ESA Careers Spotlight

What is your position at ESA and what does it involve?
I work for the ESA Education Office at the European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC) in Belgium. I manage the ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Programme (TLP). This educational programme offers university students in ESA Member and Associate States a unique opportunity to complement what they learn at university and better prepare for their future career by attending a one-week training session on a space-related topic. At first, my position involved developing a state-of-the-art training facility and a portfolio of training sessions in different domain of ESA expertise with experts from ESA, industry and academia. The programme has since expanded and now I mainly plan and budget the overall programme, monitor the day-to-day activities of the team. I make sure we keep high-quality and up to date training content and also work on future ESA Education developments.

What was your career path up to now?
After graduating with a double PhD in Physics and Applied Sciences, I started my career as a Research Manager on the ESA/PRODEX project BIOMICS, launched on MASER 11 sounding rocket. I really enjoyed the hands-on part of this job, spending long days in the labs and testing scientific payloads in parabolic flights. However, after a few years I understood that what I liked most was collaborating with international stakeholders and coordinating projects, so I decided to reorient my career from research to project management and started looking for a job at ESA. 13 years ago, I joined the ESA Education Office as a contractor to put in place several educational programmes. The objective was to offer a unique access to the Zero G aircraft, the ZARM drop tower and the Large Diameter Centrifuge to university students. Later, I also managed the ESA side of the REXUS/BEXUS programme for a few years. Finally, around eight years ago, I was recruited by ESA to develop the ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Programme.

Which ESA establishments have you worked at and what were/are they like?
I have worked in four different ESA sites, all very different in size, number of employees and type of facilities but all of them offered a pleasant, international, multicultural and multidisciplinary working environment!
My first experience was a six-week internship at EAC in Germany during my bachelor studies. I had an amazing time there as a student, meeting a lot of astronauts and their trainers. I was very impressed by the training facilities! Later I started working in ESAC in Spain, where I enjoyed the working environment, the family spirit as well as all the scientific discussions. After that I moved to ESTEC in The Netherlands where I could deepen my knowledge thanks to the constant flow of space-related information and daily networking opportunities. Finally, I moved to ESEC in Belgium, simultaneously in the middle of nowhere and close to everywhere. There what I enjoy the most is feeling part of the ongoing development of the site and the expansion of the activities.

What motivated you to apply to ESA?
Since my internship at EAC during my studies, I promised myself that one day I would work for ESA. At that time, I knew I wanted to make a career in the space sector and I was attracted by this international environment, full of passionate people where the “big” decisions for the future of space in Europe were taken and where I would be able to keep in contact with research and collaborate with industry.

How was your experience of adjusting to life at ESA?
The main challenge was to move abroad for the first time with my family and leave all behind. But thanks to my husband, who decided to take this opportunity to reorient his career and be more available for the kids and the house, we quickly found our way round and a new family equilibrium. Adjusting to life at ESA was quite easy for me, I felt welcome and directly found my place in the ESA Education team. I especially enjoyed being able to work from day one inin an interdisciplinary team, to speak several languages every day and to travel regularly around Europe.

Which part of your job do you find most exciting?
The more exciting part of my job is when I am given the challenge to design, develop and implement a new educational programme. I receive the objective, the budget and the deadline for the pilot edition but have “carte blanche” to use my knowledge, know-how and creativity to shape the new activity with the guidance of my management and the support of the team.

What is the highlight of your ESA experience so far?
The highlight of my ESA experience was when my team was granted the “ESA Teamwork Excellence Award”. This recognition meant a lot to us and was a perfect way to thank our hundreds of trainers for their support to the ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Programme.

What kind of work does ESA Education do?
Through the ESA Education Programme, we inspire and motivate kids to pursue studies in STEM, we complement the knowledge and skills of university students and introduce them to the space sector. With the evolution of the way of working towards a more digitalised and greener space industry and the integration of innovative technologies, the skills and competences required in the space sector are quickly changing. Therefore, the ESA Education activities are currently evolving and expending to contribute to sustaining Europe’s ambitions in space while responding to society’s needs through education.

What is the best thing about working with young people at ESA?
It is very refreshing and rewarding! These future talents are extremely motivated and willing to learn.
After a few days or weeks, we already see how they benefit from our educational activities. But the best is when, after a few years, we cross former students in meetings or space-related events. Then we realise that we met our objective of attracting the future generation to the space sector, especially girls!

Do you see differences in the aspirations and motivations of the students you work today with compared to when you started your career?
Yes, today young people are looking for environmentally conscious, inclusive, and diverse workplaces. They give greater importance to work-life balance and are attracted by companies with career development programmes.

What is something you are still hoping to accomplish in your career at ESA?
I still have around 20 years of career ahead, so I wish to accomplish a lot more! I hope to grow in my career and benefit from internal mobility to bring my contribution to other ESA activities. In terms of relocation, why not working for a few years in Kourou!
For now, I am looking forward to start a new job in September! I will be responsible of the new ESA Academy pilar called “Engagement”. The objective is to develop collaboration models both within ESA and externally with academia, industry and institutions to contribute together to the preparation of the future talents in terms of knowledge, skills and competences, through joined activities, sponsorships, scholarships and internships in industry.

What words of encouragement would you give to someone considering applying for a job at ESA?
Go ahead and apply. You should create your own opportunities! ESA is currently recruiting a lot of new employees across different areas so it is the right time to apply and take this chance to be part of the evolution of space in Europe.

ESA recruits – and not only astronauts!

In the coming years, ESA will be recruiting many new colleagues to join our teams and support our mission of the peaceful exploration and use of space for the benefit of everyone. Vacancies across different areas are being published on an ongoing basis, so if you are ready to take the next step in your career, this is your chance! Explore our vacancies and apply today. You can also set up a job alert to receive a notification when a position matching your profile is published.