ES

European Space Agency Jobs

ESA

Intergovernmental space agency (22 member states) coordinating Europe's civil space programme. Not an EU body; partners with EUSPA on Galileo/Copernicus.

40 open positions Visit Website

European Space Agency is currently advertising 40 open positions on our EU Jobs Alert tracker. Every vacancy below is sourced from the official European Space Agency careers portal, normalised into a consistent schema, and refreshed daily so you never miss a deadline.

Use the filters on this page to narrow European Space Agency roles by grade, contract type, location, and policy domain. The listing is updated daily from official EU recruitment sources and every job links straight through to the institution's application page. No recruiter middlemen, no expired postings.

The European Space Agency, or ESA, is an intergovernmental organisation with twenty-two member states that coordinates Europe's civil space programme. It develops and operates missions in areas such as Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications, science, human and robotic exploration and space safety, and it works with industry and partners across Europe. ESA is not an institution of the European Union, though it cooperates closely with the EU and with the EU Agency for the Space Programme on flagship systems like Galileo and Copernicus. Because it is not an EU body, ESA does not recruit through EPSO and does not use EU AD, AST or FG staff grades. It runs its own recruitment through the ESA careers portal at https://jobs.esa.int/, with its own staff categories, grade system and international conditions. ESA mainly hires engineers and scientists, supported by policy, business and administrative professionals, and it runs structured early-career and internship schemes. For job-seekers, ESA is a non-EU technical employer whose model differs from that of EU agencies.

What ESA is and does

ESA is Europe's intergovernmental space agency, created to pool the resources of its member states so that Europe can undertake space activities beyond the reach of any single country. Its programmes span Earth observation, satellite navigation, telecommunications, space science and exploration, human spaceflight, launch systems and space safety, including work on space debris and the protection of infrastructure. ESA designs missions, oversees their development with European industry, operates satellites and spacecraft, and supports the scientific use of the data they produce. It is funded by contributions from member states, with some programmes mandatory and others optional, which member states choose to join and fund. ESA is legally and institutionally separate from the European Union, but the two cooperate, and ESA has a central technical role in EU space programmes such as the Galileo navigation system and the Copernicus Earth observation programme, working alongside the EU Agency for the Space Programme. This mandate explains ESA's workforce. Building and operating spacecraft requires a deep bench of engineers and scientists across many specialisms, from systems and electronics engineering to space debris and navigation, supported by policy, business operations and administrative staff. Understanding whether a role is technical, scientific or corporate helps candidates target the right vacancy. Openings collected on this site appear under jobs, and ESA partners with the EU Agency for the Space Programme on flagship systems.

Where ESA is based

ESA operates from several establishments across its member states rather than a single headquarters city. Its head office is in Paris, and its main technical centre, ESTEC, is in Noordwijk in the Netherlands, which is the largest site and a major source of engineering vacancies. Mission operations are run from ESOC in Darmstadt in Germany, while Earth observation work is concentrated at ESRIN in Frascati near Rome. Further sites include Harwell in the United Kingdom, the European Astronaut Centre near Cologne at Porz-Wahn, and an office in Brussels. The data on this site reflects this spread, showing duty stations including Paris, Noordwijk, Darmstadt, Frascati, Harwell, Porz-Wahn and Brussels. For candidates, the multi-site structure means the duty station is tied closely to the type of work: engineering and technology roles cluster at ESTEC, operations roles at ESOC, and Earth observation roles at ESRIN. Relocation, cost of living and language environment differ between the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom, so confirming where a vacancy is based is essential. As an international organisation, ESA supports internationally recruited staff who move for a role. The distributed model gives ESA a different character from single-site employers such as CERN, and candidates should factor the specific location into their decision.

The roles ESA hires for

ESA vacancies are dominated by engineering and technical work, with a scientific and a corporate strand alongside. Systems and specialist engineering roles are frequent, seen in a Guidance, Navigation and Control Systems Engineer, a Space Debris System and Mitigation Engineer, an Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineer, a Harness Engineer and a Microelectronics Engineer. These roles support the design, testing and operation of spacecraft and their subsystems. Technical operations and management appear in areas such as frequency management and ground operations, illustrated by a Frequency Management Officer. Beyond hard engineering, ESA recruits for policy and business functions, including a Policy Officer and a Governance and Business Operations Officer, which keep programmes organised and connected to member states and partners. A distinctive feature of ESA recruitment is its structured early-career scheme for young graduates, often labelled Junior Professional, with recent examples in space transportation strategy and market analysis, in resilient and secure ground operations, in AI and machine-learning software engineering, and in Copernicus data solutions. ESA also runs internships across its sites, including at the European Astronaut Centre. This mix suits engineers and scientists across many disciplines, as well as policy, business and administrative professionals interested in the space sector. Because so many roles are highly specialised, matching your specific technical background to the vacancy is important.

Staff categories and contracts

ESA uses its own staff grades and categories rather than EU staff grades. Professional and technical staff are employed on a grade system specific to ESA, and the agency also runs distinct early-career and trainee categories. The Junior Professional Programme is a structured route for young graduates at the start of their careers, offering a fixed-term position designed to build experience, and it appears frequently in ESA listings. Internships give students hands-on exposure at ESA sites for a defined period. Regular staff appointments are typically fixed-term, with the possibility of extension depending on the role and programme, and senior technical and managerial posts sit higher up the grade scale. In the data collected here the contract labels appear as Other and Traineeship, which reflects that ESA's own categories, not EU AD, AST or FG grades, govern each post. Because ESA is programme-funded and mission-driven, the duration and continuation of a role can be linked to the programme it supports. Candidates should read each vacancy for the specific category, grade, contract length and conditions, and check whether a role is a Junior Professional position, an internship or a regular staff appointment, since these have different eligibility rules, durations and pay. Matching yourself to the right category is the practical first step, particularly for graduates deciding between the Junior Professional route and a standard staff vacancy.

