Diversity and Inclusiveness
ESA is an equal opportunity employer actively committed to achieving diversity within the workforce. The people who work at ESA are key to its success; their diverse nationalities, genders, cultural backgrounds, disciplines and generations each make their own special contribution to the Agency.
Since its creation in 1975, ESA has been a place of integration for Europe and its people, and has been strengthened by the wealth and diversity of the cultures they represent. Bringing together differing perspectives is one of our greatest assets and a key factor driving our achievements.
Attracting and developing a diverse pool of talent
ESA continues to strive to become a modern, attractive employer, committed to recruiting and developing a diverse pool of talent, and leveraging the rich treasure of experience, knowhow and potential of its employees.
The Agency’s goal is to create a fully inclusive working environment where people value diversity in teams, take others' perspectives into account and feel comfortable being themselves – regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age or working experience, sexual orientation, physical or mental challenges, ethnicity or educational, religious or social background.
ESA also fosters coordination and joint actions with Member States and other stakeholders – industry, academia, international partners, the public at large – to pursue diversity and inclusiveness as a horizontal endeavour, contributing to the strengthening of the space sector, and peaceful cooperation and interaction with wider society.
A multi-cultural and family-friendly working environment
In line with our engagement on diversity and inclusiveness, ESA’s employment conditions include a range of attractive benefits, programmes and allowances to promote a multi-cultural, supportive, inclusive and family friendly working environment. Find out more about what we offer and life at ESA.
Gender Equality
ESA follows equal opportunity objectives, also aiming at promoting a gender-balanced representation particularly in engineering and scientific fields and at management level. Increasing gender diversity supports the Agency in strengthening innovation, lessening resistance to change, gaining a broader understanding of societal needs, boosting motivation, inspiring and fostering knowledge sharing.
To encourage a gender-balanced representation, it is ESA’s practice to:
- increase awareness of the benefits of a more diverse workforce within the Agency;
- pursue proactive measures to increase the recruitment of women;
- address the constraints that arise from the need to reconcile family and professional life.
In 2021 ESA obtained the EDGE (Economic Dividends for Gender Equality) “Assess level” Certification, recognising the commitment and efforts undertaken to ensure gender equality at the workplace. Learn more in this article.
Nationality representation
We accept applications from citizens of the following ESA Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom as well as from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as Associate Members, or Canada as a Cooperating State. Nationals from Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus, European Cooperating States, can apply for Young Graduate Traineeships and Internal Research Fellowships.
In line with the ESA Convention the recruitment of staff takes into account an adequate distribution of posts between nationals of the ESA Member States.
Find out more about ESA's recruitment process.
