He worked for the
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) from 1982 to 1989. From 1989, he worked for the
British National Space Centre (BNSC). He became Director General of the BNSC on 1 May 2006. He became Acting Chief Executive, UK Space Agency and Chairman of the
European Space Agency (ESA) Council. On 23 March 2010, the new UK Space Agency was launched to replace the BNSC and to bring all UK civil space activities under one single management. He will steer the ESA Council as it prepares for the next meeting of ESA's Ministers in 2012. On 3 August 2012, the Australian
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) announced that Dr Williams had been appointed to the role of CSIRO Group Executive, Information Sciences, based in
Sydney, Australia. ==Personal life==