Our team and mission

Under the direct authority of the Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, the Head of the Quality Department is responsible for the establishment and implementation of the ESA policy, requirements, and standards with respect to quality. TEC-Q is responsible for the provision of required expertise and support services to ESA projects, support Directorates and research activities in the Product Assurance and Safety disciplines, applied to all elements of space systems (ground and on-board), including hardware, software, and humans. Product Assurance and Safety disciplines comprise Product Assurance management, technical risk management, reliability, availability, maintainability, safety, quality assurance, with support from the other TEC engineering Departments, expertise, and laboratories.

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

Field(s) of activity for the internship

The Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) is a systematic and exhaustive methodology for qualitative and quantitative assessment of risks in complex space systems. It estimates the probability of major undesired outcomes such as Loss of Mission (LOM) and Loss of Crew (LOC), providing quantitative, traceable risk metrics to support design and Programme-level decisions.

ESA needs to develop its own PRA methodology. At present, no dedicated ESA/ECSS standard or handbook defines PRA principles, processes, or implementation guidance. Current PRA activities rely primarily on external standards and project-specific approaches, creating a risk of inconsistencies in modelling assumptions, analysis scope, and interfaces with Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety (RAMS) activities.

As ESA increases its independent application of PRA for future ESA-led missions, the need for harmonised guidance becomes increasingly important. Establishing an ESA PRA methodology would promote consistency across projects and provide a solid foundation for an integrated RAMS framework, encompassing FMEA, Reliability and Availability Analyses, Hazard Analyses, and Fault Tree Analyses.

The main objectives of this initiative are to:

• collect and review documentation, standards, guidance material, and software tools related to PRA methodologies used by other space agencies and organisations, including NASA;
• analyse the collected material and produce a comprehensive assessment of existing methodologies, tools, requirements, best practices, and lessons learnt, identifying gaps, challenges, and key elements that should be addressed in the early stages of developing an ESA PRA methodology;
• provide recommendations for the definition of a harmonised ESA PRA framework and its integration within the broader Dependability and Safety engineering processes.

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.

You must have knowledge of risk assessment. Familiarity with Fault Tree Analysis and Reliability Analysis, as well as knowledge of Space Systems would be an asset. 

You must have good interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work in a multi-cultural environment, both independently and as part of a team. You must also be thorough and meticulous.