Software Product Assurance Engineer

This is a fixed-term appointment with an initial duration of 4 years. Depending upon performance and organisational needs, the appointment may be extended up to a possible maximum duration of 8 years.

Description

You will be assigned as Software Product Assurance Engineer in the Software Product Assurance (PA) Section, Quality and Product Assurance Management Division, Quality Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

The Section provides functional support to ESA projects and is responsible for the development, implementation and maintenance of software product assurance expertise and standards. It carries out technological research (R&D) in software PA requirements, techniques, methodologies and tools. It also collaborates on standardisation and training activities.

Duties

Reporting to the Head of Section, your main tasks and responsibilities will include:

• Providing expert technical support and consultancy to ESA projects, including involvement in projects’ major reviews and, where applicable, boards and panels.
• Supporting projects in monitoring contractor software product assurance programme execution to ensure compliance with software product assurance requirements.
• Preparing and implementing general programmatic and technical software product assurance requirements aligned with Agency standards and specifications.
• Establishing project-specific programmatic and technical software product assurance requirements based on the ESA product assurance baseline.
• Supporting projects in evaluating contractor documentation and efforts proposed for the execution of software product assurance programmes.
• Evaluating proposed concepts, designs and operations for compliance with defined software product assurance requirements, including the performance of associated audits.
• Defining, initiating and managing R&D activities relating to software product assurance requirements, techniques, methodologies and tools, covering long- and short-term needs.
• Supporting and, at the request of line management, participating in the Directorate’s R&D activities.
• Auditing contractors and their in-house standards for compliance with ESA requirements, assessing the maturity of their software processes.
• Liaising with related engineering and PA specialists regarding overlapping areas of activity.
• Monitoring applicable scientific and technological trends and maintaining state-of-the-art expertise.

Technical competencies

• Understanding of related technologies and R&D trends and familiarity with the industrial landscape.
• Project support experience in a relevant domain.
• Experience with the application of software product assurance and ASIC/FPGA product assurance requirements, tools and methods.
• Experience in the management and monitoring of industrial activities, including participation in reviews.
• Experience with Space Quality Standards and their preparation and implementation.

Behavioural competencies

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

Education and professional experience

A master’s degree in computer science, software engineering or a similar discipline is required for this post, together with five years of relevant professional experience.

Additional requirements

Experience in at least three of the following areas:

• Software product assurance in critical real-time applications.
• Software engineering.
• Software configuration management.
• Dependability assessment of software-intensive systems.
• Software development and maintenance.
• Software process assessment and auditing.

Some knowledge in the following areas will be considered an asset:

• Agile practices.
• Quality assurance for machine learning models.
• Big data software architectures and life cycles.
• Data quality assurance.
• Software verification and validation.
• ASIC/FPGA product assurance.
• Cyber security assurance.
• Hands-on experience of static code analysis and tools.
• Alternative software development life cycles, continuous integration and tools.

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 information, technology, and hardware subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations and eligible to acquire the security clearance by their national security administrations.

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

Nationality and Languages

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

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.