Job Description

ESA Graduate Trainee in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics

Job Requisition ID: 20239

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:

Villigen, CH

Grade Band: F1 - F1

Location

European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI), Villigen, Switzerland

Our team and mission

The European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI) is a strategic initiative of the European Space Agency, established in Switzerland in partnership with the Paul Scherrer Institute and the ETH Domain. ESDI operates as a competence centre under ESA leadership, designed to catalyse deep-tech innovation for space through challenge-led, use-inspired research.

ESDI’s mission is twofold:

to bring more deep-tech capabilities to ESA and its Member States, by tapping into the Swiss and European deep-tech ecosystems through strategic foresight, interdisciplinary collaboration, and targeted research programmes;
to bring more of ESA to Switzerland, by establishing a sustainable, more permanent ESA presence, and transforming ESDI into a recognised ESA hub.

ESDI’s operational model centres on three pillars:

Platforms for Research: targeting frontier domains such as quantum technologies, advanced materials, and data systems.
Deep-Tech Foresight: guiding the selection of challenges worth solving and informing ESA’s long-term innovation agenda.
Community Management and Talent Development: building a vibrant ecosystem of researchers, start-ups, and institutional partners.

As an EGT at ESDI, you will be embedded in a high-performance, interdisciplinary environment that connects ESA’s strategic priorities with the rich Swiss and European research ecosystem. You will contribute to ESDI’s mission by engaging in data analytics and business intelligence that support the Centre’s deep-tech foresight and research coordination efforts. This includes translating frameworks such as ESDI's Neglectedness Framework and Ecosystem Maps into operational tools that help identify underexplored technological domains with high strategic relevance.

ESDI is evolving. You will join a small, agile team that interacts frequently and builds strong relationships with ESA programmes. The team operates at the intersection of technology and commercialisation strategies. It aims to develop a powerful network in the Swiss deep-tech ecosystem and bring it closer to ESA.

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

Deep-Tech Foresight is ESDI’s second pillar. It complements platforms for research, community building, talent development and outreach. It draws on ESDI's unique position in relation to ESA programmes that rely on deep-tech, the centre’s proximity to the ETH Domain and Paul Scherrer Institute campus, and its integration in Switzerland's dynamic deep-tech ecosystem.

The Deep-tech Foresight offered at ESDI is special and unique. It focuses on:

identifying and understanding areas of neglectedness within emerging deep-tech fields where investment may yield powerful results.
gaining insights from the deep-tech ecosystem (research and industry alike) beyond the typical ESA players.
guiding investment and research strategy.
finding the sweet spot between the needs of the innovation ecosystem, ESA and Member States.

ESDI Deep-tech Foresight enhances Europe's capacity to stay ahead of global technological competition. It enables strategic investment, shaping the future of innovation in deep-tech rather than merely reacting to change.

As an EGT in our team, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of ESDI’s methodology for Deep-tech Foresight and concretely apply it to the field of quantum technologies and LEO PNT in order to identify novel capabilities and technologies, unknown connections, adjacent skills, clustering and knowledge flow.

Conduct stakeholder interviews: lead structured stakeholder interviews across ESA, industry and academia to uncover capabilities, constraints, roadmaps and unmet needs in quantum and LEO PNT.
Research field for gathering data for capability and expertise mapping: map the capability and expertise landscape by collecting qualitative and quantitative data (papers, patents, standards, calls, testbeds, facilities, labs and spin outs), and build a capability graph and a knowledge flow map that highlight unknown connections, adjacent skills and clustering.
Analyse data to uncover trends and insights that will contribute to the mapping by applying foresight and systems thinking techniques (e.g. Wardley Mapping for situational awareness) to derive insights that inform ESDI.
Cross-validate with ESA experts to test assumptions, identify gaps and avoid bias.
Create visual representations and tools to visualise data: so stakeholders can see the system: capability heatmaps, ecosystem maps, value chain diagrams, adjacency radar, maturity ladders plus interactive boards for workshop use.
Document research and analysis in a repeatable manner: document methods, sources, data dictionaries, interview meta data, decision logs and ethical considerations (export/security). Ensure materials are reusable by ESDI.
Identify and recommend improvements to methodology.
Maintain regular communication with stakeholders to gather feedback and ensure alignment.

ESDI is under development. As part of the small core-team, you will have the chance to support the organisation of and participate in workshops, events and any other relevant activities led by the team.

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 in strategic (technology) management, economics or engineering, ideally complemented with some knowledge of data science.

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.

You should also be adaptable, curious, not easily intimidated, a reliable supporter, interested in systems thinking and a clear communicator.

Ideally you:

have experience in student leadership, organising events or interdisciplinary teams.
have demonstrated an interest in working at the intersection of science, innovation and public purpose.

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.