Data Scientist Assistant

• Function title: Data Scientist Assistant
• Reference: NOC-AT-2026-AST/1159
• Location: Brétigny-sur-Orge
• In accordance with the Service Regulations, staff are required to reside either at their place of employment or at such distance from it as is compatible with the proper performance of their duties.
• The Innovation Hub is expected to relocate to the Innovation Cluster Paris-Saclay around 2028.
• Information about living in Brétigny-sur-Orge
• Nature of competition: Internal and external competition
• Applicable regulations: Staff regulations governing officials of the EUROCONTROL Agency
• Type of post: Assistant
• Job level: AST4-AST6 - Check salary simulations for the basic grade
• Generic job title: Specialised Technical/Administrative Assistant
• Number of posts: 1
• Duration of appointment: 5 Year(s) - renewal or conversion of the contract is possible under certain conditions see “Useful information” section
• Security clearance: Security vetting may be required in accordance with the relevant EUROCONTROL security policies
• Directorate/Service: ATD/INO/COE - Centre of Expertise Service
• Working arrangement: EUROCONTROL operates a hybrid working model, combining onsite presence with teleworking opportunities. Teleworking is subject to the applicable internal rules and is granted in line with business needs and managerial approval.
  Teleworking must not exceed 50% of the days worked in a month when performed at the official place of residence as defined above.
  In addition, all staff may telework from a location of their choice for up to 20 working days per calendar year, with line manager authorisation. These 20 days do not count towards the 50% monthly limit.
• Competition publication date: 17/09/2026
• Competition closing date: 15/10/2026 (23:59 Brussels time)
• Reserve list: Applicable - See details in the "Useful information" section

Your team

Within the The Aviation Transformation Directorate, you will join the Centre of Expertise (CoE). The Data Scientist Assistant supports the team's activities by analysing and preparing data, contributing to machine learning and AI solutions, and transforming data into actionable insights through visualisations, reports and presentations to support innovation and operational decision-making.

Your role

Your role will be to:

• Provide specialized support in the design, development, validation and deployment of machine learning models (supervised/unsupervised methods, feature engineering, model evaluation, optimisation).
• Provide specialized support in the design, development and deployment of solutions using Large Language Models, including prompt engineering, fine‑tuning or adaptation, embeddings, and/or Retrieval‑Augmented Generation.
• Assist in extracting, processing, cleaning and verifying structured and unstructured data from multiple sources, ensuring data quality and supporting analysis, machine learning activities and reporting.
• Support the conduct of exploratory and statistical analyses using data, drawing insights and/or making predictions to improve operations.
• Support the maintenance and updating of databases and data repositories and contribute to the provision of data for model training, dashboards, reports and ad-hoc analyses.
• Contribute to scientific papers, prepare materials for scientific conferences, meetings, workshops, presentations, etc. under the guidance of more experienced staff.
• Stay up to date with trends in data science such as modelling, algorithms and tools, and share knowledge within the Agency’s relevant communities.
• Support and train less experienced data scientist / analysts assistants.
• Carry out any other task in line with the main purpose of the job.

Required qualifications, experience & competencies

• Candidates must fulfil the following educational and professional experience requirements:
• • Completion of post-Secondary education in a relevant field meeting European Qualifications Framework (EQF) Level 5 or higher followed by at least 5 years’ relevant experience applying machine-learning techniques and/or data analysis. At least two years of experience should be in the aviation domain (e.g. air traffic management, network management, flight operations).
  • As an asset: the completion of third level studies meeting European Qualifications Framework (EQF) Level 6 in a relevant domain (e.g. Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics).
• Internal candidates can check on the intranet to see what level of in-house experience is considered equivalent to educational qualifications where appropriate.
• Understanding of a range of machine learning techniques in supervised, unsupervised and reinforcement learning, and awareness of their real-world advantages and limitations.
• Scripting and programming skills, with mandatory proficiency in Python.
• The following technical skills and experience would be desirable:
  • Experience with relational (SQL) and NoSQL databases.
  • Experience working in a Cloud environment, especially Microsoft’s Azure.
  • Experience with data-visualisation tools (especially Power BI), or Python’s visualisation libraries.
  • Experience of using AI tools for data science and daily non-technical tasks.
  • Proficiency in mathematics, including statistics (distributions, testing, regression).
  • Knowledge or experience of validation methods applied in aviation concepts.

• Communication: You are able to foster two-way communication.
• Planning and Organisation: You know how to plan ahead and adapt as required.
• Analytical Thinking: You apply a methodical approach to complex information.
• Creativity & Innovation: You are able to develop new methods and foster an innovative climate.
• Results focus: You seek to improve personal performance.
• Ability to work in a multinational and multicultural environment.
• Professional conduct in line with the corporate behaviours of the Agency, i.e. result-driven, readiness to change, customer focus, integrity and team-player approach.
• The working languages of the Agency are English and French. For this particular job, candidates must be proficient users of English at level C1. The selected candidate will be required to become basic users of French at level A2 before the end of the probation period.The levels relate to the European-framework-reference Common European Framework of References for languages (CEFR).

Useful information

• Applications will be accepted from nationals of EUROCONTROL Member States only.
• The selected candidate may be required to provide documentary evidence confirming they meet the minimum education requirements. They will be informed if and when specific evidence is needed. Please note that no offer (for external candidates) or appointment (for internal candidates) will be made until the necessary evidence, if required, is validated.
• The selected candidate will be appointed in accordance with the provisions of the Staff regulations governing officials of the EUROCONTROL Agency. This appointment may be renewed several times, but its total duration, including all renewal periods, may not exceed nine (9) years. A conversion to an undetermined duration appointment is possible where all of the following cumulative conditions are met: the post is confirmed as being of a lasting nature; the staff member has completed at least five years of service; the staff member’s performance has been satisfactory; and the conversion is in the interests of the service. Conversion is therefore not automatic.
• Conditions depending on current type of engagement
  Internal staff appointed for a determined period
  • Retain their current type of appointment duration.
  • Continue under their existing appointment duration, as appointment durations are not cumulative.
  • The duration of their appointment will therefore not restart upon selection to the new post, i.e. the remaining duration of their current determined appointment continues to apply.
  • Renewal(s): This appointment may be renewed several times, but its total duration, including all renewal periods, may not exceed nine (9) years.
  • Conversion: Conversion to an undetermined duration appointment is possible where all of the following cumulative conditions are met: the post is confirmed as being of a lasting nature; the staff member has completed at least five years of service; the staff member’s performance has been satisfactory; and the conversion is in the interests of the service. Conversion is therefore not automatic.
  Internal staff appointed for an undetermined period
  • Retain their current type of appointment duration.
  At the end of the 5 Year period of the post for which they were selected:
  • If the assignment is extended, they will continue in the post in accordance with the applicable rules.
  • If the assignment is not extended and/or the duties are not confirmed as being of a lasting nature, they will be transferred to another post corresponding to their “previous” type of post, job level, and function group.
• The selected candidate must successfully complete a probationary period of nine (9) months before being established in the post.
• The selected candidate shall be appointed at the grade set out in this vacancy notice, or if a group of grades has been published for a job level, in principle at the basic grade of the published job level.

• Candidates declared suitable who are not selected for the post will be placed on a reserve list for similar roles. The reserve list will be valid for one year from the closing date of applications.
• Information on salary and benefits can be found on our Careers site
• EUROCONTROL is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to equality and diversity. In the event of equal merit, preference may be given to the applicant from the under-represented diversity characteristics in order to complement diversity of teams and rebalance the workforce.
• Candidates should go to our Careers site and read the tips on how to apply.