Junior Professional in Lunar Science Instrumentation

As part of ESA’s Junior Professional Programme, you will join ESA for a four-year assignment designed for candidates with up to three years of relevant professional experience after their master's degree. During this time, you will work and learn on the job and benefit from mobility and development opportunities. Subject to performance, the intention is to offer an indefinite contract starting 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.

Junior Professional in Lunar Science Instrumentation

You will provide scientific support to the definition, development and operation of scientific instrumentation to be operated at the Moon. ESA’s lunar science activities depend on the performance of scientific payloads accommodated on ESA missions and the missions of international partners. Scientific instruments underpin the performance of these payloads. Your work will help ensure that the performances of instrumentation matured and developed for new lunar payloads are consistent with ESA’s scientific needs.

The position is within the Lunar Science Office Team in the Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration. The Lunar Science Office Team is responsible for defining the scientific content of ESA’s lunar activities and for ensuring the scientific performance of these missions and the data products they deliver, as well as delivering the scientific outcomes of lunar activities. You will report to the Lunar Science Office Team Leader.

Description

During 2026, a portfolio of candidate lunar payloads that can address the scientific needs of ESA’s exploration programme will be selected. These payloads will cover a diversity of scientific topics including environment and effects, local resources, landing site characterisation, life sciences, geosciences and fundamental science. From 2027, the payloads may be considered for development for flight or for further maturation to prepare for future missions.

Duties

You will focus on the scientific measurement techniques and approaches used within the instrumentation at the core of these payloads to ensure the scientific feasibility of the measurements and that measurement performances are consistent with scientific end-user needs.

Your initial tasks will involve supporting the selection of candidate payloads. You will then follow the new flight development and technology maturation activities stemming from this selection.

You will work within the Lunar Science Office and with technology development and project teams, either as the assigned ESA scientist for a given activity or by providing specialist scientific expertise related to instrument-specific scientific performance, as required.

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.

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

Potential internal rotations include:

• The Directorate of Science, for planetary science missions and new instrumentation developments
• The Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality, to work on technologies related to scientific instrumentation

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

Technical competencies

• Detector physics and scientific instrumentation
• Space science or planetary science applications of scientific instrumentation
• Skills in data analysis and calibration of scientific payloads
• Ability to coordinate and contribute to scientific research activities
• Proficiency in preparing and reviewing technical reports and documentation

Behavioural competencies

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

Education and professional experience

A master's degree related to scientific instrumentation, ideally space or planetary science instrumentation, is required, together with up to three years of professional experience.

A PhD in the aforementioned fields would be an asset.

Important information

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

Nationality and languages

Applications are only considered from nationals 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, Canada, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.

According to the ESA Convention, staff are 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.