Our team and mission

The Directorate of Space Transportation (D/STS) mission is the European independent access to and freedom in space. The directorate main activities are related to the:

• Development and Exploitation of Ariane and Vega launch systems
• Maintenance and upgrading of the European Space port (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana
• Development of new launch and space transportation systems, including reusable demonstrators

Within the Directorate, the Space Transportation Technology Coordination Office (STS-CT) is involved in selected preparatory activities with the industry for enabling informed decisions by Member States on developing future European transportation capabilities, and has the mission of fostering transversal technology synergies across STS and ESA, seeking optimized technology sharing among the European industries.

You are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

In the framework of this traineeship, you will perform, lead, and facilitate activities as support to your tutor, including, but not limited to:

• supporting the management of industrial activities (reporting, actions tracking, risks assessment, planning…),
• participating to industrial system studies,
• assessing compliance with high-level requirements (mission needs, performance…),
• tracking technical and interfaces specifications for each sub-system,
• identifying technologies with low readiness level proposed for maturation or in-flight demonstrations.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

Education

You should have just completed or be in the final year of your master’s degree in in a technical or scientific discipline.

Additional requirements

You need to be capable to work with autonomy and questioning the status quo to identify and introduce substantial improvements with the aim of capitalizing as much as possible on new technologies and New Space approaches. You need to be familiar with modern IT tools and possess an analytical and problem-solving attitude to facilitate the implementation of “easy” solutions to “complex” problems.

You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multi-cultural environment, both independently and as part of a team.

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.

During the interview motivation and overall professional perspective/career goals will also be explored.