ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. They therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.
Team and Mission
The Sustainable Initiatives Office in the Department of Science, Applications and Climate is responsible for leading new, cross-disciplinary initiatives that aggregate capabilities from various Earth Observation (EO) thematic domains and projects. The goal is to migrate these capabilities to large-scale, external programmes, co-designed with and led by international user communities and stakeholders. The focus is on initiatives with the potential to significantly increase the scientific and societal impact of Earth observation.
The thematic sector of sustainable development is being addressed in the Office through the Global Development Assistance (GDA) programme, which implements activities to demonstrate and facilitate mainstreaming of the benefits of EO-based information in support of development assistance projects financed by international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Thematic domains being addressed include Disaster Resilience, Climate Resilience, Urban Sustainability, Fragility/Conflict/Security, Marine Environment and Blue Economy, Agriculture, Clean Energy, Water Resources, Transport/Infrastructure, Health, and Forestry Management – complemented by cross-cutting activities on knowledge and capacity development as well as analytical environments and strategic communication. Find out more on the GDA web portal (https://gda.esa.int/about).
You are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int
Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship
As a Young Graduate Trainee, you will contribute to the analysis, documentation and communication of the quantitative and qualitative benefits that EO-based data and derived information provide in support of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and specifically in the domain of international development assistance and finance.
Areas to be investigated may include:
- EO to support the concept definition, planning, implementation and evaluation of development finance projects across various thematic domains;
- remote supervision, monitoring, and safeguards methodologies and policies;
- EO knowledge management and advancement, as well as capacity development support and impact-oriented communication.
The aim is to synthesise a wide range of existing information and support the narrative of the value proposition that EO can accelerate impact in the sustainable development and development assistance framework. This work will be done in interaction with partners in international financial institutions (e.g. World Bank, Asian Development Bank) and the European EO service sector in the context of the ESA GDA programme.