Nominations Open for the First 2025 SGAC Co-Chair Election

As the term of SGAC Chair, Dr. Antonino Salmeri (Italy), is slowly coming to an end, SGAC is excited to announce that nominations are now open to elect a new Co-Chair. The new Co-Chair will work alongside incoming Chair, Joshua Critchley–Marrows (Australia), and the Executive Committee to shape the future of SGAC.

Deadline for Applications: February 28th, 2025, at 23:59 CET (Central European Time)

Special note about the 2025 Co-Chair Elections

Pursuant to Bylaw 5.4.5, in 2025 SGAC will hold two Co-Chair Elections to re-align the election timeline with the calendar year. 

The first 2025 election is being held in the period January – March. The Co-Chair elected in this first election will shadow the current Chairs in April, and assume the role of Co-Chair as of May 1st, 2025, ultimately becoming Chair as of January 1st, 2026. 

The second 2025 election will be held in the period September – November. The Co-Chair elected in this second election will shadow the current Chairs in December 2025, and assume the role of Co-Chair as of January 1st, 2026, ultimately becoming Chair as of January 1st, 2027.

Summary

SGAC is led by one Chair and one Co-Chair, each elected usually for a two year term and serving in an unpaid, voluntary capacity. The next two years will be a special case of this, as we adjust the election timeline.

The SGAC Co-Chair and Chair positions are time-intensive but highly-rewarding roles. The Chair and Co-Chair are responsible for overseeing the leadership, strategy, and management of the overall SGAC organisation. Day-to-day management of the organisation is supported by a small team of paid staff from SGAC’s office in Vienna, Austria and remotely across the world. 

The role of Co-Chair is akin to a Chairperson of a Board of Directors in a company, in charge of leading the SGAC Executive Committee, and having overarching responsibility, accountability and leadership of all the activities of the SGAC staff, volunteers, contractual obligations and financial activities.

Key responsibilities of the position are to work closely with the other Co-Chair to:

• Lead SGAC as the head of the organisation in official representation at events and meetings, in external communication to our partners, sponsors, stakeholders, and the general public, and internally to our staff, team, volunteers, and members.
• Provide strategic decision-making and direction for the organisation, from developing and executing SGAC’s short and medium-term strategic plan to day-to-day decision-making throughout the whole organisation.
• Act as the final decision-maker for decisions within SGAC, including but not limited to reviewing and finalising the selection of key SGAC positions and scholarship opportunities, and casting the tie-breaking vote in decisions of the Executive Committee.
• Uphold and ensure accountability in all SGAC activities according to the Statutes, Bylaws, and all policies of the organisation, and ensure they are kept up to date and relevant to the organisation.
• Mentor, train, coordinate, and manage the activities of the Regional Coordinators and the members of the Executive Office, appointed officers, teams, project groups, and standing committees established by the organisation towards meeting the mission and objectives of the organisation as defined by our Statutes and Bylaws.
• Motivate and provide positive morale and enthusiasm to the SGAC members (especially active volunteers).

Responsibilities and Duties

The Co-Chairs are responsible for a broad range of operational activities in the organisation that are crucial to its day-to-day operation. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Ensuring SGAC meets and complies with all relevant governmental, legal, taxation, and financial auditing and reporting requirements in all relevant jurisdictions.
• Reviewing and approving every financial spending as an accountable signatory of the organisation.
• Reviewing and approving the SGAC global organisational budget at the end of the financial year.
• Reviewing and updating the SGAC Strategic Plan annually.
• Managing staff employment and contracts.
• Managing issues, conflicts, and reporting arising from formal and informal mechanisms within SGAC, such as breaches of the SGAC Code of Conduct.
• Leading and managing the teams directly reporting and accountable to the Co-Chairs, including, but not limited to, the Regional Coordinators (including the Regional Teams and NPoCs), the Treasurer and the Finance Team, General Counsels, Policy & Advocacy, Education & Professional Development, and the Alumni Team.
• Inform and consult the SGAC Advisory Board, Honorary Board, and the U.S. Board of Directors on strategic and governance matters.

Exact duties and meetings requiring Co-Chairs involvement change based on the operational requirements of the organisation. Examples of duties / meetings carried out in the past or currently include:

• Lead the annual General Assembly and monthly meetings of the Executive Committee to ensure continued transparency, coordination, and reporting of the organisation.
• Monthly meetings with the Treasurer to ensure the organisation’s budget and finances are within strategic goals and remain solvent.
• Lead SGAC presence at events and meetings, alongside the Chair and Executive Director (ie. Space Generation Congress, Space Generation Fusion Forum, SGx, Space Generation Workshops, local and regional workshops, and Advisory Board Meetings) either in person or virtually.
• Participate in Chair – Staff meetings twice a week.
• Lead the Elections Oversight Committee presiding over internal elections and review of application submissions.
• Lead the preparations for the SGAC General Assembly, including participation in the SGAC Statutes and Bylaws Review Team meetings and annual review of all SGAC internal policies.

Obligations that come along with the position are time-intensive and time-sensitive on most occasions, and it is up to the Chair and Co-Chair to divide the responsibilities of the position between themselves and to delegate them where appropriate.

Co-Chair/Chair are elected for a term of two years, and are not eligible to serve a second term. After the term is completed, they are invited to join the Advisory Board for one term to ensure successful knowledge transfer and succession planning within the organisation.

More information about SGAC’s activities is available on our website. The SGAC Statutes and By-Laws provide an overview of the governance structure of SGAC.

