Young Graduate Trainee in Space Law

Young Graduate Opportunity in the Directorate of European, Legal and International Matters

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.

This post is classified F1 on the Coordinated Organisations’ salary scale .

Location

ESA Headquarters, Paris, France 

Our team and mission

The European Space Agency is an international organisation and the European gateway to space. Together with its Member States, the Agency expands the boundaries of discovery and exploration and provides space applications for the benefit of citizens on Earth.

http://www.esa.int

The Director of European, Legal and International Matters is responsible for conducting the reflection on the strategic evolution of Europe in space and its future governance. The ESA Senior Legal Counsel brings in-depth knowledge of the European space sector thorough experience in matters of legal, institutional, and political nature, in order to:

•    contribute to define governance, architecture, and funding of public space institutions.
•    prepare an in-depth assessment of the experience of ESA in working with or for EU or international partners on diverse types of cooperation with public and private partners;
•    strengthen ESA as an efficient platform to advance space governance and regulation.

The European Centre for Space Law (ECSL)

The main objective of ECSL is to build up and spread, within Europe and elsewhere, an understanding of the legal framework relevant to space activities. ECSL does this by fostering the exchange of information among interested stakeholders and by helping to improve and promote the teaching of space law. Its aim is to provide updated information on Europe’s contribution to space activities beyond Europe, and therefore to enhance the European position in the field of space law practice, teaching and publications
The European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) was established in 1989 under the auspices of the European Space Agency (ESA) and with the support of a number of pioneers in this field. It is founded on the basis of a Charter, last amended in 2009.
Current members of the ECSL include professionals working in a wide range of areas within the space sector, institutional members, lawyers, university professors and students. Among other things, one of the main objectives of the Centre is to provide a forum for all those wishing to participate in constructive dialogue related to space law and European institutions, and to encourage interdisciplinary exchange among members.
https://www.esa.int/About_Us/ECSL_-_European_Centre_for_Space_Law

The ESA Senior Legal Counsel is the ESA representative in the Board of the European Centre for Space Law and is also providing the manpower and secretariat for the European Centre for Space Law.

ESA is seeking to fill this unique ESA position, in direct support to the ESA Senior Legal Counsel and to the ECSL as a junior Executive Officer.

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

As a Young Graduate Trainee, you will:
(1) provide support to the ESA Senior legal Counsel in space law and European institutional law and
(2) serve as the ECSL Executive Officer.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Carrying out extensive legal research and analysis in space law, EU law and the law of international organisations, including questions of doctrine and practice of European affairs;
• Contributing to an in-depth assessment of the experience of ESA in working with or for EU and different schemes of institutional evolution possible within the European institutional context
• Preparing internal meetings and participating in meetings with external clients and parties while assisting with research projects carried out by the ESA Senior Legal Counsel
• Helping to keep the ESA Senior Legal Counsel up to date on relevant legal and policy developments in the space sector in Europe and worldwide, including the development of the investment context for space law and regulations.
• Carrying out the day-to-day management of the ECSL, including financial matters with ESA’s financial system, membership relations and relations with the National Points of Contact (NPOC) network, organizing meetings, events and other outreach activities, such as courses, symposia, workshops ;
• Proactively looking for ways to continue to develop and modernize the ECSL, such as enhancing visibility, identifying new opportunities for growth and cooperation, and organizing new events and activities to expand the ECSL network;
• Boosting ECSL’s outreach by creating up-to-date and relevant content for the ECSL website, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, in line with the ESA and ECSL brand identity.
• Cooperating with relevant stakeholders and institutions to promote and foster space law and policy in Europe and beyond, cooperate with the European Centre for Space Economy and Commerce.

Technical competencies

Knowledge of relevant technical domains

Relevant experience gained during internships/project work

Breadth of exposure coming from past and/or current research/activities

Knowledge of ESA and its programmes/projects

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

Education

You should have just completed, or be in your final year of, a University course at Master Level in law or political science, including a specialization in EU law or public international law.

Additional requirements

You should have excellent knowledge of space law and space policy, demonstrated through both study and experience. Given that the function of the ECSL Executive Officer includes a variety of organisational, administrative and representational responsibilities vis-à-vis a large external community of industry representatives, government officials and delegations, multiple related experiences are considered an asset (e.g. previous work experience, internships, extra-curricular activities).

You should demonstrate a strong knowledge of ESA’s activities and its connection to other actors in the European space sector, and enthusiasm for space law teaching and public outreach. We also require you to be familiar with IT tools in general, the internet and social media.

You should have excellent interpersonal communication skills, be able to represent the ECSL in a professional, responsive manner, and contribute to a multinational environment, both independently and as part of a team.

You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multi-cultural environment, both independently and as part of a team.

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. An excellent proficiency in English is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

During the interview motivation and overall professional perspective/career goals will also be explored.

Other information

For behavioural competencies expected from ESA staff in general, please refer to the ESA Competency Framework .

For further information on the Young Graduate Programme please visit: Young Graduate Programme andFAQ Young Graduate Programme

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 email contact.human.resources@esa.int .

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Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovenia, as  Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Cyprus and Slovakia as European Cooperating States (ECS).

According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to candidates from under-represented or balanced Member States*. (https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/careers/NationalityTargets.pdf )

In accordance with the European Space Agency’s security procedures and as part of the selection process, successful candidates will be required to undergo basic screening before appointment conducted by an external background screening service. 

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.