ESA Graduate Trainee Strategy and Transformation Office Operations Directorate

Overview

ESA Graduate Trainee in the Strategy and Transformation Office of the Operations Directorate.

Job Requisition

Date Posted: 1 February 2026

Closing Date: 28 February 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication:
External Only

Type of Appointment: ESA Graduate Trainee

Directorate:
Operations

Workplace:
Darmstadt, DE

Grade Band: F1 - F1

Location
ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany

Under the direct authority of the Director of Operations, the Strategy and Transformation Office is responsible for preparing and formulating strategies in collaboration with the Director and the Management Team, and for providing the Directorate’s overarching coordination function.

• Formulating, communicating and evolving the Directorate’s overall strategy.
• Leading the Directorate’s strategy evolution.
• Establishing and leading the Directorate’s innovation governance, for example through Directorate-wide Innovation Cups.
• Coordinating the strategic planning and implementation of the Directorate’s research and technology (R&T) activities, in close cooperation with other relevant ESA actors.
• Fostering the development and supporting the establishment of the Directorate’s strategic partnerships.
• Coordinating and fostering cooperation and exchange with academia, other space agencies and industry.
• Developing the Directorate’s business intelligence by monitoring and analysing the external and internal environment and overseeing the socioeconomic impact of the Directorate’s business.
• Managing the Directorate’s governance process with respect to the mission operations infrastructure (the overall system infrastructure that is required to operate space missions).
• Investment and core technical expertise strategic planning and budget management.

You will work at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), the main mission control centre for the European Space Agency. ESOC’s primary function is to operate, on ESA’s behalf, uncrewed spacecraft as well as critical launch and early orbit phases, and is also home to the Space Safety Programme. As part of the Strategy Office, you will support key initiatives to enhance the Directorate’s impact, communication and knowledge management.

ESOC must remain at the forefront of innovation in mission operations and space safety to support the competitiveness of the European space industry on the global market. As part of the Strategy and Transformation Office, you will contribute to driving key initiatives that foster creativity, collaboration and the integration of innovative solutions across the Directorate. You will have the opportunity to contribute to the following topics during your traineeship.

Your role will involve coordination within ESOC and beyond on these topics, and will have a strong content development and curation component.

Socioeconomic impact analysis

• Contribute to the assessment of our socioeconomic benefits by supporting data analysis and interpretation, as well as coordination to ensure data alignment and consistency across projects and initiatives.

Strategic communication

• Assist in formulating and refining comprehensive communication strategies to engage stakeholders effectively. Contribute to strategic event planning such as VIP events for satellite launches.

Knowledge management

• Support the optimisation of knowledge-sharing frameworks to improve accessibility and organisational learning.
• Help curate and organise content for the Knowledge Management system, ensuring that valuable documents and resources are easily accessible.
• Collaborate with internal teams to identify and prioritise knowledge assets that need to be documented or shared.

Official documentation preparation

• Support the development of high-quality reports and presentations for leadership and key stakeholders.

Special projects – Visitor Centre

• Support the development of a strategic roadmap for the design and implementation of an innovative Visitor Centre at ESOC and other initiatives as required.

Innovation Cafés and idea generation

• Assist in organising Innovation Cafés – interactive, informal events designed to spark creative…