Project Management and Engineering Specialist (Non-orbital projects)

We are looking for a ​Project Management and Engineering Specialist​ to complete our consultants Workforce Management Service to support the ​ESA Academy Programme for non-orbital platforms​ of the European Space Agency (ESA) at their location in ​Libin, Belgium​. 

The ESA Academy Projects for non-orbital platforms cover experiments on various platforms and at ESA test facilities and laboratories. The activity supports university student teams in all aspects of their project culminating in the testing or operation of their hardware in/at one of multiple platforms or laboratories including, but not limited to: 

• ESA Laboratories including the Orbital Robotics Laboratory (ORL) (ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands) 

• Novespace’s AirZeroG parabolic aircraft (Bordeaux, France) 

• Sounding rockets (Kiruna, Sweden)  

• Stratospheric balloons (Kiruna, Sweden) 

These activities are performed within the ESA Academy Experiments programme (for the ORL and the parabolic flights), and the REXUS/BEXUS programme (for sounding rockets and stratospheric balloons), a programme which is realised in partnership with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA). 

The purpose of this role is to ensure the proper coordination of the projects throughout all phases of their lifecycle, including (but not limited to) the selection of experiments, the design and development phase, acceptance/qualification and interference testing, the campaign, and post-campaign activities. 

The successful candidate shall travel within Europe for on-location outreach or educational activities. 

Please note, the successful candidate will be employed by ATG Europe (or one of its subsidiaries). Furthermore, upon selection, they will be subject to a general security screening performed by an external provider (further information will be provided at the interview stage). 

ATG is dedicated to diversity and inclusion and is an equal opportunity employer. Regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, handicap or any other reason protected by relevant state or municipal legislation, we are pleased to consider all eligible candidates for employment. 

The successful candidate will be tasked with, but not limited to: 

• Coordinate ESA Academy non-orbital project programmes, including the ESA Academy Experiments Programme, REXUS/BEXUS and related educational initiatives, from call preparation and participant selection through project execution, testing campaigns and post-project activities; 

• Support university student teams throughout the project lifecycle, providing guidance on project management, systems engineering, risk management, experiment development and mission preparation activities; 

• Coordinate application campaigns, participant selection activities, student support services and programme communications in collaboration with ESA experts, industry partners and academic stakeholders; 

• Monitor the technical, managerial and programmatic progress of participating teams and support the resolution of project-related issues throughout all project phases; 

• Coordinate mentorship activities and organise project meetings, technical reviews, training events, workshops, experiment campaigns and evaluation activities; 

• Coordinate the technical supervision of student projects, including engineering documentation reviews, technical assessments, experiment verification activities and compliance with applicable requirements and engineering best practices; 

• Support student teams during testing and operational activities at ESA and partner facilities, including sounding rocket, stratospheric balloon, parabolic flight and laboratory campaigns; 

• Develop and deliver training activities related to project management, systems engineering, experimentation platforms and ESA Academy educational programmes; 

• Manage programme documentation, reporting, participant databases, statistics and digital learning content using ESA-approved tools, including ESA Learn, ensuring compliance with applicable data protection requirements; 

• Contribute to the development of new partnerships, programme opportunities and engagement initiatives with industry, agencies, scientific organisations and academic institutions; 

• Support outreach, communication and community-building activities, including educational events, competitions, promotional materials and alumni engagement initiatives; 

• Support ESA participation in third-party educational initiatives and competitions such as EuRoC, ERC and other future programme activities. 

Please ensure that your CV clearly explains how you meet the mandatory requirements. If it doesn’t align completely with the essential criteria, it could result in rejection. 

• Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Space Engineering, Robotics, Scientific Engineering or another relevant technical discipline; 

• Minimum 4 years of professional experience in engineering project management, aerospace projects, scientific experimentation programmes or other complex technical projects;  

• Practical experience supporting scientific experiments, sounding rocket payloads, balloon missions, robotics projects, parabolic flight campaigns or other hands-on research and experimentation activities; 

• Experience supporting laboratory-based testing, scientific experiments or hardware development activities; 

• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary technical projects involving academic, industrial and institutional stakeholders; 

• Experience working with universities, student teams, training programmes or educational projects in a technical or engineering environment; 

• Demonstrated experience supporting projects through development, testing, validation, operations or experimentation phases;  

• Experience in technical project management including planning, scheduling, risk management, stakeholder coordination and reporting;  

• Experience organising and supporting technical reviews, workshops, test campaigns or engineering activities; 

• Practical knowledge of systems engineering principles, requirements management and engineering best practices; 

• Ability to deliver technical training, mentoring activities or educational workshops; 

• Previous experience working with ESA, DLR, SNSA, research institutions, universities or the European space sector is a plus;  

• Experience with educational, student-oriented or university space projects, including hands-on engineering or experimentation programmes is a plus; 

• Familiarity with ESA Academy activities, REXUS/BEXUS, parabolic flight campaigns, sounding rocket programmes or stratospheric balloon campaigns is a plus;  

• Experience in outreach, mentoring, STEM education or university engagement programmes is a plus; 

• High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel and PowerPoint; 

• Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills; 

• Ability to work independently and within multidisciplinary international teams; 

• Candidates must be eligible to work and live in the EU. 

• Fluency in English, both written and spoken. 

Please submit your application in English via the apply button below. Applications submitted in other languages will not be considered.