Quality Assurance

AVENTA; Brussel Hoofdstad; Hybrid; EUR 92,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

AVENTA, acting within Elia's QoS remit, seeks a Quality Assurance Officer to drive a Quality Management framework across HV primary systems and to coordinate with ETB/EPS stakeholders, including cross-border interfaces with 50Hertz where relevant.

You will lead external QA activities, build internal QA governance, and oversee documentation and KPI reporting. English is mandatory; Dutch/French preferred; travel across Belgium and Europe required.

Qualifications

• Technical or engineering education (or equivalent professional experience).
• Experience in quality management systems and supplier follow-up.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 or equivalent QMS frameworks.
• Experience with process mapping and documentation.
• Experience with HV or primary system equipment.
• Comfortable with digital document management tools (SharePoint at minimum).

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a Quality Management framework for ETB's HV primary systems.
• Coordinate external QA and supplier audits; review supplier's QMS.
• Create and maintain quality control plans for HV installation.
• Develop a quality dashboard and KPI reporting.
• Coordinate FAT/SAT verification and NCR follow-up.
• Organise, publish and archive technical documents and data.

Skills

Quality management systems

Process mapping

Documentation

Autonomous working style

Education

Technical/engineering education or equivalent experience

Tools

SharePoint

eDoc

Job description

• Client: European transmission system operator
• Department: ETB / GXS / EPS (High-voltage primary systems expertise) – Quality of Supply (QoS) team
• Contract type: Freelance / consulting service
• Compensation: Competitive – to be confirmed
• Location: Brussels – Monnoyer site | Hybrid: minimum 2 days/week onsite
• Languages: English: mandatory | Dutch and/or French: strongly preferred for daily collaboration
• Profile: Technical/engineering background with quality management systems experience; HV/primary equipment affinity a strong asset
• EU authorization: Non-EU candidates must hold a valid work permit and residence permit for Belgium

Context

Our client (a European transmission system operator alongside 50Hertz in Germany), is responsible for the high-voltage electricity transmission grid in Belgium. Within Elia's Technical Business unit (ETB), the GXS department houses the EPS (Equipment and Primary Systems) team, which covers expertise on high-voltage primary systems equipment supplied and installed in the Belgian grid: switchgear, power transformers, insulated cables, and overhead lines.

Within EPS, the Quality of Supply (QoS) team is responsible for quality follow-up across the entire supply scope — covering the equipment itself (during manufacturing and site installation), its technical documentation, and associated digital data. As ETB targets a significant step-change in quality management effectiveness and organisational impact over the coming years, the QoS team is building capacity and reinforcing its governance framework. A Quality Assurance Officer is being recruited to support this ambition.

Responsibilities

Quality Management framework development

• Analyse and map requirements for a simple and effective Quality Management framework adapted to ETB's scope of HV primary systems supply
• Align and interface the framework with internal stakeholders across ETB departments and, where relevant — including coordination with 50Hertz (Germany)
• Propose and validate the framework with clear timelines and milestones — in close collaboration with the QoS Team Lead
• Implement the framework with a strong focus on communication, change management, and structured reporting on progress

External Quality Assurance — supplier and manufacturing oversight

• Participate in factory audits led by the relevant equipment expert — with specific responsibility for reviewing the supplier's quality management system, not merely the product
• Develop, maintain and implement quality control plans for the installation of HV equipment on site by suppliers — ensuring that installation quality is formally governed from handover to energisation
• Develop and maintain a quality dashboard tracking suppliers' factory and site activities — based on qualitative feedback from equipment experts and quantitative KPI data
• Coordinate the follow-up of external inspectors and inspection activities — primarily Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and Site Acceptance Tests (SAT) for transformers, cable systems, and other primary equipment
• Facilitate the follow-up of non-conformities (NCR) and associated corrective action plans — based on Return of Experience (REX) from production, testing, and installation; ensure systematic closure tracking

Internal Quality Assurance — information and process governance

• Facilitate the correct organising, publishing and archiving of technical documents and data in their relevant tools and structures: document management systems (eDoc, HyperTree, SharePoint), asset database (InfraRef), and technical information wiki (LegoNet)
• Facilitate the setup and use of document exchange platforms with suppliers during framework agreements — working with equipment experts to establish structured SharePoint environments for supplier collaboration
• Map, create and archive internal processes at team and department level — using standard process documentation methods: flowcharts, swimlane diagrams, PACI tables, SIPOC models, BPMN
• Coordinate factory performance evaluations — collecting, validating and presenting supplier performance data to support strategic sourcing decisions
• Own KPI follow-up and reporting for quality across the supply scope — producing regular structured reports for the QoS Team Lead and EPS management

Requirements

Background and experience

• Technical or engineering education (or equivalent professional experience) — the role interfaces daily with HV equipment experts and requires the credibility to engage on technical quality topics (materials, testing standards, installation procedures)
• Proven experience in quality management systems and supplier follow-up — ideally in an industrial, energy, or critical infrastructure environment. Familiarity with ISO 9001 or equivalent QMS frameworks is expected
• Experience in business process mapping and documentation — BPMN, swimlane diagrams, SIPOC, PACI, flowcharts. The internal QA scope requires structuring and formalising processes across multiple teams
• Experience with HV or primary system equipment (switchgear, transformers, cables, overhead lines) is a strong differentiator — either from a supplier, engineering, or client/asset-owner environment
• Comfortable with digital document management tools (SharePoint at minimum; exposure to DMS platforms such as eDoc or similar is a plus)

Profile

• Open and curious: able to learn new domains quickly — both the technical HV equipment landscape and internal processes and tools
• Structured and autonomous: able to manage multiple parallel workstreams (framework development + external QA + internal QA) independently, with minimal supervision
• Proactive: brings proposals and recommendations rather than waiting for direction — the QoS team is in growth mode and expects contributors who identify gaps and act on them
• Comfortable with travel within Belgium (ETB installations) and within Europe (supplier factory visits — mainly EU)

Languages

• English: mandatory — all technical documentation, supplier communication (international suppliers), are in English
• Dutch and/or French: strongly preferred — daily collaboration with local Belgian suppliers and stakeholders requires one or both. Candidates proficient in neither would face a significant integration barrier
• Non-EU candidates: must hold a valid work permit authorising employment in Belgium AND a valid residence permit confirming the right of residence in Belgium. Present only candidates who meet both criteria