Internship in Process Assurance and Management Support Division

Internship in Process Assurance and Management Support Division

Internship title: Development and enhancement of cost models for ground segment systems

Developing a sound technical understanding of selected ground segment subsystems across different satellite missions is essential for understanding their functions, interfaces, operational context, and implementation logic. The intern will engage with scientific, engineering, project control, and technical experts to understand these aspects and consolidate the knowledge into clear technical descriptions suitable for expert review and future reuse.

The intern will also collect, structure, and analyse relevant technical and financial information for the selected subsystems and mission contexts. This will include reviewing engineering documentation, contracts, procurement information, economic assumptions, and historical cost data, and organising the information in a consistent, database-ready format to support traceability, comparability, and future cost analysis.

Furthermore, the intern will contribute to the development and enhancement of subsystem cost models by identifying key cost drivers, deriving cost-estimating relationships, and supporting the application of appropriate statistical or data-driven methods. The intern will also support the design of scalable data workflows and prototype tools, including a user interface concept, to help estimate subsystem costs and forecast future ground segment implementations.

Duties

• Review and consolidate technical information on selected ground segment subsystems across different missions

• Collaborate with scientists, engineers, technical experts, and data engineering teams throughout the project.

• Prepare concise technical notes, summaries, and presentations to communicate findings and support expert reviews.

• Support the collection, structuring, and organisation of technical and financial data from contracts, procurement records, engineering documentation, and other relevant sources.

• Assist in identifying key cost drivers and preparing data to support the development of subsystem cost models using statistical approaches (e.g. Bayesian statistics)

• Contribute to the design and population of a database for structured storage of subsystem and cost-related information.

• Support the development and testing of machine-learning-based approaches for cost estimation and forecasting.

• Develop a prototype user interface for cost estimation and forecasting of future ground segment implementations.

LOCATION

Darmstadt, Germany

QUALIFICATIONS

The internships are open to bachelor and master students with mandatory internship requirements in relevant disciplines such as engineering, ideally with solid knowledge of space or aeronautic systems, system engineering, IT, data engineering, and applied mathematics.

LANGUAGES

The official languages of EUMETSAT are English and French. It is necessary to be able to work effectively in English.

DEADLINE

19 November 2026

Skills and Experience

• Have the ability to work effectively in English;

• Be computer literate;

• Be intrinsically motivated and curious about the internship subject;

• Be able to work independently and collaboratively;

• Have the ability to take the initiative in researching ideas;

• Have the ability to collect, collate, conceptualize and present information clearly.

Additional advantageous requirements:

• First experience in cost analysis within industry, agencies, or international organisations would be considered an asset, particularly in the aeronautics or space sectors and involving complex technological systems.

• Ability to process high volume of data and synthesize complex information using Excel and other tools with a high degree of accuracy.

• Knowledge of space systems development lifecycles, system engineering and/or main project management processes is considered as an asset.

Employment Conditions

Length of internship: 6 months Anticipated start date: 2027

The internship will require a non-disclosure agreement and potentially a basic background check for the intern, due to the sensitivity of the provided information.

No salary is paid to interns who are still in studies, however a daily allowance and contribution to travel / accommodation costs may be provided.

Interns may be granted a daily allowance of EUR 25 per day, relocation cost reimbursement of up to EUR 400, and accommodation cost reimbursement of up to EUR 1000 per month.

Interns are responsible for providing their own health and accident insurance and for finding their own accommodation in Darmstadt.

Consideration may also be given if the internship is not a mandatory part of curriculum, for a maximum duration of three months.

EUMETSAT is committed to providing an equal opportunities work environment for men and women. Please note that only nationals of EUMETSAT Member States may apply. The EUMETSAT Convention requires that Staff shall be recruited on the basis of their qualifications, account being taken of the international character of EUMETSAT.

About EUMETSAT

EUMETSAT is Europe’s meteorological satellite agency. Its role is to establish and operate meteorological satellites to monitor the weather and climate from space - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This information is supplied to the National Meteorological Services of the organisation's Member States in Europe, as well as other users worldwide.

EUMETSAT also operates several Copernicus missions on behalf of the European Union and provide data services to the Copernicus marine and atmospheric services and their users.

As an intergovernmental European Organisation, EUMETSAT has 30 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.)