Location
ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany
Our team and mission
The Operations Definition and Engineering Team in the Solar System and Exploration Missions Division is responsible for providing ground segment and mission operations expertise for future ESA missions. This includes participation in concurrent design activities and supporting the early phases of mission studies and definition. The team is also responsible for supporting cross-cutting ground segment projects and for managing technology studies and operations-specific application prototyping. The team also provides ground segment and operations expertise and services to the development and operation of non-traditional vehicles and missions, such as CubeSats, landers, cargo vehicles, payloads and others.
You are encouraged to visit the ESA website:
Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship
You will be involved in the operations definition and preparation activities for lunar landed elements and in the definition of ground segment and operations (GS&O) for IOV/IOD (in-orbit validation/in-orbit demonstration) CubeSats and for small missions, including small lunar orbiters. You will help collect requirements and develop new tools and/or tailor existing software needed to operate such missions, expanding the capabilities of the FOX (Facility for Operations Experimentation)-based ground segment and collaborating with colleagues from ground stations and the Flight Dynamics teams.
You will also be exposed to the Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) exercises from the point of view of GS&O experts and help develop analysis tools, such as for ground contact or data return analysis.
You will be exposed and contribute directly to tasks in operations engineering activities taking place in the Division for ESA interplanetary missions such as Juice, Hera, Ramses or Comet-Interceptor, contributing with tools and models that will enhance the missions operations analysis and planning capabilities. You may also support the organisation of technology prototyping activities such as hackathons or academic challenges.
Technical competencies
Knowledge of relevant technical/functional domains
Relevant experience gained during internships, project work and/or extracurricular or other activities
General knowledge of the space sector and relevant activities
Knowledge of ESA and its programmes/projects
Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking
For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook
Education
You should have just completed, or be in the final year of your master’ s degree in engineering or science.
Additional requirements
You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multicultural environment, both independently and as part of a team. Previous experience of working in international teams can be considered an asset. Your motivation, overall professional perspective and career goals will also be explored during the later stages of the selection process.
Good programming skills and experience with the development or operation of academic CubeSat missions would be considered valuable assets.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.
At the Agency we value diversity, and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact us via email at contact.human.resources@esa.int.
Important Information and Disclaimer
During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures.
The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have.
Nationality and Languages
Please note that applications can only be considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta as European Cooperating States (ECS).
According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will be given to external candidates from under-represented Member States *.
The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.
*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.