Intern in the Industrial Policy and Auditing Department, Industrial Return and Analytics Office

Our team and mission

This position can be based
•    At the ESA HQ - Paris, France 
•    At the European Space and Research Technology Centre (ESTEC) – Noordwijk, Netherlands

The Industrial Return and Analytics Office is at the heart of optimizing industrial engagement and data-driven decision-making within ESA. Our team is divided into three key areas of expertise:  

• Geo-return calculation and reporting, which ensures that ESA's contracts are equitably distributed across its member states, supporting national industrial development and strategic goals;  
• Data analytics, where we build and develop innovative tools, such as interactive dashboards in Power BI, to provide real-time insights and data visualization for various teams across ESA;  
• Entity management, where we manage the registration and information of ESA’s suppliers, ensuring accurate and up-to-date data for effective supplier relationship management.  

 
By connecting data, processes, and industrial dynamics, our office plays a critical role in driving efficiency and transparency across ESA’s operations. 

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Process Management & Optimization: Streamlining Team Operations for Maximum Efficiency

As an intern in the Industrial Return and Analytics Office, you will be at the heart of optimizing and streamlining our processes, playing a key role in improving the efficiency of our operations. Your main responsibility will be to assist in the registration and documentation of our team's processes, ensuring that all workflows are clearly mapped, recorded, and optimized for smoother execution. This will involve working closely with team members across different areas to identify bottlenecks, suggest improvements, and standardize how we operate. 

• In the Geo-return calculation and reporting area, you’ll help streamline the process of tracking how ESA’s contracts are distributed across member states. By documenting and optimizing the procedures involved in preparing reports and performing data analysis, you will contribute to making this vital process more efficient and transparent. Your work will directly support the equitable distribution of contracts, which helps foster industrial growth across Europe’s space sector. 
• In the data analytics area, you’ll support the creation of tools and dashboards in platforms like Power BI, while also optimizing how data flows between teams. You will assist in ensuring that data collection, processing, and reporting methods are efficient, reducing manual effort and enhancing the quality of insights available to ESA teams. By improving how we handle data, you will help provide clearer, faster, and more actionable insights to support decision-making across the agency. 
• Lastly, you will play a central role in entity management, where you will be involved in the optimization of the registration process and maintenance of ESA’s supplier database. This includes working with the ESA-star system to ensure that supplier information is accurately recorded and updated. You’ll assist in creating more streamlined processes for managing this data, improving how we handle supplier registrations and enhancing the experience for both internal and external stakeholders. Your contribution here will ensure that the system operates more smoothly, reducing delays and increasing data accuracy. 

This internship will provide you with hands-on experience in process optimization while exposing you to various aspects of ESA’s operations. You will work closely with professionals from different areas, learning how to apply process improvement techniques in a real-world environment and gaining valuable insights into the space industry’s operational complexities. This is a unique opportunity to make a real impact while developing skills that are essential for a career in data management, process optimization, and space industry operations.

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 in your final or second-to-last year of a university course at Master’s level and you need to remain 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 Member State language would be an asset.

Knowledge and background in IT Tools (MS Office applications, SharePoint development, etc.) is an asset.