of financial commitments, payment milestones and invoicing.
• Supporting industrial invoicing process and payment verification and control.
• Initiation and coordination of the periodic updating of relevant Industrial Return data base to reflect the current commitments status and the industrial policy forecast for planned activities.
• Verification of coherence with ESA corporate Industrial Return data.
• Verify compliance with the Agency’s and Directorate’s processes, rules and regulations for all activities for the assigned missions and departments, advise project and business control team about any constraints and provide guidelines to support the Agency’s efforts towards continuous improvements to support efficiency and uniformity of work processes.
• Collect and analyse data – particularly financial and procurement data – and provide synthesised information to support the decision-making process;
• Support the preparation and organisation of project reviews and audits and participate in these activities within your areas of project control responsibility.

Skills

• Master’s degree in engineering or equivalent or MBA or equivalent University degree from a recognized Institution of secondary studies or equivalent qualification in Business Administration, with relevant experience.
• At least 4 years of relevant work experience.
• Experience in controlling and/or management of activities and resources in aerospace industry.
• For some tasks knowledge of Finance/Accounting may be required.
• Highly proficient in the use of modern activities and resource management support tools/databases of standard office automation support software packages including in particular advance usage of Excel (Ms-Office and in particular advanced use of Excel.
• Experience as user of SAP and in particular ECC and SRM modules and familiarity with relevant ESA corporate applications e.g. ESA-p) is an asset.
• Ability to rapidly understand and adapt to ESA specific context and environment including ESA corporate IT applications.
• Past experience with ESA in relevant activities is an asset.
• The job will require substantial interaction with other key stakeholders inside ESA such as Finance and Procurement Services and also outside ESA.
• Comfortable with working in a diverse and multinational team environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills are needed, together with a high degree organizational and communication abilities.
• Proficient in the English language, both written and spoken.
• Knowledge of another EU member state language is an asset.
• Candidates must be EU nationals.

What we Offer: More than just a job

At Serco, we believe that a career should come with more than just a paycheck, it should provide support, security, and a sense of balance in your life. Your salary will be paid promptly on Fridays before the 28th of each month, giving you peace of mind about your finances. To recognize your dedication over the year, you’ll also receive a Holiday Bonus, calculated as 8% of your basic gross salary, adding an extra boost when you need it most.

We support your daily life and commute in practical ways. If you travel to work, you can claim a travel allowance of €0.21 per kilometre for up to 150 km, or you can have your public transport fully reimbursed. For those working from home, there’s a small daily allowance of €2 to cover extra costs, and new employees can be reimbursed up to €500 for a desk or chair to make their home workspace comfortable.

When your work takes you on missions or travel, all business-related expenses are fully covered, and for peace of mind during tax season, our appointed advisor will assist you in completing your income tax forms. If you enjoy cycling, our bicycle scheme allows you to benefit from a tax-efficient allowance of up to €749, one year of full insurance with an additional €89 per year for accessories.

Serco also cares about your long-term security. All employees are covered under a collective life insurance scheme, and our health insurance partnership with Zilverenkruis Achmea offers discounts of 5% on basic coverage and up to 10% on additional plans. Our company pension scheme, managed via Nationale Nederlanden, follows the Dutch State Pension framework, ensuring you can plan confidently for the future.

In addition, in emergency situations, you may request an advance salary payment of up to one month’s net salary at the discretion of your line manager. To support your wellbeing and daily work, we offer up to €250 reimbursement for work glasses to reduce blue light strain and provide access to Benefits & Work, offering multiple discounts for online shopping. For lifelong learning, all employees receive a 35% discount on programs at Webster University.

At Serco, our benefits are designed to make your life easier, healthier, and more flexible, so you can focus on contributing to groundbreaking space missions while feeling supported every step of the way.

Relocation:

• The Netherlands' central location in Europe makes it an ideal base for travel and business within the EU. Major cities are well-connected by road, rail, and air with Amsterdam Schiphol Airport one of Europe's busiest and most well-connected airports, facilitating easy international travel.
• Serco offers relocation support for all EU passport holders that are planning to relocate to the Netherlands and work for Serco B.V.