Hear from Domitille Callieu, YGT for Corporate Controlling

Tell us a little about yourself
My name is Domitille, I am French and I graduated from Emlyon Business School (France) with an MSc in Management. In my studies I focused on finance, but I had also a strong interest in cross-cultural management. I am also a space enthusiast and therefore, I decided to start my career in space: right after my studies, I joined the international volunteer programme at Airbus Defence and Space and I was employed as a Financial Controller for one year. Today, I am a Young Graduate Trainee for Corporate Controlling at ESA and I’m happy to share my experience!

What encouraged you to apply to become an ESA YGT?
When I applied to ESA, I was a young professional in the space industry and within my role I had regular interactions with ESA. For me, it was clear that ESA is one of the most important places for space in Europe and I was very curious to know ESA from the inside. I had heard good feedback from a colleague, who was a former YGT, about the programme and I was convinced that it would be a very good asset for a career in the space sector. When I saw the YGT offer for Corporate Controlling, I decided to apply straight away.

What does your role at ESA entail?
The Corporate Controlling team interacts with both the Directorates and the Contributors. My main project deals with the funding ESA receives from the Contributors, for which I document the multi-year income processes. I organised knowledge transfer sessions with the process owner(s), wrote the documentation, produced graphics and charts to illustrate the content and I recently organised the review of the document with the different stakeholders. I have also had the opportunity to be involved in other processes and projects and participated in the production and improvements of some reports.

What is working at ESA like, for you?
I find it exciting! I meet bright people passionate about space who invest a lot of energy into the projects. For me, there is something special about working in an international setting and ESA is a great place for that. Even though finance is a support function, I find my work rewarding, as it contributes modestly to long-term space projects.

Which ESA establishment are you located at?
I am based in ESTEC, the European Space Research and Technology Centre. It’s the biggest ESA establishment and is located in the Netherlands. One of the advantages of ESTEC is that, being the largest establishment, it’s the location with the most YGTs, so it makes it easy to connect with the other young professionals.

What is your best memory so far as a YGT?
My best memory so far is the Young Professional Event and its preparation via the working groups. During this event, talks were held on various topics and there was also a talk with the Director General. In the preparation for this talk, volunteers were split into three working groups and I was part of the “NewSpace, Regulations and Green Deal” group. I particularly enjoyed working together with other YGTs for the first time to prepare recommendations for the Director General on how to include young professionals in those transformations.

What has been the biggest challenge for you?
I think the biggest challenge for me was to understand the multi-year income planning processes. The processes and the financial model are indeed quite specific and my knowledge of the industry standards was not applicable in this case. I started by acquiring the vocabulary and knowledge of the financial legal framework. It took me some time to make links between the sub-processes and, as we were teleworking, I got myself a white board to draw mind-maps. Today, I am happy about the knowledge gained as it gives me a different perspective for understanding the space economy.

What advice do you have for future YGT applicants?
First, don’t hesitate. If you are interested in the YGT Programme and you don’t see an offer matching your profile, some offers may be published later –as was the case for my position. So, I recommend you set a job alert for YGT offers, so you don’t miss the opportunity.

Hear from YGTs

Want to learn more about the work ESA YGTs are doing today? Keep reading about other YGTs and their exciting projects in this two-part article (part one and part two).

How do I apply for a YGT opportunity?

1. Explore our Young Graduate Trainee opportunities here.
2. Select the one opportunity that genuinely interests you and fits best with your educational background. Due to the high number of applications received each year, we can only accept a maximum of two applications per person. Should you apply to more vacancies, all your applications will be disregarded. If your profile is of interest for another position, we will share it with the hiring manager.
3. Register and create your candidate profile with your CV and motivation letter.
4. Apply! You will be able to track the status of your application throughout the process.

Learn more about the YGT Programme.