Intern in the Quality Department, Reliability Availability Maintainability and Safety Section

Internship Opportunity in the Quality Department: Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety Section

Our team and mission

The Quality and Product Assurance Management Division at ESA is responsible for:

• Providing Product Assurance support for ESA projects and R&D activities in close cooperation with the Product Assurance & Safety Offices
• Quality Assurance, product surveillance (including audits), and Product Assurance support to product qualification and certification, software Product Assurance, and RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety)
• Supporting Supply Chain Management in close cooperation with CIC-IP and developing and implementing Product- and Quality Assurance methodologies, techniques, and tools
• Coordinating European Test Centres accreditation and operating the ESA Alert System
• Supporting ESA's Quality Management Organisation
• Managing ESA’s corporate Knowledge Management Team (including ESA Libraries)

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Quality in Reliability Availability Maintainability and Safety (RAMS)

The European Space Agency has, in recent years, developed the Return of Experience (REX) from in-orbit data capability. The main objective of this initiative is to:

• Compare Reliability Predictions with in-service reliability to optimise designs of future ESA missions
• Contribute to the minimisation of Space Debris by providing support to the accurate computation of the probability of successful disposal, enabling better-documented End-of-Life decisions

To support these objectives, the ESA RAMS section has developed a REX Digital Dashboard tool to collect and track relevant in-orbit data. Other supporting tools from the section include:

• CFDA (Catalog of Failure Data Analysis)
• “SSYSTER2” in support of Technical RISK Assessments

The objective of the internship is to support:

• The statistical processing of the collected in-orbit data, applying Data Analysis techniques, and potentially the use of Bayesian inference techniques:
  • At component level, to create a database for the main active parts
  • At sub-system and Satellite level
• The integration of the REX Digital Dashboard Tool with the other tools: CFDA and SSYSTER2. For example, the addition of in-orbit failure modes (REX) in the CFDA catalog.

The preferred duration for this internship proposal is 6 months.

Behavioural competencies

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

Education

You must be a university student, preferably studying at master’s level. You must be able to prove that you will be enrolled at your University for the entire duration of the internship.

Additional requirements

• The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another ESA Member State language is an asset.
• Your motivation for applying to this role will be explored during the interview.
• You must have knowledge in Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety, and in particular in statistical methods.
• Knowledge in Space Systems, prior programming experience, and some experience with web development (HTML, CSS) and version control systems (git…) would be an asset.
• You must have good interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work in a multicultural environment, both independently and as part of a team.

Important Information and Disclaimer

• During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests.
• Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations.
• The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding internship 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

Applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.