Five reasons to join the European Space Agency!
In 2026, ESA will publish more than 400 vacancies in engineering, science and business and administration, so we are on the lookout for talented new colleagues to join us! Here are five reasons why you should consider ESA as the next step in your career.
1. Inspiring space missions
Our mission is to watch over Earth, develop and launch inspiring space projects, train astronauts and push the boundaries of science and technology, seeking answers to the big questions about the Universe. Each person at ESA plays a part in making our objectives a reality.
To give you a taste of the kind of projects that you could be part of when you work at ESA, here are some of the bold space ambitions that we will make a reality in 2026 (click on the links to find out more):
Set for a spring launch, Celeste will test next-generation technologies and add new frequency bands for satellite navigation, elevating the future of Europe’s satellite navigation capabilities. The joint ESA–CAS mission Smile will investigate how Earth responds to solar wind, improving our understanding of solar storms, geomagnetic storms and the science of space weather. Eight years after its launch, BepiColombo is on track to arrive at Mercury in November, when the ESA and JAXA orbiters will begin uncovering secrets of the desert planet. The Fluorescence Explorer, FLEX, will use novel technology to reveal information about the health of the world’s plants, transforming our understanding of photosynthesis, carbon cycles and the links between vegetation and the atmosphere. All this and much, much more to come this year!
Visit the ESA portal to find out more about ESA’s missions.
2. Our employment package
ESA is proud to be a place that looks after its people from the moment they sign their contract through to retirement – and beyond. So, in addition to our inspiring space missions, what else do we offer when you join us as an ESA staff member?
- ESA salaries and allowances: ESA salaries are exempt from national income tax in ESA Member States and, depending on your personal circumstances and grade category, you may be eligible for additional allowances.
- Flexibility and work-life balance: Our flexible scheme is designed to help you tailor your work schedule to fit your personal needs. It includes hybrid working, flexible hours and part-time opportunities (more details below: reason number 3!)
- Affiliation to the ESA social security scheme providing cover for sickness, maternity, accident and disability, as well as a full medical check each year and access to psychological support.
- A relocation support package for those who need to move country to work for ESA, which includes reimbursement of removal expenses and an installation allowance.
- A comprehensive catalogue of training courses on a wide range of topics covering technical skills, project management, leadership and more to support your professional growth.
- Affiliation to ESA’s pension scheme through which pension rights are accrued yearly and staff are eligible for a retirement pension from the age of 66 after completing 10 years of service.
Learn more about these benefits here.
Please note that the conditions for entry-level programmes may vary. Check the dedicated pages to see what they offer: Graduate Trainees, National Trainees, Research Fellows and Junior Professionals.
3. Flexible working arrangements and leave
Flexible working arrangements
At ESA, we work a 40-hour week, based on eight-hour days. Our flexible working hours scheme allows you to adjust your daily start and finish times to better suit your individual needs and commitments.
When you join ESA, you also have the option to work remotely from your principal residence (within 100 km of your workplace in your duty country) for 40% of your work hours each month and up to 80% with the agreement of your management. With some limitations, it is also possible to work remotely from another country.
In addition, we also offer part-time schemes at 50%, 60% or 80% of full-time hours, which can be adopted after you have been working at ESA for a certain amount of time.
Leave
Each year, you are entitled to 12 public holidays and 32.5 days of annual leave (30 days for ESA Graduate Trainees and Internal Research Fellows). Under certain conditions, an additional eight days’ home leave are granted to expatriate staff every two years. We also make provision for pregnancy leave, parental/family care and sick leave, special leave for personal and family related reasons.
4. Life at ESA: facilities and clubs
ESA offers a range of facilities and services at all establishments to improve the quality of your working life and work-life balance. Most ESA sites offer a subsidised restaurant and coffee bar, a medical centre, free car parking and electric car charging facilities, as well as sports facilities including gym and exercise classes (depending on the ESA establishment).
While the ESA establishments vary in size and character, they all share a sense of community and team spirit that is tangible on each site. This is due in part to the wide variety of social, cultural and sports clubs all run by ESA volunteers, which are a great way to meet colleagues beyond your team while also pursuing your interests - or discovering new ones!
ESA Team Days
Once a year, everyone at ESA is invited to participate in the ESA Team Day, when ESA people put aside their work duties and meet at their establishment to celebrate their achievements and the ESA team spirit. Each site offers a programme packed full of activities for this event that is a real highlight of the ESA calendar.
5. International teamwork
When you join ESA, you become part of a unique environment: a truly international space agency. Our 23 Member States work together, sharing financial and scientific resources to achieve the best results. But ESA's international collaboration doesn't stop there: we collaborate with nine further Cooperating States and Associate Members, national space agencies from across the globe, as well as space industries and partners.
At ESA, we work at over nine locations in seven countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Spain and the UK) and while the two official languages are English and French, you hear so many more just walking through your office building!
We are professionals from more than 30 countries with expertise in diverse fields of science, engineering and business administration working together to make space work for everyone. We are passionate about what we do and this enthusiasm shines through in all aspects of life at ESA.
Ready to join us?
We regularly post job openings on our recruiting site and we recommend that you set up a job alert to be notified as soon as a vacancy matching your profile is published. Find out how to do so here.
If you would like to receive notifications about news from ESA Careers, you can subscribe here.
Finally, follow us on LinkedIn for vacancy highlights, ESA missions’ media and our very own careers newsletter.
