Head of the Secure Connectivity System Validation Section (m/f/d)

Head of the Secure Connectivity System Validation Section ESA European Space Agency, ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands Gehalt vertraulich Gewünschte Expertisen Engineering Leadership Project management System Engineering System Validation & Testing Security & Compliance ESA Space Systems Development Team Management Skills Good communication skills Head of the Secure Connectivity System Validation Section ID: 19666 Closing Date: 28 July 2025 23:59 CET/CEST Contract: Permanent Directorate: Connectivity and Secure Communications Grade: A2 – A4 Location: ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands Head of the Secure Connectivity System Validation Section in the Secure Connectivity System Office within the Secure Connectivity Department in the Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications. The ESA Programme Related to EU Secure Connectivity, hereinafter referred to as Secure Connectivity, is intended to support the effective development and validation of the EU Secure Connectivity governmental infrastructure and the services provided by it, as well as the validation and demonstration of services based on the commercial infrastructure developed by the contractor(s) delivering the EU Secure Connectivity governmental infrastructure. The System Validation Section in the Secure Connectivity Department is responsible for all system validation tasks to support the effective qualification and validation of the overall Secure Connectivity system of systems. Reporting to the Head of the Secure Connectivity System Office, you will be responsible for the definition and implementation of the overall system qualification and validation programme of work for the Secure Connectivity system. You will work at various levels: Programme level to establish and coordinate activities with the Programme stakeholders; System level to define the system end-to-end qualification and validation; Segment level to ensure consistent qualification plans and adequate inputs into the system qualification. Duties Your tasks and responsibilities will include: acting as the qualification and validation authority for the IRIS2 system to ensure that the overall IRIS2 system infrastructure complies with the applicable mission and system requirements, both unclassified and classified, and is capable of providing the hard-gov and light-gov services during its operational lifetime; overseeing the incremental qualification of the overall IRIS2 system infrastructure at segment and system level up to the SQR (system qualification review) and the IOVR (in-orbit validation review); monitoring the relevant space and ground segment qualification activities in close cooperation with the corresponding space, ground and security offices to ensure that compliance with the mission/system baseline is correctly achieved at as early a stage as possible, and intervening in the event of non-conformances with an impact on the system or mission; ensuring the correct preparation and implementation of the system integration and qualification programme of work to reach IOC and FOC qualification, paying particular attention to the integration of various ground subsystems, such as MCC and S3C, and the end-to-end space transport network validation (space-ground compatibility), including tests with the pilot and test user terminals; defining and ensuring implementation of the plan to achieve in-orbit validation in the IOVR; supporting the service engineering towards the SVR (service validation review) for IOC and FOC; defining and managing the development of the system tools required to support system qualification and validation activities and coordinating their deployment and use; continuously monitoring the qualification status by reviewing design changes, new developments or changes outside the system requirements and assessing their impact on the system qualification and on the roadmap for service provision; ensuring constant consolidation of the system-level statements of compliance (SOC), and providing fast and adequate reactions to any anomalies/non-compliance, including OPS anomalies, by deploying workarounds or element fast fixes; maintaining, in close cooperation with the PA Manager, the non-conformance correction plan and following the corresponding non-conformance recovery or waiver approval; supporting the establishment and maintenance of the IRIS2 roadmap, describing the incremental implementation of the system capabilities through successive system releases; providing regular reporting to project management on all aspects of competence, identifying risks and problem areas and proposing mitigation actions where appropriate; contributing to the management of the schedule and the maintenance of the overall project risk register and proposing schedule risk mitigation actions; supporting the Head of the Secure Connectivity System Office, developing and maintaining an efficient interface with the European Commission, EUSPA and the IRIS2 concessionaire. You will also be responsible for identifying, assessing, managing and reporting the health and safety risks in your area of responsibility. Technical competencies Experience with the implementation of large space programmes or projects, ideally in the area of telecommunications Knowledge of ESA Space systems development, verification and review processes and standards Experience in systems engineering and verification of complex, large-scale secure systems, including interfaces, networks and protocols Management and monitoring of industrial activities, for example through interfaces with industry and reviews Experience in running large-scale system test campaigns Experience in managing multi-disciplinary teams Behavioural competencies Result Orientation Operational Efficiency Fostering Cooperation Relationship Management Continuous Improvement Forward Thinking Education A master\’s degree in engineering, physics or a related scientific field is required for this post. Additional requirements At least 10 years’ experience in system-level testing, integration and deployments, including the organisation of related test campaigns; The potential to manage individuals or a team in a project setting; The ability to organise individual and team activities and ensure a motivating work environment; 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 and constructive feedback; Strong problem-solving skills to deal with day-to-day operational challenges, together with demonstrated planning and organisational skills; A strong result 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 to be customer-focused. People management experience is an asset, as is international experience, i.e. outside your home country, as well as experience in diverse functional areas relevant to ESA activities. Direct experience of working with a commercial telecommunications company and/or operator will be a distinct advantage. Experience in public-private partnership projects would be an asset. Public speaking experience and the ability to conceptualise complex ideas would be beneficial. Experience working in projects with a security dimension would be beneficial. You must be prepared to travel on a regular basis, as many of the activities will take place on operational sites or at the AIV factories. For more information on how to apply, please click the Apply button. Direkt auf diese Stelle bewerben