Quality Assurance Engineer

This vacancy is part of the PA/QA/CC team within the Engineering Group. The EG group contains mechanical and electronics designers and instrument makers, system engineers, software engineers as well as PA/QA/CC (Product Assurance/Quality Assurance/Configuration Control). You will be part of a team of four Product Assurance managers and two Document controllers spread across Leiden and Groningen. The majority of your activities take place at our Leiden location.

The QA Engineer is involved in the full variety of projects including realization of all products for spaceflight. You like to deal with questions such as “can we build it”, “is the process defined with sufficient level of detail” and “will it survive the mission”. Your role requires a mindset where you are capable to approve an electronic or a mechanical design or product in accordance with a set of established quality criteria.

Most often, details matter and you have a natural affinity with digging into the details of critical fabrication- or test processes in order to assess if they can be controlled and repeated when it matters. You are pro-active and driven to prevent failures and to justify your stance in a dynamic and multidisciplinary environment where “new” is only better if proven.

As such, your task will be

• To assure the quality of hardware and support the Product Assurance Manager
• Support in documenting processes or test instructions as well as results
• To inspect and approve hardware at SRON and SRON’s subcontractors or suppliers on given criteria
• To report the results and to follow up any non-conformances and corrective actions
• To execute material- and process analysis to support a failure analysis or a product development
• To perform nondestructive or destructive sample testing
• To instruct or witness a critical process during manufacturing and the assembly phase with a pro-active attitude in order to prevent failure
• To document meticulously materials, parts and processes that have been used

We’re looking for:

• A colleague with MBO+ work and thinking level and a mechanical background
• Capable of performing dimensional measurements as well as basic electronic measurements
• Experience in high-tech/research environments is a plus
• An affinity with electronics
• Attention to detail and the ability to objectively document observations in English

If you are motivated to collaborate with the project team and contribute your quality assurance point of view, this is your opportunity to join.
Are you not yet very experienced but see this as your mission? Then please get in touch, because who knows, we might be able to help each other!

Appointment will be in the position of Quality Assurance Medewerker A on a temporary contract with NWO-I for a minimum of one year, with the prospect of permanent employment. The collective labour agreement for research institutions applies. Salary will depend on education and experience according to scale 8 of NWO-I with a maximum of 65k€ gross per year. The position is based in Leiden.
NWO-I has good secondary employment conditions such as:

• A dynamic and inspiring working environment at the forefront of space research
• Collaboration with leading experts and institutions in the field
• An end-of-year bonus of 8,33% of the gross yearly salary
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross yearly salary
• 42 days of vacation leave a year on a full-time basis
• An excellent pension scheme
• Options for (additional) personal development
• Excellent facilities for parental leave
• Ample training opportunities
• Possibility of flexible working hours

You will be working on groundbreaking instruments in a closely collaborating team of engineers and scientists. Technologies, projects and processes are challenging. SRON offers all opportunities for personal development.
SRON’s mission is to achieve breakthroughs in international scientific research from space. To this end, SRON develops groundbreaking technology and advanced space instruments. SRON promotes societal applications for space technology. We have a strong international reputation as ‘excellent in space research’. The quality and societal relevance of our science is considered ‘world-leading’.

SRON is the Netherlands Institute for Space Research. Based at locations in Leiden and Groningen, SRON combines fundamental scientific research, technology innovation, and instrumentation development to enable breakthroughs in astrophysics and earth atmospheric research from space. In partnership with leading international partners and space agencies such as ESA, NASA and JAXA, SRON provides scientific and technological contributions to international space missions as well as expertise and support to the Dutch and international scientific communities.
SRON is the national base for the Netherlands participation in the ESA science program. On the national level, it works in close collaboration with the Dutch universities, other NWO institutes, and governmental agencies to pursue a cohesive agenda for space-based research.

At SRON we believe that a workforce diverse in gender, age, and cultural background is key to performing excellent research. We therefore strongly encourage qualified applicants of all ages, sexual orientations, gender expressions, members of minorities, persons with disabilities, and potential dual-academic-career hires to apply.
Online interviews may be part of the selection procedure.
Recruitment consultants, please put down the phone. We’ll do the recruitment ourselves so unsolicited acquisition of this vacancy is not appreciated.