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The Ground Segment team comprises telecom professionals collaborating in a systematic way to support with relevant expertise the management and implementation of the Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) Programme, at the Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications. The team contributes to the development of innovative ground segment technologies, products and services for satellite communications applications. The driving objective is to improve the capability and competitiveness of the ESA Member States industry in the world satellite communications market.

Ground segment in satellite communications refers to the infrastructure and equipment below 100 km altitude, responsible for controlling and communicating with satellites. It includes technology, products and systems required to receive, process, and transmit data between satellites and ground stations, and between the satellite and the user of satellite services. The members of the ground segment team, among other duties, are initiating, monitoring and controlling product-oriented activities under the ARTES Core Competitiveness programme element. The team conducts industry roadmap meetings on ground and user segment products and identifies ground segment needs and opportunities of innovation for satellite communication services. With their wide range collective expertise, the team members contribute to the market intelligence monitoring and preparation of diverse strategic initiatives, addressing the rapidly shifting environment for space telecommunication infrastructure and services.

Fields of activity/research for the traineeship

The digital transformation of ground segment satellite communications is essential to capture future satellite communications business opportunities in a very competitive global market. The pace of change will undoubtedly continue to accelerate, driven by the market demand to optimise ground segment efficiency, reduce its upfront/operational costs, and enhance the flexibility and scalability of ground networks.

In this context, as an ESA Graduate Trainee, your tasks, responsibilities and learning opportunities will include:

  • investigating the most prominent network virtualisation technologies that satellite operators, network operators, and manufacturing vendors shall adopt, to deliver flexible next-generation services to multi-domain networks utilising different orbits, waveforms and frequency bands;
  • analysing the technical and economic aspects of the Software Defined Radio (SDR) key technology enabling upgradability of waveforms without the need of changing equipment as part of a ground segment emplacement (you will classify and benchmark available SDR-platforms and alternative implementation approaches);
  • analysing the impact and potential of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) to enhance the performance, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness of satellite communication networks (these technologies decouple the network control plane from the underlying hardware, enabling operators to quickly deploy, centrally manage and optimise their networks, without requiring the need for dedicated HW);
  • investigating the technical and economic aspects of interoperability solutions, now enabled thanks to the development of software-defined terminals and gateways, capable to switch from one radio protocol stack to the other on-the-fly, and the development of a generic orchestrator capable to manage the deployment and configuration of those stacks. Interoperability is emerging as a new axis of development for the ground segment digital transformation in a multi-standard satcom developing 3GPP compliant solutions and adopting wider networking standards.

By the end of your ESA Graduate Traineeship, you will hold a solid understanding of the key technologies driving the digital transformation of the satellite communications ground segment.

Technical competencies

  • Knowledge of relevant technical/functional domains
  • Relevant experience gained during internships, project work and/or extracurricular or other activities
  • General knowledge of the space sector and relevant activities
  • Knowledge of ESA and its programmes/projects

Behavioural competencies

  • Result Orientation

Operational efficiency

  • Fostering Cooperation

Relationship management

  • Continuous Improvement

Education

You should have just completed, or be in the final year of your master’ s degree in telecommunications.

Additional requirements

You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should 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.

The following would also be considered assets for this role:

  • Knowledge of business plans, as well as an awareness of the Business Model Canvas as a tool that helps building business models.
  • An understanding of the dynamics of growth and disruptive innovation

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, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.

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. 

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.