Esa Graduate Trainee in The Strategy and Transformation Office

ESA Graduate Trainee in the Strategy and Transformation Office

**Job Requisition ID**:19254

**Date Posted**:10 September 2025

**Closing Date**:24 September 2025 23:59 CET/CEST

**Publication**:External Only

**Type of Contract**:ESA Graduate Trainee

**Directorate**:Operations

**Workplace**:Darmstadt, DE

**Grade Band**:F1 - F1

**Location**
- ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany

**Our team and mission**
Under the direct authority of the Director of Operations, the Strategy and Transformation Office is responsible for preparing and formulating strategies in collaboration with the Director and the Management Team and providing the Directorate’s overarching coordination function.The main responsibilities of the Strategy and Transformation Office, which works directly with the Director of Operations are: preparing and formulating strategies in collaboration with the Director and the Operations Directorate (D/OPS) Management Team.This includes:
- Formulating, communicating and evolving the Directorate’s overall strategy;
- Leading the Directorate’s strategy evolution;
- Establishing and leading the Directorate Innovation Governance e.g. through D/OPS-wide innovation cups;
- Coordinating the strategic planning and implementation of the Directorate Research and Technology (R&T) activities, in close cooperation with the relevant other ESA actors;
- Fostering the development and supporting the establishment of the Directorate’s strategic partnerships;
- Coordinating and fostering cooperation and exchange with academia, other space agencies, and industry;
- Developing the Directorate’s Business Intelligence, by monitoring and analysing the external and internal environment and overlooking the socio-economic impact of the Directorate’s business;
- Managing the Directorate’s governance process with respect to the Mission Operations Infrastructure (the overall system infrastructure that is required to operate space missions);
- Investment and Core Technical Expertise strategic planning and budget management.-
**Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship**
You will work at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC): the main mission control centre for the European Space Agency (ESA). ESOC’s primary function is to operate unmanned spacecraft on behalf of ESA as well as critical launch and early orbit phases, and is home to the Space Safety Programme. As part of the Strategy Office, you will support key initiatives to enhance the Directorate’s impact, communications, and knowledge management. ESOC is to remain at the forefront of innovation in mission operations and space safety to enable European space industry competitiveness on the global market. As part of the Strategy and Transformation Office, you will contribute to driving key initiatives that foster creativity, collaboration, and the integration of innovative solutions across the Directorate. The following is a list of topics you will be able contribute to during the traineeship. The role will involve coordination within ESOC and beyond on these topics, and has a strong element of content development and curation.**Topic 1: Strategy Implementation**
- Socio-Economic Impact Analysis
- Contribute to the assessment of our socio-economic benefits by supporting data analysis and interpretation, and coordination to ensure data alignment and consistency across projects and initiatives;
- Strategic Communications
- Assist in formulating and refining comprehensive communication strategies to engage stakeholders effectively;
- Contribute to strategic event planning such as VIP events for satellite launches;
- Knowledge Management
- Support the optimisation of knowledge-sharing frameworks to improve accessibility and organisational learning;
- Help curate and organise content for the Knowledge Management system, ensuring that valuable documents, and resources are easily accessible;
- Collaborate with internal teams to identify and prioritise knowledge assets that need to be documented or shared;
- Official Documentation Preparation
- Support the development of high-quality reports and presentations for leadership and key stakeholders;
- Special Projects - Visitor Centre
- Support the development of a strategic roadmap for the design and implementation of an innovative Visitor Centre at ESOC and other initiatives as required.
Topic 2: Innovation Support- Innovation Cafés & Idea Generation
- Assist in organising Innovation Cafés - interactive, informal events designed to spark creative thinking and idea generation across teams at ESOC and externally;
- Support capturing and sharing the outcomes of Innovation Cafés, ensuring they are followed up;
- Innovation Hub
- Support the implementation of an Innovation Hub, a space dedicated to fostering collaboration, creativity, and the exchange of ideas;
- Assist in curating content, organising workshops, and coordinating activities that encourage innovation and collaboration;
- Collaboration with the ESA Business Incubation Centre (B