Intern in the Science Operations Department-AI Automation of Product Assurance & Quality Engineering

Under the direct authority of D/SCI, the Head of the Science Operations Department is responsible for the development of the science operations infrastructure under the Directorate's responsibility, the operation of the Directorate’s missions once successfully commissioned, and the curation of all scientific data in the missions’ legacy phase. These responsibilities are discharged in full coordination with the Directorate’s Departments and Offices and as appropriate, with the Directorate of Operations (D/OPS).

In implementing their duties, SCI-S is supported by the:

• Mission Management and Science Operations Division (SCI-SO);
• Science Operations Development Division (SCI-SD);
• Data Science and Archives Division (SCI-SA).

Candidates interested are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: AI-based Automation of Product Assurance and Quality Engineering

Product Assurance activities increasingly rely on information distributed across multiple repositories and tools, including Jira, Confluence, Git-based repositories, SonarQube, software release documentation, and configuration management systems. As projects grow in complexity, a significant amount of effort is devoted to repetitive activities such as collecting metrics, reviewing documentation, preparing reports, verifying data consistency, assessing quality, and consolidating information from different sources.

This internship will investigate how recent advances in Artificial Intelligence and Automation can be applied to support and automate process assurance and software quality. You will analyse existing workflows and identify areas where AI can provide benefits in terms of efficiency, quality, consistency, and traceability. Particular attention will be given to activities such as the automatic creation of Jira tickets from user inputs, engineering artefacts or meeting outputs, the generation of Scrum sprint summaries, the production of software release notes, the assessment of Jira ticket completeness and quality, the extraction and interpretation of software quality metrics from SonarQube, and the verification of the completeness and consistency of software release documentation. Additional investigations may include auditing Configuration Item Data Lists (CIDLs) and Verification Control Documents (VCDs), analysing compliance with established processes, identifying inconsistencies between documentation and project repositories, and developing AI-driven assistants capable of supporting Product Assurance engineers in their daily activities.

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.

You should also have

• knowledge of Software Engineering process;
• knowledge of Artificial Intelligence and Automation technologies;
• programming languages: Python;
• knowledge of testing processes and tools;
• knowledge of CI/CD and relevant tools such as Jira, Confluence, SonarQube;
• knowledge of SW quality assurance practices and techniques.

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 ESA.Student.Internships@esa.int.

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).

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