Eligibility, nationality and languages

As an intergovernmental organisation, ESA ties eligibility to its own membership rather than to EU citizenship. Recruitment of staff is generally directed at nationals of ESA member states, with some programmes extended to associate members and cooperating states under specific conditions, and eligibility is set out in each vacancy. This differs from EU institutions, which require EU citizenship and use EPSO. Because ESA membership and EU membership do not perfectly overlap, candidates should check the nationality conditions on each notice rather than assume that EU citizenship alone qualifies them. ESA's working languages are English and French, with English used widely across technical work; a good command of English is generally expected, and knowledge of French or another member-state language can be useful. Qualification requirements depend on the job family. Engineering and scientific roles typically require relevant university degrees, often at masters level, together with appropriate experience, while the Junior Professional Programme targets recent graduates within a limited period after finishing their studies. Policy, business and administrative roles look for the relevant professional background. Internships have their own academic-stage requirements. Candidates should read the eligibility section of each vacancy closely, paying attention to nationality, diploma level, experience thresholds and language conditions, since these vary by category and by the specific ESA site where the role is based.

Pay, benefits and how to apply

ESA sets pay through its own salary scales rather than EU salary bands, so the EU monthly gross figures used for EU agencies do not apply. Pay is designed to be competitive for an international organisation and depends on the grade, the category and the establishment where a role is based. As an international organisation, ESA typically offers staff a package that can include a specific international tax status, health and social insurance, a pension arrangement, and, for internationally recruited staff who relocate, allowances and relocation support for moving to the country of the duty station. The Junior Professional Programme and internships have their own defined remuneration appropriate to early-career roles. The precise treatment of tax, allowances and benefits depends on nationality, contract, category and location, so candidates should not assume a fixed net figure and should read the conditions attached to each vacancy. To apply, use the ESA careers portal at https://jobs.esa.int/, where you create a profile and submit an application against a specific vacancy, following the requirements each notice sets out. Selection for technical roles usually involves screening against the requirements, technical assessment and one or more interviews. Deadlines are firm, and popular Junior Professional and engineering roles attract strong competition, so a focused application that matches the specialism matters. Listings gathered here link back to the official notices, which remain the definitive source on conditions and process.

Working with the EU space programme

Although ESA is not an EU body, its work overlaps closely with the European Union's space activities, and this shapes some of the roles it recruits for. ESA has long provided technical expertise for the Galileo satellite navigation system and the Copernicus Earth observation programme, both of which are EU programmes, and it works alongside the EU Agency for the Space Programme, which handles operational and market-facing aspects. Several ESA vacancies reflect this overlap, for example junior professional roles connected to Copernicus contributing missions and data solutions, and roles touching navigation and secure ground operations. For candidates, this matters in two ways. First, it means ESA is a place where you can work on systems that citizens across Europe use daily, from positioning services to environmental monitoring, even though your employer is intergovernmental rather than EU. Second, it means the wider European space sector offers related opportunities at EU bodies as well as at ESA, so it is worth looking across both when planning a career. The two systems have different recruitment routes, nationality rules and staff conditions, so a candidate interested in European space should understand which employer a given vacancy belongs to. The jobs pages on this site gather space-sector openings from ESA and related bodies together, making it easier to compare technical roles across the different organisations that build and run Europe's space infrastructure.

Frequently asked questions

Is ESA part of the European Union?
No. ESA is an independent intergovernmental organisation with twenty-two member states, separate from the European Union. It cooperates with the EU on programmes like Galileo and Copernicus, but it does not recruit through EPSO or use EU staff grades. It runs its own recruitment.
How do I apply for an ESA job?
Applications go through the ESA careers portal at jobs.esa.int, where you create a profile and apply to a specific vacancy following its requirements. Selection for technical roles usually includes screening against the requirements, technical assessment and one or more interviews before a final decision.
What is the ESA Junior Professional Programme?
It is a structured early-career route for young graduates, offering a fixed-term position designed to build experience across ESA's work, from engineering to policy. Recent examples include roles in space transportation strategy, ground operations, AI and machine-learning software engineering, and Copernicus data solutions.
Which nationalities can work at ESA?
ESA generally recruits nationals of its member states, with some programmes open to associate members and cooperating states under specific conditions. Because ESA and EU membership do not fully overlap, check the nationality rules on each vacancy rather than assuming EU citizenship qualifies you.
Where are ESA jobs based?
ESA operates from several sites. The head office is in Paris, the main technical centre ESTEC is in Noordwijk, operations run from ESOC in Darmstadt and Earth observation from ESRIN in Frascati, with further sites at Harwell, near Cologne and in Brussels. The duty station depends on the role.
What kind of roles does ESA offer?
ESA mainly hires engineers and scientists across many specialisms, such as systems, navigation, microelectronics, electromagnetic compatibility and space debris, supported by policy, business operations and administrative staff. It also runs the Junior Professional Programme for graduates and internships at its sites.

Browse by Location

Noordwijk (17)Porz-Wahn (7)Paris (4)Frascati (3)Harwell (3)Darmstadt (3)

40 positions found

From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
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Project Scientist

ESA Villanueva De La Cañada

Job Requisition ID:20689 Date Posted:13 July 2026 Closing Date:3 August 2026 23:59 CET/CEST Publication:Internal & External Workplace: Noordwijk,...

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Deadline: 3 Aug 2026
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From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
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