Time Commitment: ~20 hours per week

Qualifications and Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for the position, the candidate must meet the following requirements:

• Be a current or former member of the SGAC Executive Committee.
• Secure the nomination of three current members of the SGAC Executive Committee.
  Please note that the name of the nominators shall only be sent in the text of the email with the application and are not to be publicly disclosed. Nominating a candidate does not mean any promise of voting. Each Member of the SGAC Executive Committee can only nominate one candidate.

The names and contact details of SGAC Executive Committee Members are available online and, in case of issues with the website, can be requested via email to [email protected].

Additional requirements for this position include:

• Citizenship of a UN member State.
• Aged between 18 and 35 years old at the time of the election and during the 2-year term in accordance with the SGAC bylaws. The age limit is calculated from the 18th birthday to the 36th birthday of the nominee.
• Membership of SGAC (registration on the SGAC website).
• Demonstrate proven SGAC experience, especially in a position of leadership.
• Demonstrate proven leadership and teamwork experience.
• Possess strong cross-cultural communications skills in English and preferably in other United Nations (UN) official languages.
• Have a good understanding of space and cross-cultural issues.
• Be familiar with the work of the UN and its objectives.
• Have knowledge of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and its objectives.
• Have preferably hands-on experience in activities for young adults and space-related projects.
• Be a leading example of upholding the SGAC Statutes and Bylaws and the SGAC Code of Conduct.
• Must be held to the highest level of accountability in the organisation and be able to declare any potential conflicts of interest should a situation arise.

Additional skills (Preferred but not required):

• Business development/fundraising and management experience
• Ideally be able to attend SGAC events and meetings in person

By applying for this role, you accept that the list of candidates and election results are public, and will be posted online for transparency purposes.

Benefits

This is an unpaid, volunteer position with unparalleled opportunities for leadership skills and career development with an international nonprofit/nongovernmental organisation in the space sector. As Co-Chair, you will have many opportunities to network with leading senior space sector leaders in government, industry, and academia. In addition, the SGAC Chair benefits from a $2000 allowance to attend SGAC events during the second year of their term in accordance with the SGAC Chair Travel Policy.

Application Process

Please email your application to the attention of the outgoing SGAC Chair, Dr. Antonino Salmeri, at [email protected] with the subject heading [NAME AND SURNAME, FIRST 2025 SGAC Co-Chair Election].

Your application package should include the following information:

1. Your CV (with headshot photo, date of birth, and nationality) attached as a PDF.
2. A one page letter of Intent addressing the selection criteria above and outlining why you wish to be Co-Chair, including examples of past leadership skills and how you can improve the organisation over the next two years. Please attach this as a PDF.
3. A maximum of two pages Manifesto highlighting your goals for the duration of your term and your vision for SGAC. Please attach this as a PDF.
4. The names of the three Executive Committee Members nominating you for the application. Please include this information only in the email text of your application.
5. When submitting your application, please indicate whether you will be available to participate in the live session on March 15th at 15:00 CET, or indicate alternative times for that weekend.

IMPORTANT:

• Prospective candidates are highly encouraged to reach out to the current Chair, Co-Chair, and members of the Executive Committee during the preparation of their application.
• Please include the name of your nominators in the email body and do not list them in any of your application documents. Each member of the SGAC Executive Committee can only support one application, and nominations do not imply any commitment to vote for a given candidate.
• The voting pool for the election will be the currently serving members of the SGAC Executive Committee during the voting period (January – March 2025), except the SGAC Chairs, Executive Director, and additional members of the SGAC Staff.
• Any Member of the Executive Committee with a conflict of interest as defined in section 7 of the SGAC Bylaws must withdraw from the vote.

Election Process 

Pursuant to Bylaw 6.7, all elections at SGAC are overseen by the Election Oversight Committee and managed by a dedicated Election Officer (EO). The EO for the first 2025 SGAC Co-Chair Election will be the outgoing SGAC Chair, Dr. Antonino Salmeri. The Election will be conducted in accordance with the SGAC Statutes & Bylaws and will proceed in the following manner.

1. On March 1st, the Election Officer will proceed to review and validate the applications received.
2. Upon completing the validation, the EO will share the files submitted by the applicants with the Members of the SGAC Executive Committee, who will have three days to submit questions for the applicants. Questions shall be emailed directly to the EO and be drafted in conformity with the SGAC Code of Conduct and Harassment Policy.
3. Upon validating and compiling the questions, the EO will share them with the applicants for their consideration. Applicants will have 3 calendar days to provide their responses to the questions by emailing them directly to the EO.
4. The same process will be repeated for a second round of written Q&A. If needed, the EO can shorten the time available to submit and answer questions to a minimum of 2 days each.
5. In between the two written Q&As, the applicants will have the opportunity to present their profile and ideas in a live session with Members of the SGAC Executive Committee. This session is tentatively scheduled for March 15th at 15:00 CET and will be open for all interested SGAC members to attend.
6. Voting time will begin on March 21st and conclude on March 29 at 23:59 CET. During this time, applicants are forbidden from reaching out to voters about the election. Communications about the election in this period will only be allowed directly with the EO.
7. On March 30 and 31st, the EO will count the votes and share them with the Elections Oversight Committee for validation and preparation of the Election Report.
8. Results will be announced on April 1, 2025. The elected Co-Chair will shadow the current Chairs during the month of April, and assume office as of May 1st, 2025.

Election Timeline