Job Description

ESA Graduate Trainee in Regulatory Compliance

Job Requisition ID: 20235

Date Posted: 1 February 2026

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

Publication: External Only

Type of Appointment: ESA Graduate Trainee

Directorate: Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness

Workplace:

Noordwijk, NL

Grade Band: F1 - F1

Location

ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Our team and mission

The Regulatory Compliance function is a role in the Responsible Contracting and Management Support Office in the Contracts Department. The Office carries out cross-departmental duties in support of the activities of the Contracts Department. The team is composed of the Special Advisor to the Head of the Contracts Department, the Regulatory Compliance Officer, an Assistant Administrator, several Contracts Planning Officers located at different ESA establishments, Procurement Technical Support and the esa-star Proximity Team.

We pride ourselves on being:

responsive, for example in adopting measures to address the effects of COVID-19;
flexible, for example by creating quicker, simpler procedures for appropriate activities through EXPRO(+), calls for proposals and time-to-contract initiatives; and
modern, in adopting the electronic signature and digital platforms such as esa-star.

The Regulatory Compliance function in the Responsible Contracting and Management Support Office ensures that governance in the Contracts Department is sound, and therefore properly adapted to the activities of the Agency.

Several compliance pathways are implemented by the Office to ensure that the tender procedure is implemented as intended. Firstly, ex ante reviews of all draft contracts in major activities with a contract value of over €20m are conducted. Secondly, random ex post reviews of all other published tender actions are conducted. Thirdly, constant compliance checks throughout the tendering process are conducted by the Contracts Planning Officers.

The Contracts Planning Officers play an important role in ensuring that the tender process follows the relevant rules. To this end, consistency and compliance verifications are performed on forms submitted in the tender systems at various stages of tender actions. From the shopping cart to the recommendation of an economic actor for contract award, the Officers check the conformity of relevant forms and documents with the Contracting Regulations, programme implementing rules as well as other instructions governing the tender procedure, and advise their colleagues of any inconsistencies discovered. They are also responsible for the timely and proper publication of tender actions, clarifications, news items and interaction in esa-star so that economic actors interested in doing business with ESA can access the relevant information.

Furthermore, the Responsible Contracting and Management Support Office provides expertise in personal data protection, supervising compliance with the Personal Data Protection Policy in the tender process, drafting the relevant templates and procedures, and providing guidance and specific awareness sessions on these matters to the Contracts Department. Furthermore, the Points of Contact for Personal Data Protection are the interface with the ESA Data Protection Officer for inspections and incidents with aspects relevant to contracts.

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

The Regulatory Compliance function provides support to the Contracts Department in the:

evolution of the regulatory framework relative to ESA contracting and tendering, in coordination with the Legal Department, including the Contracting Regulations and subordinated regulatory instruments.
application of international principles in public procurement e.g. UNCITRAL Model Law on Public Procurement.
application of knowledge of the EU public procurement rules in tender actions where ESA cooperates with the European Commission.
production and maintenance of all contracting/tendering templates, standards and procedures.
drafting of internal instructions related to the activities undertaken by the Contracts Department.
ensuring that all activities of the Department are in full compliance with the regulatory framework in force.
compliance with the Agency’s personal data protection rules and standards.
support for IT developments related to the contracting/tendering process.

Technical competencies

Knowledge of relevant technical/functional domains

Relevant experience gained during internships, project work and/or extracurricular or other activities

General knowledge of the space sector and relevant activities

Knowledge of ESA and its programmes/projects

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 should have just completed, or be in the final year of your master’ s degree in law.

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. Previous experience of working in international teams can be considered an asset. Your motivation, overall professional perspective and career goals will also be explored during the later stages of the selection process.

Excellent knowledge of international public procurement legal standards and principles would be an advantage.

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 contact.human.resources@esa.int.

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

During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures.

The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working 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 and Languages
Please note that applications can only be considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta 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 be given to external candidates from under-represented Member States*.

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.

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.