Product Assurance and Safety Engineer - European Space Agency (Noordwijk)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Space Agency on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Establish and maintain PA&S requirements baseline in compliance with ESA policies
• Ensure implementation of PA&S requirements by industry and suppliers, supporting milestone reviews and verifying compliance
• Monitor implementation of approved plans and specifications from industry and suppliers
• Coordinate technical aspects of relevant service support and act as primary point of contact between service functions and project teams
• Plan, coordinate and monitor support provided by assigned PA&S workforce
• Participate in boards for disposition of deviations from requirements baseline (CCB) and changes to agreed design
• Represent ESA in boards for disposition of non-conformances and anomalies, and definition and monitoring of corrective and preventive actions (NRB)
• Ensure implementation of RAMS programme and software assurance programme

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Education: Master's degree in a relevant field required; alternatively, bachelor's degree with additional four years of relevant professional experience may be considered
• Experience: At least four years of relevant professional experience in PA&S management for space projects; alternatively, bachelor's degree holders require eight years of relevant professional experience
• Key skills: PA&S management for space projects, Knowledge of PA&S disciplines (quality assurance, RAMS, materials and processes, EEE components, software product assurance), Monitoring of industrial activities including inspections, audits and reviews, Understanding of space systems engineering, Management of complex decision-making processes, Pragmatic, solution-oriented, fact-based decision making, Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, written and verbal

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: 4 years, extendable to indefinite.

Hiring unit: Exploration and Science PA&S Section, Product Assurance Management Division, Quality Department, Directorate of Technol….

Position details

Reference

1449926433

Last Verified

21 October 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Product Assurance and Safety Engineer at ESA based in Noordwijk (Other). The vacancy reference is 1449926433.

Job Requisition ID:21106

Date Posted:21 October 2026

Closing Date:11 November 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication Method:Internal & External

Type of Appointment (learn more):4 years, extendable to indefinite

Directorate:Technology, Engineering and Quality

Location ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Description

You will be assigned as a Product Assurance and Safety (PA&S) Engineer to the Exploration and Science PA&S Section, Product Assurance Management Division, Quality Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

The Exploration and Science PA&S Section provides PA&S management and coordination for the missions and activities of the Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration and the Directorate of Science.

Upon joining the Exploration and Science PA&S Section, you will assume the role of PA&S Engineer for the LISA Project and become part of the related Project Core Team. As such, while reporting hierarchically to the Head of the Exploration and Science PA&S Section, you will report functionally to the LISA Project.

Duties

Your tasks and responsibilities will include supporting the Project PA&S Managers in:

- establishing and maintaining the PA&S requirements baseline in compliance with ESA policies; - ensuring the implementation of the PA&S requirements by industry and other suppliers (e.g. CFI providers), supporting milestone reviews and participating in the process of verifying compliance with requirements; - monitoring the implementation of approved plans and specifications from industry and other suppliers (e.g. CFI providers), ensuring that adequate resources are deployed for the implementation of the PA&S programme; - coordinating the technical aspects of relevant service support and acting as the primary point of contact between service functions and project teams; - planning, coordinating and monitoring the support provided by the assigned PA&S workforce; - participating in the boards for the disposition of deviations from the requirements baseline (CCB), and changes to the agreed design; - representing ESA in the boards established for the disposition of non-conformances and anomalies, and the definition and monitoring of relevant corrective and preventive actions (NRB), failure investigations, and project technical reviews (e.g. MRR, TRR, PTR or TRB); - ensuring the implementation of the reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS) programme and the software assurance programme, including their support for design trade-off decisions and verification of requirements; - monitoring the selection, procurement and use of electrical, electronic and electromechanical (EEE) components, and materials, mechanical parts and processes (MMPP); - monitoring manufacturing, assembly, integration and test activities through mandatory and key inspection points, test witnessing, quality assurance checks, etc.; - conducting the acceptance reviews of all contractually deliverable items; - reviewing the safety data packages from industry and other suppliers (e.g. CFI providers) as needed, ensuring that they are made available on time to the corresponding safety authorities, and supporting safety reviews and other key events for ground and launch safety; - supervising PA&S activities during the launch campaign; - performing any other PA&S tasks necessary to ensure a safe and successful mission.

In carrying out tasks for the Project, you will receive support from experts of the ESA Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

In addition to your Project responsibilities, you will support the Head of the Exploration and Science PA & Safety Section in improvement activities and cross-project coordination.

Technical competencies

Experience in PA&S management for space projects (for example as PA&S Manager or PA&S Engineer)

Knowledge of individual PA&S disciplines (quality assurance, RAMS, materials and processes, EEE components and/or software product assurance)

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

Understanding of space systems engineering

Behavioural competencies

Education and professional experience

A master’s degree in a relevant field is required for this position, together with at least four years of relevant professional experience. Alternatively, candidates with a bachelor’s degree and an additional four years of relevant professional experience may be considered.

Additional requirements

- The ability to manage complex decision-making processes, especially under pressure and in the presence of conflicting positions or priorities. - Strong aptitude for reaching pragmatic, solution-oriented, fact-based decisions that maintain appropriate standards of quality. - Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal. - Previous experience of working as a PA&S Engineer or Manager on scientific space projects and/or working with partners such as other space agencies, research institutes and universities would be considered an asset.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 21 October 2026, today.

The application deadline is 11 November 2026, 20 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 21 October 2026.

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at ESA see the ESA institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Noordwijk see our Noordwijk location page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.