Intern in the Science Operations Department-AI Automation of Product Assurance & Quality Engineering - European Space Agency (Villanueva De La Cañada)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Space Agency on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Investigate how AI and Automation can be applied to support and automate process assurance and software quality
• Analyse existing workflows and identify areas where AI can provide benefits in terms of efficiency, quality, consistency, and traceability
• Investigate automatic creation of Jira tickets from user inputs, engineering artefacts or meeting outputs
• Investigate generation of Scrum sprint summaries
• Investigate production of software release notes
• Investigate assessment of Jira ticket completeness and quality
• Investigate extraction and interpretation of software quality metrics from SonarQube
• Investigate verification of completeness and consistency of software release documentation

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Education: University student, preferably in final or second-to-last year of Master's level course; must be able to prove enrollment for entire duration of internship
• Languages: English, French
• Key skills: Knowledge of Software Engineering process, Knowledge of Artificial Intelligence and Automation technologies, Python programming, 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

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Internship.

Working arrangements: On-site.

Hiring unit: Science Operations Department (SCI-S), under D/SCI.

Position details

Reference

1452874133

Last Verified

4 November 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Intern in the Science Operations Department-AI Automation of Product Assurance & Quality Engineering at ESA based in Villanueva De La Cañada (Traineeship). The vacancy reference is 1452874133.

Job Requisition ID:20955

Date Posted:1 November 2026

Closing Date:30 November 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication Method:External Only

Workplace: Villanueva de la Cañada, ES

Location ESAC, Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain

Our team and mission

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

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.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 4 November 2026, 3 days ago.

The application deadline is 30 November 2026, 21 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 4 November 2026 (3 days ago).

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at ESA see the ESA institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Villanueva De La Cañada see our Villanueva De La Cañada location page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.