Our team and mission

Under the direct authority of the Director of Earth Observation programmes, the Copernicus Space Office is responsible for programmatic activities relevant to Copernicus and performs the lead role for the strategic and coordination activities related to Copernicus.

The Office acts as the formal interface with the European Commission for Copernicus, and is the interface for ESA’s Copernicus activities within and outside ESA. It ensures their coordination by the implementing departments and the oversight of the Copernicus Space Component (CSC).

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

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

The Copernicus Space Office has set up a Sentinel Benefits Observatory that assesses and benchmarks the impacts of ESA Copernicus activities, with the objective to inform EOP programmatic planning, provide evidence to EU and ESA Member States of the benefits brought by the Programme and to feed Copernicus advocacy strategies.

The EGT will support the management and strategic planning of the Sentinel Benefits Observatory, in particular with regards to the following tasks:

• Management of industrial studies related to the assessment of the socio-economic impacts derived from the use of Copernicus Sentinels data, with particular emphasis to review the quality of the reports related to the application of EO for EU policy making and environmental sustainability;
• Design of new studies, in particular the ones intended to investigate the potential use impact of future missions (such as the Sentinel Expansion Missions) and technologies (such as the ESA Destination Earth);
• Benchmarking of the activities and findings of the Observatory with respect to similar activities in Europe and beyond;
• Participation to the activities of the international interdisciplinary group GEOValue, focusing in particular on the GEO Impact Assessment Toolkit which the group is building for the Group on Earth Observations.

The activity will require direct interface with other ESA EOP Departments, with the European Commission, as well as with other European partner agencies contributing to Copernicus  (e.g. EEA, ECMWF, EMSA…).

Technical competencies

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 Environmental Engineering, Geography, Earth Sciences or Sustainable Development

Additional requirements

We are looking for young graduates with good knowledge about EO applications and their relevance for environmental policies and with a general understanding about the Copernicus programme. The ideal candidate would also be equipped with some academic background in socio-economic and environmental impact assessments and policy analyses. Hands-on experience with Sentinels data will be considered an asset.

You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and 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.