Head of the Galileo Ground Segment Product Assurance Unit

Vacancy in the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

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  

You will be assigned as integrated support from the Product Assurance and Safety Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality (D/TEC) to the Directorate of Navigation (D/NAV) and will report to the Head of the Navigation Product Assurance and Safety Office for the specific responsibilities and duties outlined below.
For the maintenance of professional standards, the implementation of the ESA general Product Assurance and Safety (PA&S) policy and for contributions to corporate tasks, such as 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.

Training and familiarisation with the parent Department's mandate, processes and procedures will be provided at the start of this assignment.

As Head of the Galileo Ground Segment Product Assurance Unit, you will be responsible for managing a team of PA&S engineers assigned to the Galileo project. The specific responsibilities and duties of the Unit include: 

•    managing the workforce of the Unit with accountability for all resources and activities delegated, developing the expertise and technical competence of its members while also taking account of their motivation, aspirations and professional development;
•    managing the integrated and functional support staff assigned to the Unit from the Product Assurance and Safety Department, coordinating the work of the Unit’s members and monitoring their performance;
•    anticipating and resolving sensitive or difficult situations, liaising with HR as required;
•    contributing to the continuous improvement of working procedures and reflections on how the Unit’s role and activities can evolve;
•    establishing and maintaining the particular project PA&S requirements baseline for the Galileo Ground Segments in compliance with the ESA general Product Assurance and Safety policy;
•    reviewing contractors’ 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 in order to assess performance and effectiveness, participating in design reviews and directing the necessary preventive or corrective actions;
•    representing ESA in the boards established within the project for the disposition of non-conformances, failure reviews and test reviews, for example;
•    ensuring the implementation of the software PA and software configuration management requirements baseline across the Galileo Ground Segments;
•    managing the process for the approval of technical waivers and deviations for the Galileo Ground Segments;
•    supporting the definition of the formal acceptance requirements and the conduct of acceptance reviews of all assigned contractual deliverable items;
•    ensuring the preparation of design trade-offs, analyses and reports using RAMS data to support project decisions;
•    supporting, as required, activities relating to standardisation, accreditation and certification;
•    supporting security activities for the Galileo Ground Segment as appropriate;
•    supporting the maintenance of the D/NAV quality management system.

In the execution of these tasks, you will be supported by experts from the Galileo project team and the ESA Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

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

General background and specific experience in the technical domains covered by the position

Experience in the management of PA for a large project

Experience in software engineering and knowledge of computer software

Experience in the implementation of software development, methodologies and tools, including Agile

Experience with the application of RAMS tools and methods

Experience in supporting ESA programmes and/or projects and knowledge of their technical and programmatic requirements in relevant technical domains

Experience in ESA procurement processes and contract management, as well as applied negotiation skills

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

Resource management experience

Experience with Space Quality Standards and their preparation and implementation

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

A master’s degree in engineering or technical sciences is required.

A background in space systems is required; experience in the security domain is desirable.

Several years of experience in the management of PA for a large project is required, together with a good knowledge of RAMS engineering techniques, preferably in the domain of aerospace development.

Previous management experience is an asset; otherwise, demonstrated potential for the management of a team is required.

You should have good leadership, interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work autonomously, effectively and cooperatively in a diverse and international team environment and to define and implement solutions in line with project, team and individual objectives. In addition, you should have good analytical, organisational and reporting skills, a proactive attitude to solving problems and an interest in innovative technologies.

Security clearance from the relevant national security administration is required.

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 to access technology and hardware which is subject to European and US export control regulations.

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.