ESA Graduate Trainee in Science Communications

Descripción del puesto:

Location

ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands or ESAC, Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain.

Our team and mission

The European Space Agency maintains a world-leading Science Programme with missions in heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics and fundamental physics. Its mission is to 'Empower Europe to lead space science'.

The Science Communication and Education Section (SCI-EC) in the Office of Science Engagement and Oversight (SCI-E) is responsible for defining and implementing the Communication and Education Strategy for the Science Directorate of the European Space Agency. Leveraging the scientific output of all the Space Science missions with the aim to ensure that a range of stakeholders (ranging from advisory bodies, media, scientists, general public and future generations) are informed, engaged and inspired.

In this role you will report to the Head of Science Communication and Education section and you will be responsible for promoting and communicating specific milestones regarding ESA's Science Programme. In this role you will work closely with staff from across the entire Science Directorate and technical IT experts.

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

The sci.esa.int website is one of the main communication tools used by ESA's Directorate of Science to reach the parts of the scientific community that are not yet using the Directorate's missions, and to develop ambassadorship among the scientific community and the astronomy-interested, tech-savvy public.

One of its goals is to provide clear information about the top-level definition of and results from ESA's Science missions, appealing to the general public as well as members of the general scientific community who are not yet deeply involved in individual missions, along with the tech-savvy public and media who have an interest in space science.

It also aims to illustrate the role, relevance and international nature of ESA's Science Programme and its missions to policymakers and scientists, as well as to existing and potential value adders.

The website is undergoing a major re-design, building on the pilot website called science.esa.int; the final version will also possess a modern search engine and dynamic navigation.

In this traineeship, you will support the coordination activities across a wide range of stakeholders involved in the redesign project to ensure regular progress and help communicate the priorities associated with this larger effort.

You will work closely with the science communications team, staff across the entire Directorate of Science, and both the in-house technical team as well as the external contractor involved in the redesign.

Your work will consist of collaborating with these teams to ensure that the main requirements and the ESA team's priorities are well communicated and met by the technical teams implementing the changes.

Towards the end of the traineeship the work would consist of monitoring the rolling out of the new webpages and coordinating feedback from stakeholders from across the Science Directorate, to ensure the site content and functionality serves its purpose.

Your activities will enable you to:

* Build your experience in project coordination and gain an insight into project management;
* gain knowledge of the technical aspects involved in implementing and testing a website of significant
size and complexity;
* gain experience in stakeholder management;
* learn about communication requirements for specialised audiences and develop expertise in
implementing such communication in a web project;
* understand the structure of an international organisation;
* gain or expand your knowledge about exciting topics in space science.

Technical competencies

Knowledge of relevant technical/functional domains
Relevant experience gained during internships, project work and/or extracurricular or other activities
General knowledge of the space sector and relevant activities
Knowledge of ESA and its programmes/projects

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 a relevant technical discipline.

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.

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, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.

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
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