Spacecraft & stations · Europe's intergovernmental space agency: science, Earth observation, navigation and launcher missions
European Space Agency (ESA)
About European Space Agency (ESA)
The European Space Agency designs and runs Europe's space missions with its member states: science and planetary probes, Earth observation, navigation (Galileo), human spaceflight and launchers. Its staff posts sit at its centres: ESTEC in Noordwijk (the Netherlands), ESOC in Darmstadt (Germany), ESRIN near Rome (Italy), ESAC near Madrid (Spain), the Redu station (Belgium), the astronaut centre in Cologne and its Paris headquarters. Its posts are open to nationals of its member states, as each posting states, and include graduate trainee and young professional schemes.
Platform-stated
, the SpaceJobs.Now board shows 36 open European Space Agency (ESA) roles.
Live European Space Agency (ESA) roles
Updated 31 Oct 2026, 09:02 UTCJunior Professional in Resilient and Secure Ground Operations Services (opens the job details)
Software & IT · Darmstadt, Germany· 1d agoDetails
Secure Software and Cryptography Engineer (opens the job details)
Software & IT · Redu, Belgium· 1d agoDetails
Cyber Security / Reverse Engineer (opens the job details)
Software & IT · Redu, Belgium· 1d agoDetails
Launch Services and Technical Coordinator (opens the job details)
Launch & Ops · Noordwijk, Netherlands· 1d agoDetails
Head of the CSG Operations and Kourou Office Division (opens the job details)
Supply Chain · Kourou, France· 1d agoDetails
CAT Project Manager (opens the job details)
Programs & Business · Noordwijk, Netherlands· 1d agoDetails
Hardware Security Evaluation Engineer (opens the job details)
Software & IT · Redu, Belgium· 1d agoDetails
ALTIUS Project Manager (opens the job details)
Programs & Business · Noordwijk, Netherlands· 1d agoDetails
Internal Auditor (opens the job details)
Programs & Business · Frascati, Italy· 1d agoDetails
Cryptography Evaluator Engineer (opens the job details)
Software & IT · Redu, Belgium· 1d agoDetails
European Space Agency (ESA) jobs by country
Where European Space Agency (ESA) has open roles. Pick a country to see which of its openings accept applicants there.
Also open to applicants in these countries, for roles located elsewhere.
European Space Agency (ESA) programs
European Space Agency (ESA) openings, sent to your inbox
Each week we send what European Space Agency (ESA) posted since the last email, with comparable openings at other space companies. No cost, and you can stop it with one click.
Similar roles hiring now
If European Space Agency (ESA) is one of several options, compare these. They are open roles at other verified employers, picked for how closely they match the European Space Agency (ESA) postings above, and refreshed every hour.
Manager, Information Security Management (opens the job details)
SES · Software & IT · Bucharest, Romania· todayDetails
Security Officer (opens the job details)
Blue Origin · Supply Chain · Greater Seattle Area· 1d agoDetails
Dream Chaser Flight Controller (Systems Engineer II) (opens the job details)
Sierra Space · Launch & Ops · Louisville, CO, United States· 4mo agoDetails
$94,090–$129,394.75/yr
Dream Chaser Flight Controller (Systems Engineer III) (opens the job details)
Sierra Space · Launch & Ops · Louisville, CO, United States· 2d agoDetails
$108,240–$148,830/yr
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) (opens the job details)
Ursa Major · Software & IT · Longmont, Colorado, United States· 1w agoDetails
$240,000–$300,000/yr
About European Space Agency (ESA)
Europe's space agency, hiring engineers, scientists and graduate trainees at its centres in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and France. It pays Not stated (platform-stated).
36 openings posted on its board today36 open roles on European Space Agency (ESA), independently checked 31 Oct 2026.
Paid as an ESA staff member on the agency's own payroll, under its staff regulations.
Noordwijk, Netherlands; Darmstadt and Cologne, Germany; Frascati, Italy; Villanueva de la Canada, Spain; Redu, Belgium; Paris, France
Honest catches
- The pay shown is platform-stated rather than read off a live job feed: a reference point, not a promised rate.
- ESA's recruitment page gives no timeline for any stage and does not say which posts have a written test.
- Which countries are Member States, Associate Members and Cooperating States changes over time; each vacancy's own notice lists the eligible nationalities.
What European Space Agency (ESA) pays
Platform-stated · as of 2026-10-29From our research, platform-stated, dated 2026-10-29
Its postings name the grade of the post, not a pay figure, so the board shows no pay for them.
See where researched pay comes from and how each source is graded.
The work European Space Agency (ESA) hires for
Open any of them for the day-to-day tasks, the other employers hiring for it, and the market rate.
First look at the space sector? Read the beginner guides first or line up pay at each employer side by side.
What our research measures about European Space Agency (ESA)
Read from the open postings on 2026-10-30 by our space industry research, rebuilt every day. Every figure opens the row of the report it comes from.
- Who is hiring36 open roles, 0.2% of all the space roles we read, across 11 kinds of work; 0 of them posted in the last 30 days.
- Who can apply0.0% of the postings are open only to US persons or US citizens, and 50.0% name a security clearance.
- Degrees and experience0.0% of the postings take a high school diploma or an associate's degree, 100.0% name a master's or PhD.
