Intern in the Industrial Policy and Auditing Department - SME Section

Location: Noordwijk, NL

Intern in the Industrial Policy and Auditing Department - SME Section

Job Requisition ID

21097

Date Posted

1 November 2026

Closing Date

30 November 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication Method

External Only

Type of Appointment (learn more)

Directorate

Controlling, Finance and Operational Procurement

Workplace

Noordwijk, NL

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Location

ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Our team and mission

The Industrial Policy and Auditing Department is responsible for elaborating and implementing the Agency's industrial policy, for defining and implementing the geographical return and industrial audit policies, for fostering the relations between industry and the Agency and for supporting the successful accession of new Member and Cooperating States.

SMEs¹ (Small and Medium Enterprises) and start-ups play an ever-increasing role in the activities of ESA and the industrial landscape of its Member States. Today they represent more than 30% of the companies contracted by the Agency and are important contributors of innovation for ESA Programmes. The SME Section of the Department implements the ESA SME Industrial Policy with the objective to facilitate both the introduction and the sustainable involvement of SMEs in the activities of the Agency and to support their introduction into the industrial space supply chain. To this end the SME Office performs a variety of activities also including analyses concerning the involvement of SMEs in the Agency's activities and their economic and financial characteristics as well as the evolution of the SME landscape.

1) SMEs are defined as companies having a staff headcount http://www.esa.int

Field(s) of activity for the internship

​​In the context of elaborating and implementing the Agency's industrial policy it is important for ESA to maintain an in-depth understanding of the space industry and its characteristics. The focus of the here concerned activity is to contribute to the characterisation of the European space SME community. This concerns in particular statistical analyses of the economic and financial characteristics of European space SMEs and their involvement in the activities of ESA.

​

​To this end you will access a variety of available data sources of the Agency comprising programmatic, financial, and economic data (current and historic) concerning the European space industry working with ESA (note that access to the data and publication will be subject to a non-disclosure agreement). Your analyses will contribute to the extension and consolidation of the existing collection of data and models of relevant economic and financial characteristics of the space SME and Start-Up community. Your analyses will consist of performing in depth studies and statistical analysis that will consist of coding of related algorithms, machine learning and AI-based data exploitation as required. For the analyses you will be using a range of data sources of industrial policy relevance.

​The precise scope and content of the specific analyses to be performed during the period of the internship can be agreed with you in line with your research interests.

​You will be supported in your activities by the members of the SME Section and other services of the Department.​

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook

Education

You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of university course at Master's level. In addition, you must be able to prove that you will be enrolled at your university for the entire duration of the internship.

Additional requirements

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another ESA Member State language is an asset.

During the interview, your motivation for applying to this role will be explored.

Knowledge of economics, statistics, econometrics.

The activity requires the handling of large datasets. Proficiency with MS Excel is required and experience with data analysis software such as Python, Power BI, machine learning tools would be an asset.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness

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, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.

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 via email at [email protected].

Important Information and Disclaimer

During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests.

The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding internship conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have.

Nationality

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