ESA Graduate Trainee in Public Administration and Relations

Our team and mission

The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space, coordinating the continent’s space activities and promoting peaceful collaboration for the advancement of space exploration and technology. The Directorate of Internal Services (D/HIF) is responsible for providing services and support that enable ESA's core missions with a wide range of operational, development and administrative functions such as HR and workforce management, IT and Digital Transformation, Finance and controlling, Estates and Facilities Management.
 
The Directorate of Internal Services is looking for a dynamic and motivated ESA Graduate Trainee to support the Director’s Office. This role is ideal for a recent graduate eager to gain experience in public and international administration within a leading space organisation. The successful candidate will provide support in communications, benchmark studies, and project tracking, assisting the Director’s Office in personal branding and promoting effectively the directorates’ activities.

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

• Support in Communications and Presentations
  • Assist with preparing presentations and speeches for high-level meetings, public outreach, and official visits,
  • Develop social media presence and manage social media posts and public relations content to promote the Directorate’s activities and vision, aligning with ESA’s agenda and strategy,
  • Review and coordinate inputs and reports for and from external entities,
  • Collaborate internally to ensure accuracy, consistency and engaging messaging on the Director’s activities.
  • Support the elaboration of the Directorate Communication Plan.
• Research and Benchmarking
  • Conduct research on trends and best practices in international public administration.
  • Prepare summaries and reports, identifying potential applications or improvements for ESA’s practices,
  • Monitor and evaluate best practices within similar organisations to suggest actionable insights for the Directorate and across the organisation.
• Tracking and Coordination
  • Manage and track ongoing requests, actions, and deadlines within the Director’s Office,
  • Maintain project timelines and regularly update the Director on progress, upcoming deadlines, and outstanding actions,
  • Assist in developing tools or processes to enhance tracking efficiency.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

For more information, please refer to the ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook

Education

You should have just completed, or be in the final year of your master’s degree in public administration, international relations, communication or political science.

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. 

You should also have:

• excellent planning, organisational and multitasking skills and attention to detail;
• ability to work in an international and multicultural environment both independently and as part of a team;
• strong interpersonal and communication skills both in written and verbal formats;
• proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications and Office Suite (PowerPoint, Word, Excel);
• familiarity with social media platforms and basic graphic design tools is a plus;
• demonstrate engagement ability in networks.