Traineeship in Space Programme Operations

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) provides safe and secure European satellite navigation services, advances the commercialization of Galileo, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), and Copernicus data and services, engages in secure SATCOM (GOVSATCOM & IRIS²), and operates the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Front Desk. Through these projects, EUSPA enhances European autonomy in space technologies, fosters innovation and creativity, supports European transport net and agriculture, all while contributing to the economic growth and health of the European Union. For more information on the EUSPA and the EU Space Programme, click here.

EUSPA offers a diverse multicultural workplace that welcomes all applicants without distinction on any grounds of gender, race, ethnic or social origin, nationality, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, birth, gender identity, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or other family situation. EUSPA wishes to employ competent talents and be representative of the diversity of the EU citizens and is committed to provide the best working conditions and benefits to its employees.

Applicants may indicate up to three (3) areas of interest from the following list:

• EGNOS
• Engineering
• Galileo
• Market, Downstream and Innovation
• Project Management Office and Quality
• Secure Communication
• Security
• Space Surveillance and Tracking

Final assignment will depend on the Agency’s needs and the candidate’s profile.

Location

The position requires relocation to one of the sites of the Agency. Applicants will be asked to indicate all the locations to which they are willing to relocate in the application form:

• Prague, Czech Republic
• Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
• Toulouse, France
• Noordwijk, the Netherlands
• Torrejon de Ardoz, Spain
• San Martin de la Vega, Spain

Depending on the assigned department/team, trainees may be involved in the following tasks:

1. Depending on the assigned department/team, trainees may be involved in the following tasks:
2. Support the daily activities of the assigned operational department/team, including participation in internal and external meetings;
3. Assist with the preparation, review, and organisation of technical or operational documentation, notes, reports, slides, and presentations;
4. Contribute to the implementation and monitoring of projects, processes, tools, indicators, or service provision activities related to the department’s/team's core functions (e.g. reporting, project dashboards, KPIs, research and innovation projects, or SST tools/algorithms);
5. Support the coordination and organisation of events, workshops, or stakeholder interactions as required by the department/team;
6. Conduct research and draft papers or analyses on subjects relevant to the department’s / team's operational scope;
7. Assist with administrative support tasks, such as archiving, document management, data entry and processing, and organising meetings;
8. Provide support for ad-hoc tasks as required and contribute to overall Agency processes where relevant.

The traineeship is open to applicants who have not previously undertaken a regular (paid) traineeship at EUSPA and who meet the following requirements:

1. Have a nationality of any Member State of the European Union, Iceland or Norway;
2. A recognised higher education degree (university education or equivalent), evidencing completion of a full cycle of study, or in the case of candidates who are at the end of their studies, an official certification confirming that students are currently in their final year of academic studies;
3. Have interest or knowledge about one or more areas of work of the Agency obtained during their studies/research projects/traineeships or through previous professional experience;
4. Possess a thorough knowledge of one official language of the European Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the European Union; one of these languages must be the working language of the Agency (English);
5. Have a clean criminal record.

The applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

1. Motivation to contribute to operational, technical or programme-related activities of the EU Space Programme;
2. Knowledge (by training or experience) relevant to one or more of the areas covered by this vacancy notice;
3. Excellent command of both written and spoken English;
4. Effective communication;
5. Ability to work in a team and in a multicultural environment;
6. Analytical and problem-solving skills, appropriate to the area of work;
7. Good knowledge of IT applications (Word, Excel, PPT and any other is an asset).

The current call is open to fill any potential vacant places at the Agency covering the areas listed in section 1.

Candidates are advised to apply as early as possible, as positions may arise at any point in time and also during the period when the call remains open for applications. Once a position in the department/team becomes vacant, the eligibility of the received applications will be assessed. The Head of the recruiting department/team will nominate the evaluators to carry out the selection of the most suitable candidates. The evaluators will assess the eligible applications and select those best matching the selection criteria required for the available traineeship.

