Education Team

Instructional Designer & Didactics Coordination Support for ESA Academy’s Training & Learning Programme

Redu Space Services (RSS) has a vacancy for a member of the Education Team at the European Space Agency Security and Education Centre (ESEC), in Redu in the Ardennes region of Belgium.

As a member of the Education team, you will report directly to the Education Team Leader.

The RSS education team provides a broad range of services in support of the activities of the ESA Education Office at the ESA Education Training Centre in ESEC-Galaxia such as:

• Support to the ESA Academy, a programme with the objective to complement the portfolio of knowledge of university students to better prepare them for a space-related career:
  • Instructional design and coordination support for the Training & Learning Programme, which delivers a portfolio of training courses, in all areas of ESA’s expertise, from space law and entrepreneurship to spacecraft engineering and human space physiology.
  • Engineering support to hands-on space-related projects, in particular CubeSat mission design, satellite assembly and test campaigns in the frame of the Fly Your Satellite! programme.
• Support to the STEM programme for primary and secondary school teachers, including the operation of the e-Technology lab, a didactic laboratory which offers direct hands-on experience to teachers by using space robotics and space science as learning and teaching contexts.

In this position you will:

• Be part of a team that develops novel training sessions in different fields (e.g. engineering, science, medicine, law), from concept all the way to delivery, using modern methodologies.
• Support in the delivery of several of the training sessions already existing in the ESA Training & Learning Programme portfolio.
• Interface with many different experts and students within ESA, academia, and industry.

The main activities of an Instructional Designer & Didactics Coordinator include:

• Support to the RSS training coordinator in the management and delivery of the different tasks required by the customer (ESA) within the training & learning programme service.
• Definition of training session objectives, structure, schedule, and search for experts within ESA or industry to give lectures/exercises.
• Definition of the format of the training sessions, profile of participants and delivery methods (e.g. conventional vs novel e-learning methods).
• Taking charge of the development and delivery planning and milestones.
• Proactively liaising/networking with ESA, academia & industry experts in several fields.
• Monitoring training material development and reviewing proposed lectures/exercises, aiming at ensuring a uniform implementation of the visual identity, format, and teaching methods across courses and training materials of the Training and Learning Programme.
• Organising, preparing, and conducting dry runs to verify training session objectives, format, and sequence, amongst others.
• Supporting the calls for application and definition of selection processes.
• Conducting and organising the delivery of the training sessions, whether on-site or online, attending the lectures and providing constructive feedback for future editions.
• Analysing and implementing trainers’ and students’ feedback for future editions.
• Assisting, as required, in the organisation and delivery of recurrent training courses (those that are already implemented and that may require, or not, improvements and updates).
• The use and maintenance of the training material and statistics databases.
• The adaptation of existing content, or development of new content, for use in upcoming novel digital platforms (e-learning) as well as for future initiatives defined by the ESA Education Office.
• Offering occasional lectures and workshops in own field(s) of expertise (if applicable).
• Participating in procurement processes related to the development of new training activities.
• Promoting and contributing to other education activities and initiatives carried out by the ESA Education Office.

Ideal candidates shall meet the following criteria:

• Be a national of a Member State of the European Union.
• Fluent in spoken and written English; Knowledge of French is an asset.
• Have a master’s degree in Engineering, Science, Education, or equivalent qualification.
• Strong interest in education activities, and in the field of science and technology in general.
• Aptitude for learning new software tools (e.g. SharePoint, Astronaut Training Database, SQL …) is required.
• Experience in space-related projects is a strong asset.
• Experience in teaching or in educational projects would be an asset.
• Experience with e-learning and/or emerging classroom platforms would be a major asset.
• Candidates will be expected to have good organisational and reporting skills, as well as a strong proactive, self-starter and autonomous attitude, which is a must for the successful development and delivery of multiple training sessions in parallel.
• Strong capacity to learn and adapt as well as an excellent aptitude for resolving problems autonomously and diplomatically, as the successful applicant will be in direct contact with many different stakeholders, from a wide range of ESA staff at different levels, to representatives of academia, experts, industry, and ESA’s international partners.
• The working environment is very international, multidisciplinary and has a strong focus on teamwork, therefore candidates are expected to be able to establish and maintain good working relationships with a variety of people from different nationalities and backgrounds.
• Previous working experience would be an asset but applications from motivated young professionals are welcome and will be considered.

Only the applications (CV and cover letter) sent by email to marieve.bellot@reduspaceservices.com and jose.luis.fernandez@reduspaceservices.com will be taken into consideration