Intern in the Quality Department, Human Error Analysis and Quality Management

Gain hands-on experience in Human Error analysis and Quality Management System adaptation within the OPS QMS.

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ESA - European Space Agency

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Application deadline 6 months ago: Sunday 30 Nov 2025 at 23:59 UTC

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Overview

Gain hands-on experience in Human Error analysis and Quality Management System adaptation within the OPS QMS.

You have:

  • You must be a university student, preferably studying at master’s level.
  • A good knowledge of one of the working languages (English or French) is required.
  • Knowledge or experience with Microsoft 365 tools is considered an asset.
  • Knowledge of another ESA Member State language is an asset.

Contract

This is a Internship contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about Internship contracts.

Location ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany

Our team and mission

The Product Assurance & Safety Offices coordinate and supervise the Product Assurance & Safety (PA&S) activities for the respective programmes and projects in the relevant application directorate and represent the directorate in all corporate activities in the PA&S domain, including Quality Management. The Heads of the PA&S Office report functionally to the respective director of the relevant programme directorate.

The PA&S Offices are responsible for the assurance of all space relevant aspects within the associated directorates and support the Independent Safety Office regarding Space Debris Mitigation and Safety activities.

Heads of PA&S Offices are the QMS Managers of the relevant application directorate, ensuring maintenance and certification of the QMS and reporting directly to the relevant director on urgent matters.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Improvement of collection and display of performance and effectiveness indicators

This internship offers an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in Human Error analysis and Quality Management System (QMS) adaptation within the OPS QMS. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical skills and a keen interest in understanding and improving complex operational processes.

Your key responsibilities:

  • review and analyse human errors in operations by reviewing and examining records and data (From ESTRACK operations);
  • classify human error categories and their distribution across missions with Criticality and Impact;
  • classify also with different category of Mission (including Low-Cost ones);
  • identify, where present, correlations and distribution of human errors in the low-cost streamlined activities for providing input for the Low-Cost mission; tailoring process to be incorporated in QMS;
  • present findings and recommendations to management in structured formats (graphs, dashboards, reports);
  • use reporting and visualisation tools (e.g., Power BI, Excel, Microsoft 365 tools) to present results;

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 studying at master’s level. In addition, you must be able to prove that you will be 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 ESA Member State language is an asset.

During the interview, your motivation for applying to this role will be explored.

Knowledge or experience with Microsoft 365 tools is considered an asset.

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 [email protected].

Important Information and Disclaimer During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests.

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

The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding internship 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

Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Potential interview questions

Describe a situation where you had to analyze data for decision making. This assesses your analytical skills and ability to use data-driven insights. Provide a specific example demonstrating your analytical abilities.
How do you prioritize tasks when working on multiple projects? The interviewer wants to gauge your time management and prioritization skills. Pro members can see the explanation.
Explain how you would present complex data findings to a non-technical audience. Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Can you give an example of how you contributed to continuous improvement in a project? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
What motivates you to apply for this internship in Quality Management? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Describe your experience with teamwork in a challenging project. Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
How would you classify human errors based on operational impacts? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
What tools or methods do you use for data visualization? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Added 7 months ago - Updated 6 months ago - Source: jobs.esa.int