Head of the Galileo Space Segment Product Assurance Unit

Head of the Galileo Space Segment Product Assurance Unit in the Navigation Product Assurance and Safety Office, Directorate of Navigation

You will be assigned as integrated support from the Product Assurance & Safety Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering & Quality to the Directorate of Navigation and will report to the Head of the Navigation Product Assurance and Safety Office regarding project-specific responsibilities and duties. With respect to maintenance of professional standards, implementation of the overall ESA Product Assurance and Safety (PA&S) policy, and contributions to corporate tasks (e.g. reviews, standardisation, alerts, lessons learned, etc.), you will report to the Head of the Product Assurance and Safety Department, via, and with the coordination of, the Head of the Navigation PA & Safety Office.

 Specific responsibilities and duties include:

• ensuring a positive, motivating work environment for the Unit;
• managing the Unit workforce with accountability for all resources and activities delegated to the Unit;
• maintaining and developing the expertise and technical competence of the Unit’s members to meet current and future strategic needs, taking due account of their motivation, aspirations and professional development;
• distributing and assigning Unit tasks to its members, monitoring and managing their performance and providing timely, regular feedback;
• anticipating and resolving sensitive or difficult situations, and liaising with HR as required;
• preparing resource requirements based on needs originating from both inside and outside the Unit and resolving conflicting demands on the use of the resources available in the Unit;
• contributing to the continuous improvement of working procedures and to reflection on how the Unit’s role and activities can evolve.

• managing the integrated and functional support staff assigned to the Unit from the Product Assurance and Safety Department, coordinating the work of the Unit members and monitoring their performance;
• establishing and maintaining the particular project PA&S requirements baseline for the Galileo First and Second Generation Space Segment in compliance with the overall ESA Product Assurance and Safety policy;
• reviewing contractor’s proposed plans, specifications and effort for execution of the project PA&S programme;
• guiding and monitoring the implementation of PA&S requirements by contractors in order to assess performance/effectiveness, participating in design reviews and directing the necessary preventive or corrective actions;
• guiding and monitoring the application and procurement of EEE parts, materials and processes and controlling implementation of applicable requirements;
• representing ESA on the Boards established within the project for dealing with Non-conformances / Failure Reviews, Test Reviews, etc.;
• ensuring implementation of the Software PA and Software Configuration Management Requirements baseline across the Galileo Space Segment;
• monitoring integration and test activities by means of quality assurance audits, mandatory and key inspection points, test witnessing and configuration inspections;
• supporting the definition of formal acceptance requirements and 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 security activities for the Galileo space segment as appropriate.

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

Master's degree in engineering or technical sciences is required.

Security clearance from the relevant national security administration is required.

In addition, you should have:

• the ability to manage individuals or a team of experts in a project or R&D setting and organise their activities;
• 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, constructive feedback;
• strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day operational challenges, together with demonstrated planning and organisational skills;
• a strong results 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 be customer-focused;
• the ability to represent the Agency in interfaces with industry and government agencies.

Previous people management experience is an asset.