Head of Galileo Qualification Unit

Vacancy in the Directorate of Navigation.

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.

This post is classified A2-A4 on the Coordinated Organisations’ salary scale .

Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands  

Head of Galileo Qualification Unit in the System AIV and Deployment Service, Galileo Programme Office, Galileo and EGNOS Programme Department, Directorate of Navigation.

The Galileo teams at the European Space Agency are in charge of the design, development, procurement, integration and qualification of the Galileo system, including the constellation of satellites in medium-Earth orbit and the ground segment for mission control and security monitoring deployed at remote sites all over the world.

You will report to the Head of the System AIV and Deployment Service in the management of the overall activities related to the verification and qualification of the Galileo system, with functional reporting to the heads of service of the Galileo Ground Segment Management Office. You will have the following responsibilities: 

1)    Fulfilling the role of qualification authority of the Galileo project (G1 and G2), in close cooperation with the Navigation Product Assurance and Safety Office to ensure that the Galileo system infrastructure complies with the applicable mission and system requirements and is capable of sustaining its operational use during the overall lifetime;
2)    Performing an incremental qualification of the overall Galileo system infrastructure at segment and system level, starting from System Build 2.0 until full G2 qualification is achieved in accordance with the One Galileo Roadmap;
3)    Managing the corresponding ground segment qualification, in close cooperation (functional reporting) with the heads of the Galileo ground segment procurement services;
4)    Establishing and implementing an overall system integration and verification programme of work to reach PRS FOC qualification for Galileo First Generation;
5)    Establishing and implementing an overall system integration and verification programme of work to reach qualification of the Galileo Second Generation system builds, with particular attention to the RFCT and SCTC test campaigns to demonstrate the compatibility between the space and ground segments;
6)    Contributing to the definition of the system tools required to support system qualification and validation activities and coordinating their deployment and use;
7)    Continuously monitoring the qualification status by reviewing design changes, new developments or changes outside the system requirements and assessing their impact on the system qualification and on the FOC Roadmap for service provision;
8)    Ensuring ESA’s role of design authority of the system in operations, maintaining the qualification status during exploitation;
9)    Ensuring the constant consolidation of the system-level statements of compliance (SOC), and providing fast and appropriate reactions to any anomaly/non-compliance (including OPS anomalies) by deploying workarounds or element fast-fixes;
10)    Maintaining, in close cooperation with PA Manager, the Anomaly Correction Plan and agreeing the corresponding workaround list with the Service Operator;
11)    Supporting the approval of ground segment and space segment changes to the operational infrastructure configuration to confirm they are in line with the system design and qualification at the relevant EUSPA Operations Change Configuration Control Boards;
12)    Supporting the definition of the system DDVP and the integrated project-level schedule, the definition of the FOC Roadmaps, and the maintenance of the overall project risk register;
13)    Supporting the head of NAV-NFD, developing and maintaining an efficient interface with the European Commission and EUSPA.

You will also be responsible for identifying, assessing, managing and reporting the health and safety risks in your area of responsibility.

When performing your tasks, you will cooperate closely with the Galileo System Engineering Unit in the Galileo Programme Office to establish the end-to-end system integration verification and qualification plan of activities (One SIVQ Roadmap).

Knowledge of ESA Space systems development, verification and review processes and standards

Experience in systems engineering and verification of complex, large-scale secure systems, including interfaces, networks and protocols

Management and monitoring of industrial activities (interfaces with industry, reviews, etc)

Experience in running large-scale system test campaigns

Experience in managing multidisciplinary teams

Background in GNSS (advantage)

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

A master's in physics, electrical or aerospace engineering or a related field is required for this post.

At least 10 years of experience in system-level testing, integration and deployment, including the organisation of the related test campaigns.
Good knowledge of large-scale distributed ground segment infrastructure.
Knowledge of GNSS technology and infrastructure would be considered an asset.
You must be prepared to travel on a regular basis, as many of the activities will take place at operational sites or at the AIV factories.

You should also have:
•    the potential to manage individuals or a team in a project setting;
•    the ability to organise their activities and ensure a motivating work environment;
•    strong leadership capabilities, with proven relationship management and communication skills;
•    the ability to drive your team’s performance, developing your people by encouraging learning, delegating responsibility and giving regular and constructive feedback;
•    strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day operational challenges, together with demonstrated planning and organisational skills;
•    strong result orientation with the ability to set priorities and present practical solutions both orally and in writing;
•    the ability to manage challenging situations proactively and constructively and to be customer focused.

People management experience would be an asset, as would international experience, i.e. outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities.

Other information

For behavioural competencies expected from ESA staff in general, please refer to the ESA Competency Framework .

For further information please visit: Professionals ,What we offer  and FAQ    

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.     

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

The Agency may require applicants to undergo selection tests.

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 email [email protected] .

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Please note that applications are only 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 *.  

In accordance with the European Space Agency’s security procedures and as part of the selection process, successful candidates will be required to undergo basic screening before appointment conducted by an external background screening service. 

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. 

*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.