Junior Professional in Future PNT Missions and Demonstrators

This post is part of ESA’s Junior Professional Programme. We are looking for enthusiastic candidates with up to 3 years of relevant professional experience after their Master's degree to join ESA for a four-year assignment. During this time, you will be actively working and learning on the job and will benefit from valuable mobility and developmental opportunities that will prepare you for a successful career at ESA. Subject to performance, it is therefore the intention to offer you an indefinite contract which will start at the end of the four years.

Developmental assignments form an integral part of the Junior Professional Programme and may entail a temporary relocation to another ESA establishment or other location.

Description

Junior Professional in Future PNT Missions and Demonstrators in the Future Programmes Office, Future Missions Department, Directorate of Resilience, Navigation and Communications.

The Future Programmes Office is responsible for the preparation of future navigation programmes, missions and demonstrators, including research, development and innovation initiatives, early-phase mission studies, technology pre-developments and cross-directorate coordination of advanced navigation technologies and concepts.

Within this framework, the Future Programmes Office leads activities that support the preparation of future positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) demonstrator missions. These activities aim to identify, assess and bring to maturity innovative system concepts and emerging technologies with the potential to enhance future European PNT capabilities for Earth orbit, lunar and deep space applications. They include Phase 0/A/B1 studies and related technical activities addressing topics such as quantum-enabled navigation and timing, artificial intelligence-/machin learning-enabled system enhancements, advanced and fully digital payloads, reconfigurable architectures, resilient PNT services and future navigation architectures.

This position offers an opportunity to contribute to early-phase mission preparation at the interface between system engineering, technology innovation and programme development. It is particularly relevant to the Agency’s future competency needs, including the practical integration of emerging technologies into mission concepts and demonstrators. The position also contributes to market intelligence and innovation scouting activities, supporting ESA’s awareness of future technology trends, industrial capabilities and research developments in Europe and beyond.

We are looking for a motivated and dynamic Junior Professional to support activities relating to the preparation of future PNT missions and demonstrators. You will contribute to system studies, technology assessments, documentation preparation, industrial and research interactions, and the identification of promising concepts that may support future in-orbit demonstration missions.

The ideal candidate has a strong technical background, an interest in space systems and navigation, and curiosity about emerging technologies and their practical implementation. You should be motivated to work in a multidisciplinary environment and to support feasibility studies, early design concepts, technology assessments and innovation activities in close cooperation with ESA experts, industry, academia and institutional stakeholders.

Duties

The Junior Professional in Future PNT Missions and Demonstrators will report to the Head of the Future Programmes Office and will support the Future Missions Department in preparing future PNT demonstrator missions and related research, development and innovation activities.

You will support the preparation and follow-up of Phase 0/A/B1 activities for future PNT demonstrators. This will include contributing to the consolidation of mission and system concepts, supporting technology assessments, monitoring relevant industrial and research developments, and preparing technical documentation and summaries for internal and external stakeholders.

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• supporting Phase 0/A/B1 studies and related technical activities for future PNT demonstrators;
• contributing to the identification and assessment of emerging technologies relevant to future PNT systems, including quantum technologies, AI/ML techniques, autonomous systems and advanced digital payload architectures;
• supporting system studies, feasibility analyses and trade-off assessments for future PNT mission concepts and technology demonstrators;
• performing technology scouting, market intelligence and literature reviews relating to future navigation trends, industrial capabilities and research developments;
• contributing to the preparation of technical documentation, workplans, statements of work, procurement inputs, presentations and executive summaries;
• supporting the organisation and follow-up of internal reviews, workshops, brainstorming sessions and exchanges with industry, academia and institutional stakeholders;
• collaborating with multidisciplinary ESA teams, including system engineers, payload specialists, AI/ML and quantum technology experts, to support the integration of new technologies into mission and system concepts.

As you gain experience, you may also become involved in:

• supporting the definition of technology development roadmaps and validation approaches for future PNT demonstrators;
• contributing to the preparation of future workplan updates and calls for ideas relating to new PNT mission concepts;
• supporting coordination with ESA programmes and directorates addressing related technology areas, such as telecommunications, exploration, Earth observation, technology development and digital engineering;
• engaging with external partners, including industry, universities, research organisations and start-ups, to explore collaboration opportunities and emerging innovation areas;
• supporting the assessment of how emerging technologies can contribute to future European autonomy, resilience and competitiveness in PNT.

Your duties may also include supporting other activities within your field of competence.

Development programme

In addition to your daily work, you will take part in an extensive learning and development programme. From day one, you will learn on the job and benefit from tailored development opportunities, including participation in technical and key skills training courses.

Furthermore, there is a mobility component to the Junior Professional Programme that can be either an internal rotation to another team within ESA, an external secondment outside of ESA or a combination of both. Internal rotations aim to boost your professional experience and knowledge of the European Space Agency, whereas external secondments aim to boost your professional experience and knowledge of the European space sector.

Potential mobility opportunities may include an internal rotation within another ESA team working on related technology or mission preparation activities, such as Navigation Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP), telecommunications payloads, exploration navigation, technology development, digital engineering, AI/ML, quantum technologies or advanced system studies. An external secondment with a relevant European industrial, institutional or research organisation active in future PNT systems, emerging navigation technologies, AI/ML, digital payloads, quantum technologies or space mission innovation may also be considered. The objective would be to broaden your understanding of the European PNT ecosystem and to bring new knowledge, relationships and perspectives back to ESA.

This programme represents a significant investment by ESA in your personal and professional development and is designed to provide you with the required knowledge and skills for a career at ESA. You can expect to be given many opportunities to develop your professional experience and competencies, to learn from ESA experts and to contribute to ESA activities.

Technical competencies

• General technical background in space systems engineering, navigation systems, telecommunications, signal processing, aerospace engineering, physics or a related technical domain.
• Understanding of PNT systems, including GNSS and/or complementary PNT technologies.
• Awareness of emerging technologies relevant to future space systems, such as quantum technologies, AI/ML, autonomous systems, advanced digital payloads, reconfigurable systems or onboard processing.
• Understanding of early-phase mission studies, feasibility analysis, system trade-offs and technology maturation processes.
• Awareness of R&D trends and the European industrial and research landscape relevant to future PNT systems.
• Ability to perform technology scouting, undertake market intelligence and literature reviews and synthesise technical information.
• Ability to contribute to technical documentation, presentations, study reports, workplans and procurement preparation material.
• Project support experience in a relevant technical or research domain would be an asset.
• Experience in a multidisciplinary environment involving industry, academia, research institutes or institutional stakeholders would be an asset.

Behavioural competencies

• Result Orientation
• Operational Efficiency
• Fostering Cooperation
• Relationship Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Forward Thinking

Education and professional experience

A master’s degree is required for this post with up to three years of professional experience.

A PhD, or research experience in a relevant domain, such as navigation systems, quantum technologies, AI/ML, signal processing, digital payloads, autonomous systems or space systems engineering, will be considered an asset.

Additional requirements

In addition, you should have:

• an interest in future space systems, innovation and emerging technologies;
• an interest in PNT systems, including satellite navigation and complementary PNT concepts;
• strong analytical, organisational and reporting skills;
• the ability to work in a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment, both independently and as part of a team;
• good communication skills and the ability to present complex technical topics clearly, both orally and in writing;
• curiosity, initiative and motivation to explore new technical domains and contribute to early-phase mission preparation.

Nationality and Languages

Please note that applications are only 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, the United Kingdom and Canada, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.

According to the ESA Convention, staff shall be recruited on the basis of their qualifications, taking into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the 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.