The best suitable candidates may be invited for a phone/video interview which may include other appropriate testing.

Engagement for a traineeship will be decided on the basis of a list of suitable candidates proposed by the evaluators. The established list may be used for other similar traineeships depending on the Agency’s needs.

The starting date of the traineeship depends on the Agency's needs and budget availability.

All applicants will be informed after their application has been reviewed and evaluated. 

If an application is unsuccessful, candidates may re-apply to future vacancies for which they satisfy the criteria.

To apply for this position, candidates need to create an account and register through the EUSPA e-recruitment tool.

Please note that only applications submitted via the e-recruitment tool will be accepted. Applications sent by email or post cannot be considered.

To ensure fairness, submitting multiple applications for the same position using different accounts will result in exclusion from the selection procedure.

Important: The information you provide in your online application is the sole basis for assessing your eligibility and matching your profile to the selection criteria. We encourage you to carefully review the requirements and provide detailed, clear information — especially regarding your education and professional experience. Include exact dates, descriptions of your responsibilities, and duties performed to help us understand your qualifications and experience fully. It is your responsibility to complete the application accurately and thoroughly, avoiding any unclear information or typographical errors.

To facilitate the selection process, please complete all sections of the application in English.

Applications must be received by the closing date specified in the vacancy notice to be considered. We recommend submitting your application well before the deadline to avoid any technical issues, as the Agency cannot be held responsible for last-minute problems with the e-recruitment tool, especially during periods of high traffic.

If you require technical support, please send your request to jobs@euspa.europa.eu at least two working days before the application deadline. Requests received later may not be addressed in time.

For detailed instructions on completing your application, please consult the e-recruitment guideline.

If you have any questions about the selection procedure, feel free to contact us at jobs@euspa.europa.eu. We are here to support you throughout the process.

Applicants have the right to file a complaint to the European Ombudsman or send an application to the General Court of the European Union, should they consider they have been adversely affected by a particular decision.

Details on how to initiate these processes are available here.

Trainees receive a monthly grant for full-time traineeship of €1,500.00¹.

Trainees may also be entitled to the reimbursement of their travel expenses from/to their place of origin.

Trainees shall be responsible for organising their own sickness insurance against health risks and their own accident insurance.

Before the start of the traineeship, the candidate will be required to provide the following documents:

• Proof of nationality;
• Diplomas or academic qualifications needed to prove that they satisfy the admission criteria;
• An excerpt from police records;
• A medical certificate confirming that they are fit for work and free of any contagious diseases;
• Documents showing that the trainee has public or private cover for accident insurance and sickness insurance against health risks for the entire duration of the traineeship period;
• A statement indicating whether the trainee is in receipt of a grant or other subsistence allowance from another source and if so, the amount of these grants or allowances;
• Declaration of confidentiality and absence of conflict of interests.

For detailed information about rights and obligation related to traineeships, please refer to the Decision of The Executive Director on the Rules governing the Traineeship Scheme of the Agency².

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[1] The official European Commission rates will automatically apply for grants paid in non-Euro accounts. All bank charges for incoming payments shall be carried by the trainee. If the traineeship is part-time, the grant will be proportionate.

[2] https://www.euspa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/EUSPA%20Traineeship%20Decision.pdf

The Agency is an equal opportunities employer and strongly encourages applications from all candidates who fulfil the eligibility and selection criteria without any distinction whatsoever on grounds of nationality, age, race, political, philosophical or religious conviction, gender or sexual orientation and regardless of disabilities, marital status or other family situation.

The purpose of processing of the data submitted by candidates is to manage each application in view of selection and recruitment as a trainee at the EUSPA. The personal information requested from applicants will be processed in line with Regulation (EU) N° 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, officers and agencies and on the free movement of such data (repealing Regulation (EC) N° 45/2001 and Decision N° 1247/2002/EC).

Please consult the EUSPA privacy policy here: https://www.euspa.europa.eu/privacy-policy.