ESA Graduate Trainee in the Space Transportation Product Assurance and Safety Office

Within ESA’s Directorate of Space Transportation, this ESA Graduate Trainee position is based in the Product Assurance and Safety Office.

Our team and mission

The Directorate of Space Transportation mission is the European independent access to and freedom in space. The directorate’s 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
• Preparation of future competitive and clean space transportation solutions through maturation of core technologies

Within the Directorate of Space Transportation, the Product Assurance and Safety Office’s role is to verify the fulfilment of PA and Safety requirements in the projects/programs. These requirements are in place to maximize the mission’s success and mitigate the associate risks to the involved people and infrastructures, as well as, to the public community. They include the implementation of sustainable exploitation, and exploration, of the Space with solid zero-debris policy.

Given the independent and transactional nature of the Product Assurance and Safety responsibilities, the office is active in leading the implementation of standards in the documentation and info management, as well as in contributing to the dissemination and implementation of approaches aimed at reducing the development/operations cycle time in compliance with applicable standards. Lately, the Product Assurance and Safety Office facilitate the transfer of knowledge across the directorate and the Agency.

The Product Assurance and Safety Office is responsible for the directorate Quality Management System and as such in charge of operational excellence activities aimed at simplifying and reducing the internal processes in conjunction with an enhanced visualization of their output and performance (e.g. through dedicated cockpits and Key Performance Indicators).

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:

• the extension of ESA mission classification to Space Transportation Systems
• the deployment and implementation of a data driven Quality and Safety approach by rolling out dedicated cockpits to visualize pre-agreed data and definition of best practices to enhance quantitative analyses
• the collection of Lessons Learnt from STS projects and the implementation of identified recommendations
• the Quality Management System evolution especially in improving the actual processes related to knowledge management (e.g. effective and efficient management of lessons learnt)
• Quality improvement activities within the industry aimed at increasing the robustness of the current and future launch systems

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

Education

You should have recently 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 posses 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 multicultural environment, both independently and as part of a team.
• Previous experience of working in international teams can be considered an asset.

Important Information and Disclaimer

Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations.

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).

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.