Junior Professional in AI/ML Software Engineering
Paris, FR
This post is part of ESA’s Junior Professional Programme. We are looking for enthusiastic candidates with up to 3 years of relevant professional experience after their Master's degree to join ESA for a four-year assignment. During this time, you will be actively working and learning on the job and will benefit from valuable mobility and developmental opportunities that will prepare you for a successful career at ESA. Subject to performance, it is therefore the intention to offer you an indefinite contract which will start at the end of the four years.
Recruitment will take place at the A1 grade on the Coordinated Organisations’ salary scale. At the end of the fourth year and if you are offered an indefinite contract at the end of your Junior Professional assignment, you will be upgraded to the A2 grade.
Location
ESA Headquarters, Paris, France or another site, as required.
Developmental assignments form an integral part of the Junior Professional Programme and may entail a temporary relocation to another ESA establishment or other location.
Description
Junior Professional in AI/ML Software Engineering in the Data & AI Unit, Digital, Data and Information Technology Department, Directorate of Resources and Services.
You will join the Data & AI Unit within the Digital, Data and Information Technology Department at ESA Headquarters, Paris. The Unit runs the ESA Data & Apps Factory, the Agency’s largest corporate data repository. By turning trusted and validated data into AI-enabled insights, we help ESA make better decisions, improve processes and generate knowledge-based outcomes rather than relying on intuition.
We are an experienced team delivering end-to-end capabilities by combining infrastructure, data engineering, data science and operations. Our work supports both business data as well as AI-driven data processing for scientific and operational payloads. This includes making heterogeneous datasets interoperable, AI-ready and usable across different domains.
We apply AI/ML to areas such as time-series analysis and natural language processing. We own and operate the technology stack for ML operations, ensuring that the models we build can move from prototype to secure, reliable and actionable operational outcomes across the Agency.
Duties
During the first year, you will work on the development of Al models that combine multiple data domains, including business, management, technical and operational data. By the end of the first year, the objective is to have developed and operationalised at least one Al model contributing to the improvement of one or more Agency-level KPls.
Your tasks and responsibilities will include:
- supporting the development of Al models applicable across the Agency and designed to operate across multiple data domains;
- leading the transition of Al models from prototype or experimental environments into operational use, including deployment readiness, reproducibility, monitoring and lifecycle management;
- contributing to the implementation and operation of an Agency-wide ML model catalogue;
- supporting the establishment and operational use of an Agency-wide LLM inference service, using on-premises infrastructure and cloud resources efficiently;
- establishing data preparation, validation and quality practices that make data Al-ready;
- ensuring that technical and operational payload data is interoperable with existing business and management data available in the ESA Data Factory, enabling coherent cross-domain Al use;
- ensuring that Al solutions comply with applicable governance and security constraints;
- documenting implemented solutions and contributing to technical guidelines and best practices that promote scalable Al solutions across the Agency.
Development Programme
In addition to your daily work, you will take part in an extensive learning and development programme. From day one, you will learn on the job and benefit from tailored development opportunities, including participation in technical and key skills training courses.
Furthermore, there is a mobility component to the Junior Professional Programme that can be either an internal rotation to another team within ESA, an external secondment outside of ESA or a combination of both. Internal rotations aim to boost your professional experience and knowledge of the European Space Agency, whereas external secondments aim to boost your professional experience and knowledge of the European space sector.
This programme represents a significant investment by ESA in your personal and professional development and is designed to provide you with the required knowledge and skills for a career at ESA. You can expect to be given many opportunities to develop your professional experience and competencies, to learn from ESA experts and to contribute to ESA activities.
Technical competencies
Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking
For more information, please refer to the ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook
Education and professional experience
A master's degree in computer science or similar (mathematics, physics, engineering, etc.) is required for this post with up to three years of professional experience.
Additional requirements
Knowledge of Docker/Singularity, Kubernetes and/or SLURM/PBS are an asset.
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
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 are only 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, the United Kingdom and Canada, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.
According to the ESA Convention, staff shall be recruited on the basis of their qualifications, taking into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the 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.