YGT in Development and Integration of Tools for Supporting Field Science Activities

Young Graduate Opportunity in the Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration Programmes

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, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.

This post is classified F1 on the Coordinated Organisations’ salary scale .

Location

ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany 

EAC’s task is to focus on the 'human' component of human spaceflight: astronaut selection, training, medical support and surveillance, as well as support for astronauts and their families in preparation for and during space missions to the International Space Station (ISS). 

The CAVES & PANGAEA team specialises in training programmes that equip astronauts and mission developers with scientific, expeditionary and behavioural and skill sets for current and future space exploration. The group’s primary output is focused around two training programmes:

•    CAVES (Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills) teaches astronauts human performance and behavioural skills for exploration tasks through an expedition into a natural cave system. Cave systems present environments and situations very similar to spaceflight, making them ideal for this type of training.

•    PANGAEA (Planetary ANalogue Geological and Astrobiological Exercise for Astronauts) is a geological and astrobiological field training course for astronauts and mission developers. It develops fundamental knowledge and skills in these disciplines, as well as observational and decisional skills such as identifying important geological features in the field, conducting efficient sampling and effectively communicating with scientists on Earth. 

The CAVES & PANGAEA team has been working on tools to support and enhance these training programmes as well as prepare for the next phases of human spaceflight, and for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars. The team has been working on the automatic recognition of planetary materials by means of data fusion from multi-method spectroscopy. The outputs from this system are enhanced with metadata from a bespoke database to provide relevant information about the significance of the materials detected. These techniques have been integrated into field deployable systems that can gather inputs from a range of external sensors, analytical tools, microscopes and other COTS devices, enabling them to provide in the field decision support, and need to be continually developed, maintained, tested and interfaced with each other, for providing improved support during the CAVES and PANGAEA training programmes and testing campaigns, and their future applications in space.

A trainee is sought to support these efforts broadly, with focus on maintaining and improving the software and interface between the different techniques and systems.

Interested candidates are highly encouraged to visit the websites: CAVES - www.esa.int/caves ; PANGAEA  - www.esa.int/pangaea

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

As a Young Graduate Trainee, your activities will include:

•    Contributing to software development and maintenance for field science instrumentation and operational support tools
•    Familiarisation with the data collected during past PANGAEA missions
•    Contributing to advancing the field support tools for CAVES & PANGAEA
•    Identifying and developing innovative solutions to help support scientific field activities during analogue campaigns
•    Investigating specific technology for using small embedded boards, and with lower power consumption, in an underground environment
•    Updating of documentation according to test results
•    Preparing documentation and instructions for non-specialists
•    Supporting the execution of the CAVES & PANGAEA field training and analogue test campaigns, with focus on traverse support tools

Knowledge of relevant technical domains

Relevant experience gained during internships/project work

Breadth of exposure coming from past and/or current research/activities

Knowledge of ESA and its programmes/projects

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

You should have just completed or be in the final year of your master’s degree in Software Engineering, Computer or Data Science, or Electronic Engineering.

•    Experience with at least three of the following programming languages, frameworks or engines: JavaScript, AngularJS (v1 and following), Ionic, CouchDB, HTML/CSS, NodeJS. As a plus, experience on one or more of the following paradigms would be beneficial: Java, C++/Qt, Docker, Apache Cordova, GIS systems maps and UI design.
•    Knowledge of frameworks for utilisation of ML in production set-ups: Python, Jupyter notebook, TensorFlow, Keras, Scikit-learn, Numpy. Experience with image processing, with real-time recognition, and with frameworks to allow for data display and testing of the models is considered a welcome plus.
•    On embedded systems side, experience with UNIX, and/or other OS for prototyping microcontrollers (Arduino, RaspberryPi, etc.), including their programming in C. Hands-on experience on IoT real time positioning and tracking using would be considered a welcome plus as well as familiarity with the REST paradigm, wireless networks IP configuration and routing/bridging (preferred protocols: Wi-Fi, LoRa, BT).

You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multi-cultural environment, both independently and as part of a team.

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.

During the interview motivation and overall professional perspective/career goals will also be explored.

Other information

For behavioural competencies expected from ESA staff in general, please refer to the ESA Competency Framework .

For further information on the Young Graduate Programme please visit: Young Graduate Programme andFAQ Young Graduate Programme

Applicants must be eligible to access technology and hardware which is subject to European and US export control regulations.

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 email [email protected] .

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Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as  Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus 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 first be given to candidates from under-represented Member States *. 

In accordance with the European Space Agency’s security procedures and as part of the selection process, successful candidates will be required to undergo basic screening before appointment conducted by an external background screening service. 

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.