Our team and mission

Under the direct authority of the Director of Earth Observation Programmes, the Head of the Mission Management and Ground Segments Department is responsible for the management of the EO missions handled by ESA in their Phase E2, and for the design, development and operation of the related Payload Data Ground Segments (PDGS) as well as the related data management.

In executing these functions, the Head of Department is supported by the:

• Mission Management and Product Quality Division (EOP-GM);
• Copernicus Ground Segment and Data Management Division (EOP-GC);
• ESA Ground Segment and Data Management Division (EOP-GE);
• Project Control and Management Support Office (EOP-GP).

Under the ESA Ground Segment and Data Management Division, the section of Common Services (EOP-GES) is responsible for:

• Earth Observation data management through the design, implementation and operations of data acquisition, generation, access and archiving services to users including the day-to-day interface to the users;
• Evolution of the Earth Observation data management concept and architecture in response to emerging operational needs and including specific R&D projects.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Background
The Earth Observation domain is exceptionally relevant at this time, becoming determinant in the definition of earth models for the prediction of environmental changes and at the same time identification of factors that could reduce their impact. The science community is confronted with a challenge objective for which it is critical to provide all the necessary elements for effective research. The increased amount of information and data available is creating the need to follow closely and timely the scientific community and react promptly to incoming needs.
A close monitoring of the services deployed in the Earth Observation Framework for the handling of the data management, namely generation, archival and dissemination, is the only means of following closely the user behaviour and come back with proper solutions.
Applying modern technology, a service for the monitoring of all functions deployed, together with a set of timely populated dashboards and regular generation of reports allows for faster reaction to issue or demand changes.

In this particular case, we are looking for a young expert that could support the validation, identify improvements and further evolution of the approach in the collection, management and visualisation of metrics derived from all the operational services.

Objective
Validate the platform under development for the monitoring and reporting of the Earth Observation Framework for Science missions.

How
Your interfaces are ESA employees and possibly the industrial engineering teams involved in the relevant projects.

1. You will initially familiarise yourself with the context, including basic concepts of data management and discovery.
2. You will participate in the design and deployment of the platform and its sub-components.
3. Based on a defined set of use cases and scenarios, you will support the team in testing, debugging, and improving existing systems.
4. If time allows, you will deepen in proposing additional mechanisms for collecting, aggregating, and analysing digital data to track system health, performance, and availability.
5. You will assess the application in terms of user experience and determine possible improvements by consulting with stakeholders (operational team, management leaders, service managers).
6. You will present findings and project results to team members, stakeholders, and leadership.

You will produce a final report of the obtained 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 in your final or second-to-last year of university course 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 and background in the following areas:

• good programming (e.g. scripting) skills and/or data management skills;
• knowledge of information management and its application for data analytics is an asset;
• familiarity with project/service management principles.