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 Organisationsโ salary scale.
Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands
Description
EnVision will be the first mission to investigate Venus from its inner core to its upper atmosphere, characterising the interaction between its different envelopes: its atmosphere, surface/subsurface and interior. It aims to provide a holistic view of the planet, studying its history, activity and climate. EnVision is an ESA-led mission in partnership with NASA, with NASA providing the synthetic aperture radar (VenSAR) and deep space network support for critical mission phases.
EnVisionโs science payload consists of the following: VenSAR, a dual polarisation S-band radar also operating as a microwave radiometer and altimeter which will map the surface of Venus; three optical spectrometers (VenSpec-M, VenSpec-U and VenSpec-H) designed to observe the surface and atmosphere of Venus; and the subsurface radar sounder (SRS), a high-frequency (HF) sounding radar that will probe the upper kilometres of subsurface. These are complemented by a radio science investigation exploiting the spacecraft's telemetry tracking and command (TT&C) system to map the planetโs gravity field and constrain its internal structure, as well as to measure the composition and structure of Venusโ atmosphere.
As PA&S Manager, you will be assigned to the EnVision project in the Projects Department of the Directorate of Science, as integrated support from the parent Product Assurance Management Section, Quality, Dependability and PA Support Division, Product Assurance and Safety Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality. The assignment will take place after an initial period of training and familiarisation with the parent Department's mandate, processes and procedures.
As EnVision PA&S Manager, you will report to:
- the EnVision Project Manager for project-specific responsibilities and duties;
- the Head of the Product Assurance and Safety Department, through the Head of the Science PA&S Office, for the maintenance of professional standards, the implementation of ESAโs general Product Assurance and Safety policy and contributions to corporate tasks (such as reviews, standardisation, alerts and lessons learned).
Duties
As EnVision PA&S Manager, you will be responsible for:
- establishing and maintaining the PA&S requirements baseline for the EnVision project, in compliance with the general ESA PA&S policy;
- acting as bookcaptain for the programmatic assumptions and requirements document (PARD) for the spacecraft and the instruments, respectively;
- ensuring the implementation of the PA&S requirements by contractors and other supplying parties (e.g. payload teams), supporting milestone reviews and participating in the process of verifying compliance with requirements;
- monitoring the implementation of the approved contractorโs and other supplying partiesโ plans and specifications, including by performing quality audits, and ensuring that adequate resources are deployed for the execution of the project PA&S programme;
- participating in the boards for the disposition of deviations from the requirements baseline, and of changes to the agreed design (CCB);
- representing ESA in the boards established for the disposition of non-conformances and anomalies, as well as the definition and monitoring of relevant corrective and preventive actions (NRB), for failure investigations, and for project technical reviews (e.g. TRR, MRR, PTR and TRB);
- guiding and monitoring the procurement of electrical, electronic and electromechanical (EEE) components and of materials, processes and mechanical parts;
- ensuring the execution and implementation of analyses for reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS), including their use to support design trade-off decisions and as a means of verification;
- ensuring the monitoring of the manufacturing, assembly, integration and test activities through mandatory and key inspection points, test witnessing, quality assurance checks, etc;
- conducting the acceptance reviews of all contractual deliverable items;
- reviewing the safety data packages from contractors and other supplying parties, ensuring that they are available on the dates planned with the safety authority, and attending safety reviews and other key events with the safety authority;
- supervising PA&S activities during the launch campaign;
- arranging and coordinating the support provided by experts from the ESA Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality;
- performing any other PA&S tasks necessary to ensure a safe and successful mission.
In the execution of the above tasks, you will be supported by experts from the project team and the ESA Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.
In addition to the Project responsibilities, you will support the Head of the Science PA&S Office for the Directorate of Scienceโs improvement activities and cross-project coordination, and lay the groundwork for the PA&S requirements of future Science projects.
Technical competencies Good knowledge of Product Assurance & Safety DisciplinesExperience in the management and monitoring of industrial activities, including participation in reviewsProject support experience in domains falling under PA&SUnderstanding of the technical aspects of spacecraft
Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward ThinkingEducation
You should have a masterโs in engineering.
Additional requirements
Proven experience in product assurance and safety support for projects is required, including in coordinating experts from different PA&S disciplines.
In addition, you will be expected to be:
- proactive in helping contractors and other supplying parties establish appropriate PA&S practices;
- willing to work in full coordination with the Project engineering team, for example in defining solutions that are acceptable from a quality perspective and compatible with programmatic constraints;
- capable of managing complex decision-making processes in a fact-based manner while coping with the pressure of dealing with parties holding conflicting positions;
- motivated to deepen your understanding of technical aspects, even if they are not within the scope of PA&S disciplines.
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.
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 contact.human.resources@esa.int.
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 Agencyโs 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.
Recruitment will normally be at the first grade in the band (A2); however, if the candidate selected has little or no experience, the position may be filled at A1 level.
*Member States, Associate Members or Cooperating States.