- Pay transparency0.0% of the postings state their pay.
- Internships and entry level5 open roles are for someone starting out (13.9% of its open roles).
- Shifts, weekends and travel0.0% of the postings ask for weekend work, 0.0% for overtime or extended hours.
How to apply to European Space Agency (ESA)
Researched Oct 2026Apply to a specific ESA vacancy on its recruiting site with your motivation letter, CV and highest education certificate; after the deadline ESA shortlists candidates, may ask for an on-demand video pre-screening or a written test, holds a panel interview (most online, on Microsoft Teams; leadership roles add a Leadership Competency Assessment), and makes an offer followed by a medical, a background screening and checks of referees and diplomas.
Who can apply
- ESA accepts applications from citizens of ESA Member States, Associate Members and Canada as a Cooperating State.
- Nationals of European Cooperating States can apply for ESA Graduate Traineeships and Internal Research Fellowships.
Step by step
- 1
Apply to a specific vacancy
Submit your application on ESA's recruiting site with your motivation letter, CV and highest education certificate attached; you receive an automated confirmation email. ESA is unable to accept open applications.
- 2
Shortlisting
After the deadline, the recruitment team draws up a shortlist of candidates to invite to interview. If you are not shortlisted, ESA tells you by email.
- 3
Pre-screening
Depending on the post, you may be asked to complete a virtual on-demand pre-screening interview or to take a written test.
- 4
Leadership Competency Assessment (leadership roles)
For ESA leadership roles, the selection process includes a Leadership Competency Assessment.
- 5
Final interview
A panel of interviewers holds the interview; most ESA interviews take place online on Microsoft Teams.
- 6
Offer
A selected candidate receives a personal notification, then a job offer intention email, then ESA's final appointment offer.
- 7
Medical, background and security checks
You complete a basic medical screening for the ESA Medical Officer and a basic background screening run by an external party; in a second stage ESA contacts your referees and verifies your diploma.
ESA's pre-screening and panel interview
A virtual on-demand pre-screening interview or a written test for some posts, then an interview with a panel; leadership roles add a Leadership Competency Assessment.
Format
On-demand video or a written test, then a panel interview, most of them online on Microsoft Teams
How to prepare
- Write the motivation letter for the specific vacancy: ESA considers only applications to a published vacancy, never open applications.
- Check the vacancy's list of eligible nationalities before you apply: Member States, Associate Members and Canada for most posts, and European Cooperating States for Graduate Traineeships and Internal Research Fellowships.
ESA's recruitment page states no time for any stage; you are told the outcome of your application by email.
Tips to get hired
- Attach all three documents ESA asks for: a motivation letter, a CV and your highest education certificate.
What isn't public
- ESA's recruitment page gives no timeline for any stage and does not say which posts have a written test.
- Which countries are Member States, Associate Members and Cooperating States changes over time; each vacancy's own notice lists the eligible nationalities.
Sources (1)
From the forum
Ask the people doing European Space Agency (ESA) work what only they can tell you.
Frequently asked questions
What does European Space Agency (ESA) do?
Europe's space agency, hiring engineers, scientists and graduate trainees at its centres in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and France.
How much does European Space Agency (ESA) pay?
Not stated. Its postings name the grade of the post, not a pay figure, so the board shows no pay for them.
What is it like to work at European Space Agency (ESA)?
European Space Agency (ESA) pays Not stated (platform-stated).
Which locations does European Space Agency (ESA) hire in?
Noordwijk, Netherlands; Darmstadt and Cologne, Germany; Frascati, Italy; Villanueva de la Canada, Spain; Redu, Belgium; Paris, France
Who can apply for a job at ESA?
Citizens of ESA Member States, Associate Members and Canada as a Cooperating State; nationals of European Cooperating States can apply for ESA Graduate Traineeships and Internal Research Fellowships.
What are the steps of ESA's recruitment process?
An application to a specific vacancy, shortlisting after the deadline, a video pre-screening or written test for some posts, a panel interview (a Leadership Competency Assessment for leadership roles), an offer, then a medical, a background screening and checks of referees and diplomas.
Does ESA accept open applications?
No: only applications for a specific vacancy, submitted through ESA's recruiting site, can be considered.
Are ESA interviews online?
Most are: ESA says most of its interviews take place online on Microsoft Teams, with a panel of interviewers.
Compare European Space Agency (ESA) with
Designs, builds and operates mission-optimized satellite constellations.
$172k–$257k/yrTypical pay, live
Anduril's space business: spacecraft, orbital and ground systems engineers in Costa Mesa, Colorado Springs and northern Virginia.
$164k–$254k/yrTypical pay, live
Satellites and rockets for solar-powered computing in low Earth orbit.
$156k–$250k/yrTypical pay, liveSorted by the expected value of an application (acceptance odds times posted pay). A referral agreement, if an employer has one, can raise it in this order but never changes the salary it offers.
Struggling to fill roles at European Space Agency (ESA)? We find the people (you hire them yourself).
Hiring for European Space Agency (ESA)? Feature European Space Agency (ESA)'s roles to get a marked Featured slot above the lists and the lead place in the weekly job email for 30 days. Pricing:$99 for a single role, or $299 to cover every role you have open. To see who else is hiring your disciplines and at what pay, read the monthly space hiring brief.