Product Assurance & Safety Engineer

Job Requisition ID: 18763

Date Posted: 2 July 2024

Application Deadline: 23 July 2024 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication: Internal & External

Type of Contract: Permanent

Directorate: Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality

Workplace: Noordwijk, NL

Grade Band: A2 - A4

Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Description
Product Assurance and Safety (PA&S) Engineer in the Product Assurance and Safety Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

Duties
After an initial period of training and familiarisation with the parent Department's mandate, processes and procedures, you will be assigned as integrated support to the Navigation Product Assurance and Safety Office in the Directorate of Navigation, with the specific responsibilities and duties outlined below.

For the maintenance of professional standards, the implementation of ESA's general product assurance
and safety (PA&S) policy and contributions to corporate tasks (including reviews, standardisation, alerts and
lessons learned), you will report to the Head of the Product Assurance and Safety Department through
the Head of the Navigation Product Assurance and Safety Office.

Your main tasks and responsibilities will include:

• establishing and maintaining the particular project PA&S requirements baseline for the assigned navigation space segment or ground segment project in compliance with the ESA general product assurance and safety policy;
• reviewing contractor plans, specifications and effort proposed for the execution of the project PA&S programme;
• guiding and monitoring the implementation of PA&S requirements by contractors to assess performance/effectiveness, participating in design reviews and directing the necessary preventive or corrective actions;
• representing ESA in the boards established for reviews, such as failure reviews and test reviews, and for the disposition of non-conformances and anomalies;
• ensuring the implementation of the software PA requirements baseline for the assigned project activities;
• guiding and monitoring the application and procurement of electrical, electronic and electromechanical (EEE) parts, materials and processes, and controlling the implementation of applicable requirements;
• monitoring the manufacturing, integration and test activities with test witnessing, mandatory and key inspection points, configuration inspections and quality assurance audits;
• supporting the definition of the formal acceptance requirements and the performance of acceptance reviews of all assigned contractual deliverable items;
• ensuring the preparation of design trade-offs, analyses and reports using reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS) data to support project decisions;
• supporting security activities as appropriate;
• supporting the implementation and maintenance of the Navigation Directorate’s quality management system as required;
• supporting the establishment and implementation of standards and best practices in the field of PA&S;
• participating in Agency-level project reviews as well as in project internal reviews;
• participating in periodic meetings with the parent organisational unit and contributing to the transfer of technical knowledge and lessons learned across the Agency.

When performing these tasks, you will be supported by experts from the Navigation team and the ESA Directorate of Technology, Engineering & Quality.

In addition to project responsibilities, you will support, as necessary, the NAV PA&S Office activities, including improvement initiatives and coordination meetings.

Your duties may also include supporting other activities within your field of competence.

Technical competencies
Knowledge of product assurance and safety disciplines and quality management

Experience in product assurance management for a large space or ground segment project

Knowledge of the technical domains covered by the position (software engineering, EEE components engineering, materials and process engineering)

Experience in the management and monitoring of industrial activities, including participation in reviews

Experience with Space Quality Standards and their implementation

Experience with the application of product assurance tools and methods

Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking

Education
A master’s in engineering or technical sciences is required for this post.

Additional requirements
You should have a background in space and/or ground systems.
Adequate knowledge of RAMS engineering techniques, preferably in the domain of aerospace development, is required.
Experience in quality auditing and configuration management would be considered assets.

You must be eligible for security clearance by your national security administration.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.

At the Agency we value diversity, and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact us via email at [email protected].

Important Information and Disclaimer
In principle, recruitment will be within the advertised grade band (A2-A4). However, if the selected candidate has less than four years of relevant professional experience following the completion of the master’s degree, the position may be filled at A1 level.

Applicants must be eligible to access technology and hardware which is subject to European and US export control regulations & security clearance by their national security administrations.

Applicants must be eligible for security clearance by their national security administrations.

During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures.

Note that ESA is in the process of transitioning to a Matrix setup, which could lead to organisational changes affecting this position.

The information published on ESA’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have.

Nationality and Languages
Please note that applications can only be considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States*. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to internal candidates and secondly to external candidates from under-represented Member States*.

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.

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