Young Graduate Trainee in Project-Based School-Level Didactics

Young Graduate Opportunity in the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality

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

ESEC, Redu, Belgium

Our team and mission

The STEM Education and Outreach Unit takes care of the ESA STEM Learning and Inspiration Programme targeting 3-18 years-old youngsters, directly or through their teachers and educators. This programme is structured along two synergetic blocks, as follows:

• Learn with Space, initiatives to support teachers and educators from formal and non-formal education venues, starting from early-ages up to upper secondary age-groups, such as professional teacher and educator training, didactics resources, interdisciplinary school projects, thematic workshops and hackathons, inspirational activities and camps and an international community of practice. Such activities are implemented at national level through the ESA ESERO project (www.esa.int/esero), a network of dedicated national offices and consortia of partners established by ESA in its Member and Associate States.

• Let Space Inspire You, inspirational events, role modelling, career awareness initiatives, and access to space experts for youth and their families to be attracted to space and STEM, and understand their importance for society and economy. In doing so, help to break diversity barriers, boost accessibility, and promote sustainability for a better future.

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

As a Young Graduate Trainee, you will contribute to the activities of the STEM Learning and Inspiration programme (early-age and school-age education), in particular in the framework of the Learn with Space activity set introduced above.

Your traineeship will concentrate on the use of the space context, and of the real practice of science, for the development and coordination of project-based learning activities aimed at the school level. On the example of ESA Space projects such activities are aimed at the development of STEM subject knowledge (maths, physics, chemistry, programming, technology, sciences, physical geography, etc), as well as related skills and competences in support of teaching and learning of science and technology at school level in Europe.

In particular, you will:

• support the international coordination of the five recurring ESA-ESERO interdisciplinary school projects: CanSat, Astro Pi, Mission X, Climate Detectives, Moon Camp, and of additional ad-hoc project-based activities, for both curricular and extracurricular education settings;
• for the above projects contribute to the maintenance and updates of project guidelines, tools, web-based platforms, supporting didactics resources, promotional materials;
• actively participate and contribute to related ESA/ESERO network activities, teacher and educator training, meetings and brainstorming for the execution and evolution of such projects and other didactics activities where applicable;
• interact with ESA experts for scientific and technical validation purposes and to identify content, opportunities and themes relevant for such educational projects;
• support the other activities of the STEM Learning and Inspiration programme, and of the ESA Education Programme in general, including reporting, presentations, promotion, outreach and inspiration, where requested.

Technical competencies

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

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

Education

You should have just completed, or be in the final year of your Master’ s degree in in a scientific or 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.

Specific competence/additional studies/qualifications and/or experience in one of the following disciplines shall be considered as assets: space-related field knowledge, science communication, school-level STEM education (e.g teaching qualification).

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 and FAQ Young Graduate Programme

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 contact.human.resources@esa.int.

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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.