1.The Board shall select and appoint the Director of SATCEN from among nationals of the Member States on a recommendation from an advisory panel. The Director shall be appointed for a period of three years, which period may be extended by one two-year term.
2.Taking into account the technical and operational nature of the mission of SATCEN, the candidates for the position of Director should be persons with recognised long-standing expertise and experience in the field of geospatial information and imagery or in the field of foreign relations and security policy. Member States shall submit candidatures to the Board. The advisory panel, composed of the HR (or his/her representative) who shall chair the panel, of three representatives of the Member States from among the Trio Presidency and of one representative of the EEAS, shall recommend at least three candidates to the Board with a view to the selection and appointment of the Director.
3.The Director shall be the legal representative of SATCEN.
4.The Director shall be responsible for recruiting all other SATCEN staff.
5.After approval by the Board, the Director shall appoint the Deputy Director of SATCEN. The Deputy Director shall be appointed for a period of three years, with a possible extension of a further three-year term with the approval of the Board.
6.The Director shall ensure the execution of the mission of SATCEN as set out in Article 2. The Director shall uphold a high level of expertise and professionalism at SATCEN, as well as ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in carrying out SATCEN's activities. The Director shall take all necessary measures to that end, including the training of personnel and the conduct of research and development projects in support of its mission.
The Director shall also be responsible for the tasks assigned to him/her in this Decision:
(a)preparing the work of the Board, in particular the draft annual work programme of SATCEN;
(b)the day-to-day administration of SATCEN;
(c)preparing the statement of income and expenditure and implementing SATCEN's budget;
(d)security aspects;
(e)all personnel matters;
(f)informing the PSC about the annual work programme;
(g)establishing working relations and cooperation with the Commission and Union agencies or bodies, in accordance with Article 18;
(h)establishing working relations and cooperation with Member States' institutions, in accordance with Article 19;
(i)establishing working relations and cooperation with third States, organisations or entities, in accordance with Article 20;
(j)negotiating administrative arrangements, in accordance with the procedure laid down in Articles 18 and 20.
7.Within the work programme and budget of SATCEN, the Director shall be empowered to enter into contracts, to recruit staff approved in the budget and to incur any expenditure necessary for the operation of SATCEN.
8.The Director shall prepare an annual report on SATCEN's activities by 31 March of the following year. The annual report shall be forwarded to the Board and, through the HR, to the Council, which shall forward the report to the European Parliament and to the Commission.
9.The Director shall be accountable to the Board.