ESA Graduate Trainee in Agile Model-based Systems Engineering for IRIS² Project
Noordwijk, NL
Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands
Our team and mission
You will work in the Secure Connectivity System Office, in the Secure Connectivity Department, directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications (D/CSC).
The Secure Connectivity programme has been established by EU and ESA, with the objective to deploy an EU-owned satellite constellation for secure communications, called IRIS² - Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite. The IRIS² contract has been signed on 16/12/2024 for a 12-years concession that will design, develop, manufacture, deploy, qualify and operate two satellite constellations (>250 satellites) and the associated ground segment infrastructure (control centres, gateways, TTC stations).
Within the System Office, the Secure Connectivity System Architecture Section is responsible for all system engineering tasks to support the effective design and development for the overall IRIS² system of systems. This includes supervising the technical requirements applicable to the procurement of the Space Segment, the Ground Segment and the User Segment, monitoring the compliance of the IRIS² system to the mission requirements, maintaining the system technical budgets, defining and implementing technology developments required to support the development, and preparing and implementing all engineering and R&D activities directly related to the development and implementation of the system.
Among other activities, the System Architecture section will foster the implementation of modern the system engineering tools and methodologies such as Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and Agile development.
You are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int
Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship
This traineeship will allow you to develop critical skills in systems engineering for large satellite constellations and to acquire real world experience in modern methodologies such as Agile/MBSE/DevSecOPS, tools for system modelling and requirements management, and simulation tools to estimate the system performance.
Together with the head of System Architecture Section you will help establishing an overall programme of work and associated planning for the implementation of MBSE (Model Based Systems Engineering) in the Secure Connectivity Programme, taking into account Agile and DevSecOps methodologies.
In this context, your tasks, responsibilities and learning opportunities will include:
- follow up the system engineering activities carried out by the IRIS² Concessionaire (System Prime Contractor) to ensure coherency with the ESA methodologies and the correct flow down to the subcontractors;
- learn and help setup very advanced system engineering tools such as Polarion for requirements management, JIRA and Confluence for project management and collaboration, and Capella for System Modelling;
- be responsible for defining the data model for the project and the overall guidelines for managing the system requirements;
- work with the project system simulation tools to perform system trade-offs and design studies to help in the system design consolidation (constellation deployment options, Optical Inter satellite link traffic analysis, ground segment dimensioning, and other performance evaluations such as capacity, latency or availability).
At the end of your traineeship, you will provide a presentation on your achievements, with a particular focus on the IRIS² MBSE implementation with Agile/DevSecOPS methodology.
Technical competencies
Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking
For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook
Education
You should have just completed, or be in the final year of your master’s degree in technical engineering, with a preference to telecommunication and/or aerospace engineering.
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. Your motivation, overall professional perspective and career goals will also be explored during the later stages of the selection process.
Availability to travel, more particularly to industry sites to meet the system design and engineering teams.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.
At the Agency we value diversity, and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact us via email at contact.human.resources@esa.int.
Important Information and Disclaimer
Applicants must be eligible to access technology and hardware which is subject to European and US export control regulations.
During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures.
The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working 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 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).
According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will be given to external candidates from under-represented 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.
*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.