Data Engineering intern - Data to Insight

Hybrid: From home and our office at Amsterdam Central Station

Internship allowance: 750 EUR per month on full-time basis

Full-time: 37.5 hours per week (working part-time is also possible) 

Desired start date: February 2025 

IMPORTANT: you should be enrolled with an education institution in the Netherlands

Are you passionate about building robust data pipelines that transform complex Internet infrastructure data into country-level insights? We're seeking a talented Data Engineer to join our team on a project that processes and visualizes global internet metrics by aggregating diverse measurements into meaningful per-country indicators. You'll develop efficient ETL processes that transform granular internet infrastructure data into comprehensive country-level metrics, focusing on critical aspects like routing security adoption (ROA/ROV), IPv6 deployment, and network topology. These metrics will help track and compare how different countries are evolving in terms of their Internet infrastructure and security posture.

Our ideal candidate has strong data engineering fundamentals and enjoys solving complex data processing challenges. You should be excited about designing efficient data architectures, optimising query performance, and implementing reliable ETL workflows. 

We're looking for someone who combines technical expertise with practical problem-solving skills – someone who can build maintainable systems that transform raw measurements into clean, aggregated datasets at the country level. Your focus will be on creating the technical infrastructure that enables comparative analysis of internet security and evolution patterns across different countries and regions.

🧠 What you will be doing: 

In this role, you'll design and implement scalable data processing pipelines that handle time-series data from various sources. You'll develop methodologies to aggregate autonomous system (AS) level measurements into country-level metrics, optimise storage solutions for these aggregated datasets, and build efficient retrieval mechanisms to support analysis and visualization needs. Your work will focus on automating data collection, implementing robust validation processes, and ensuring data quality while maintaining performance at scale. You'll also create clear documentation and monitoring systems to ensure the reliability of these data pipelines. These are in summary the task and responsibilities that you can expect: 

• Design and implement data processing pipelines for efficient storage and querying of large-scale internet infrastructure data

• Develop and maintain Python scripts for collecting and processing data from various sources like RIPE Atlas, BGP feeds, and IPv6 adoption metrics

• Create data visualisations to help stakeholders understand complex relationships in internet infrastructure

• Collaborate with team members to identify new metrics and improve existing methodologies

👀 What We're Looking For:

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or related field

• Strong Python programming skills with experience in data processing frameworks

• Experience working with large-scale datasets and building data pipelines

• Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail

• Strong communication skills to explain complex technical concepts

• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and as part of a team

We would also appreciate:

• Experience with modern data processing tools like DuckDB and Parquet formats

• Knowledge of interactive visualization platforms like ObservableHQ and D3.js

• Experience with internet infrastructure data (BGP, ASNs, IPv6)

• Familiarity with network measurement platforms like RIPE Atlas

📢What you can expect from us:

• A modern, flexible and informal work environment with an emphasis on a healthy work/life balance

• Diverse and International colleagues

• Acquire insight knowledge about the functioning of the Internet

• An internship allowance of 750 EUR per month on a full time basis 

• Hybrid working model, so you can arrange your weekly office and 'working from home' days in a way that works for you 

• The possibility to support the team in solving real problems that will have a positive impact on the global Internet 

• Transportation cost reimbursement: you should live a maximum of 50 km away from our office in Amsterdam. The reimbursement does not apply to students with a free OV-chip card

• A dedicated mentor to support your professional development.

• Organisation-wide internal training program designed to develop critical soft skills—like feedback, resilience, and leadership—giving you the tools to excel in your career and beyond.

• An in-house free barista providing healthy varied lunches on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and nice breakfasts on Thursdays, plus regularly office drinks.

👥The Research  Department

In the Research Department at the RIPE NCC we explore Internet measurement data and how we can extract insights from it. As an example, we analyze country and regional connectivity and routing security using RIPE Atlas, RIS, and external datasets. Our research is regularly published on RIPE Labs, including analyses of the MENA region, South East Europe, and Central Asia 

🛜About the RIPE NCC

The RIPE NCC is a not-for-profit organisation founded on the belief that the Internet should be governed openly, transparently and together with the wider Internet community. We are one of the oldest Internet organisations in Europe and are proud of our legacy.

Our strength is our staff. We bring together more than 180 people from over 40 countries in our modern, vibrant office in the east wing of Amsterdam Central Station. Currently, we have a hybrid way of working and allow our staff to work from their homes and the office. Our official working language is English, but our colleagues speak more than 30 languages.

Our backgrounds are diverse, but our goal is the same: we work for the good of the Internet. Will you join us?

📋How to apply

If interested, please click the ‘Apply’ button and submit your CV and cover letter in English. Adding a cover letter is highly important and appreciated, our team read them carefully. 

Not ready to apply yet? Then send me an email to openings@ripe.net and we can have an informal chat.

Please note that due to the nature of our activities, we will require successful candidates to follow a pre-employment screening (conducted by our partner Validata).