ESA Graduate Trainee in the Earth Observation & Connectivity Contracts Division

About this traineeship

This ESA Graduate Trainee position is within the Contracts Department’s CIC-CE Contracts Division, which is in charge of procurement implementation in support of the Earth Observation Programme Directorate’s activities at ESTEC. The complexity of the contracts handled varies greatly, ranging from R&D activities of several hundred thousand euros to large satellite projects totalling hundreds of millions of euros. The Division implements all related procurement tasks, from tendering, planning and issuing invitations to tender through to evaluating proposals, negotiating contracts and overseeing their signature and monitoring.

In parallel, the Division contributes to the improvement of the overall regulatory framework in the Contracts Department, while supporting the Department’s general efforts to improve time-to-contract. In this context, the Division pays particular attention to supporting consistency in contract management among the different Programme Directorates as well as in other Procurement Divisions.

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

You will receive training in the role of Contracts Officer, encompassing support for the preparation of requests for offers/invitations to tender, participating in the evaluation of proposals, preparing and possibly negotiating the resulting contracts, and participating in the monitoring of the implementation of the contracts. You will also support the handling of administrative, contractual, legal and industrial problems arising from procurement implementation. In addition, you will help organise activities within the Contracts Department or to the benefit of the programme directorates.

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 just completed, or be in the final year of your master’s degree in law, preferably with some knowledge of contracts and/or procurement law.

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.

Important information

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

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.