Contracts Officer

The Contracts Division at EUMETSAT provides contractual and commercial expertise across the organisation and ensures that best value for money is achieved by an efficient procurement process. The Division performs checks and balances to ensure compliance with the EUMETSAT procurement rules, ensures that procurements are timely and well managed, negotiates and signs contracts and subsequently performs contract management, including contract amendments (Riders) and exercising options, contract performance reviews and remedies, and ensuring contracts are finally completed and closed.

The Division is responsible for all procurements within the organisation in relation to all activities for programmes, operations, technical support and administration. This relates to a number of mandatory programmes managed by EUMETSAT as well as specified programmes in support of the European Commission, with values ranging between 100K EUR and multi-million EUR, mostly under a competitive tendering approach. The procurements include programme and mission related assets, including related industrial support services, as well of skills-based and product-based service contracts, external consultancy services, technical and scientific studies, general supplies, and site services.

**What you’ll be doing**

As Contracts Officer you will have the following key responsibilities:

- Implement procurements of services, consultancies, general supplies and studies in various contractual settings (e.g. frame contracts, goods, services and works contracts) in line with the EUMETSAT Procurement Procedures, including:

- Autonomous drafting of tender documentation, ensuring consistency between technical and contractual documents and evaluating the received offers as part of multi-disciplinary Tender Evaluation Boards;
- Negotiating and finalizing contracts;
- Ensuring compliance with the procurement, financial and contractual rules and procedures of EUMETSAT;
- Monitoring the purchase requisitions and generating purchase orders in SAP;
- Commercial management of contracts in their execution phase, which involves liaising with suppliers and technical managers;
- Contributing to the evaluation of contractors’ performance in close cooperation with the internal customer;
- Accumulating and maintaining information on possible providers of different types of supplies and services, in order to have an understanding of the market and to inform technical managers about methods and sources of procurement;
- Accumulating and maintaining records for reporting purposes by entering and retrieving procurement data from SAP;
- Providing support to the Divisional management and working constructively with other members of the Contracts Division including the possibility to support or undertake tasks or procurements outside own area of responsibility, as required.

**What we offer**
- Excellent salary, of up to Euro 8,000 **NET (after income tax)** based on skills and experience
- Flexible working time including additional flexi-leave
- Full medical coverage for employee and family
- Attractive pension
- 30 days of annual leave + 14.5 days public holidays
- Training and development support
- Relocation allowance and support (if applicable)

**Requirements**:
**Qualifications**:

- University degree or equivalent in law, economics or business studies or professional qualification at degree level in procurement.

**Skills and Experience**:

- At least 5 years’ experience in the procurement of supplies or complex services, and in the negotiation and commercial management of contracts, supporting the development and operations of complex high technology systems, preferably in the frame of international or national public procurement;
- Proven experience in drafting tender and contractual documentation independently;
- Ability to understand complex technical and legal issues and to formulate clear legal texts;
- Considerable experience in drafting and negotiating legal provisions and dealing with contractual matters, preferably in the frame of international or national public procurement;
- Proven negotiation skills;
- Experience of the Materials Management module of an ERP System (ideally SAP);
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with ability to work independently but also within both a functional (Contracts/Procurement) and multifunctional (Project/Programme) team;
- Experience in a multi-lingual environment is desirable;
- Proven experience in the use of MS Office, particularly MS Word.

**Languages**:
**APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN ENGLISH. WE WILL BE UNABLE TO CONSIDER APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED IN OTHER LANGUAGES.**

EUMETSAT is an international organisation employing staff from across all 30 member states and this role is being advertised on multiple international job boards, but please note that this role would be based in Darmstadt, Germany and would require international applicants to relocate if successful.

**More about us**

**EUMETSA