ESA Graduate Trainee in the Space Transportation Product Assurance and Safety Office **Job Requisition ID**:20193 **Date Posted**:1 February 2026 **Closing Date**:28 February 2026 23:59 CET/CEST **Publication**:External Only **Type of Appointment**:ESA Graduate Trainee **Directorate**:Technology, Engineering and Quality **Workplace**:Noordwijk, NL
- Frascati, IT **Grade Band**:F1 - F1 **Location**
- ESA Headquarters, Paris, France or ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy **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, especially STS PNRR and FLPP 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 domainsRelevant experience gained during internships, project work and/or extracurricular or other activitiesGeneral knowledge of the space sector and relevant activitiesKnowledge of ESA and its programmes/projects**Behavioural competencies**
Result OrientationOperational EfficiencyFostering CooperationRelationship ManagementContinuous ImprovementForward ThinkingFor more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook**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**
To be completed by the Manager as appropriate:
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. Your motivation, overall professional perspective and career goals will also be explored during the later stages of the selection process.**Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness**Important Information and Disclaimer**- The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of

📌 Esa Graduate Trainee in The Space Transportation Product Assurance and Safety Office (Frascati)
🏢 European Space Agency
📍 Frascati