Intern in the Test Facilities & Infrastructure Office, Engineering IT Section

Our team and mission

The TEC Test Facilities and Infrastructure Office is responsible for:

• defining, together with the TEC Departments and Offices, the overall laboratories governance and general processes;
• managing the facilities of the ESA/ESTEC Test Centre and all TEC laboratories with the support from all TEC departments and offices;
• managing the service contract linked to the maintenance, marketing, and sales of the ESA/ESTEC Test Centre and the service contracts of the administration and maintenance of all TEC laboratories with the support from all TEC departments and offices;
• liaising with the TEC laboratories with regards to the specialised operations service contracts managed by the TEC Departments;
• providing engineering services to all ESA laboratories including mechanical and electronic design (workshop activities), calibration/maintenance/repair for electronic equipment and metrology;
• managing, maintaining, administering, operating (when applicable), and evolving TEC’s IT related infrastructure, networks, dedicated tools, and information systems in close cooperation with the HIF/ESAIT (including ESTEC estates and FM) and ESO and managing its associated service contracts;
• leading the management and evolution of the directorate’s information security in close coordination with ESO and HIF/ESAIT to allow the proper, and adequately secured, operations of the TEC directorate;
• managing TEC’s cyber security policies, processes, and practices to support the establishment of a directorate specific cyber security framework;
• supporting D/TEC in continuously reviewing internal and external technical facilities and their deployment/use within TEC, to innovate and evolve the directorate capabilities through the strategic use of partnerships; outsourcing; and service contracts;
• maintaining the Quality Management System related to the ESA/ESTEC Test Centre, all TEC laboratories, and TEC’s IT related infrastructure; networks; dedicated tools; and information systems;
• ensuring the correct implementation (verification) of PA, QA, security, and safety requirements in the ESA/ESTEC Test Centre and in all TEC laboratories;
• managing the processes, and services (including all the related documentation and facility/system configurations) supporting the ESA/ESTEC Test Centre; all TEC laboratories; TEC’s IT related infrastructure; networks; dedicated tools; and information systems (including digitalization).

Information Technology is a critical element of the D/TEC’s technical infrastructure for supporting the technical excellence of ESA’s workforce. The new wave of engineers, managers and scientists require not only effective technical solutions but also intelligent tools, based on data warehousing, combining, and integrating financial, resources, technical and political data which will enable decision-making based on factual information readily and rapidly available at just a moment’s notice.

Candidates interested are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int  

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Laboratory Data Management

You will assist TEC in developing and applying modern technologies within the operations of ESA's laboratories. This work forms an integral part of the broader TEC Laboratory Harmonisation initiatives.

You will integrate into the existing TEC IT Team and contribute to the evolution of one or multiple internal development projects. Additional areas of involvement may be identified during the course of the internship.

• development of the concept of operations of TEC Laboratory Data Management system;
• proof of concept of a centralizsed data management system based on an event streaming platform (e.g., Apache Kafka) integrated with local data acquisition systems (built in National Instruments LabView, MathWorks Matlab or Python), and the creation of the necessary aggregated display dashboard(s);
• the collection, analysis, and exploration of data management tools and technologies to be used in laboratory settings, looking for innovative new ways to manage the large volumes of data that may be available;
• creation of a classification system based on the criticality and sensitivity of the information managed.

In accordance with the designated assignments, the internship will enable you to contribute meaningfully to TEC IT's operations and architecture, while also achieving the formal learning objectives: 

• hands-on experience with industry-specific tools and technologies, enhancing technical proficiency and problem-solving abilities;
• deeper understanding of the industry, learning about the standard practices and methodologies used in the industry, including project management, quality assurance, and compliance with regulations;
• application of the concepts and theories learned in academic settings to real-world scenarios, bridging the gap between education and practical applications.

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 must be a university student, preferably studying at master’s level. In addition, you must be able to prove that you will be enrolled at your University for the entire duration of the internship.

Additional requirements

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another ESA Member State language is an asset.

During the interview, your motivation for applying to this role will be explored.

Knowledge and background in software engineering and DevOps, laboratory operations, data management and information security are considered assets.