Software Product Assurance Engineer

The Exploration Company; Oberpfaffenhofen; On-site; EUR 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Exploration Company in Germany is seeking an experienced Software Product Assurance Engineer to lead software quality across the Nyx Earth project, ensuring reliability, safety, and compliance with NASA/ESA requirements.

You will develop QA programs, perform audits, oversee V&V, manage nonconformities, and coordinate with IV&V and hardware teams to maintain traceability from system to software.

Qualifications

• Bachelor in engineering or technical sciences.
• Experience in software assurance or QA within aerospace/defense.
• Strong analytical skills and software lifecycle experience.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain SW PA&S requirements baseline per NASA/ESA and market practices.
• Develop and implement SW Quality Assurance Program per NASA-STD-8739.8 across lifecycle.
• Create, monitor, and review SW QA plans.
• Perform independent evaluations of software development processes for standards and safety.
• Analyze software design, including change impact and regression testing for COTS.
• Oversee V&V activities with traceability and control.
• Support IV&V activities coordinating to mitigate software risks.
• Manage SW nonconformities, deviations and alerts; assess impact.
• Contribute to risk management and SW Critical Items.
• Plan and follow up on SW audits; apply lessons learned.
• Oversee configuration management and ensure traceability to system requirements.
• Ensure software reliability and maintainability; conduct trade studies.
• Support HSIA analysis and SW integration with hardware.

Skills

Software quality assurance

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or technical sciences

Job description

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run.

We are seeking an experienced Software Product Assurance Engineer to manage the quality of our space projects from a software perspective. This role is integral to the Software team, ensuring that our software products meet the highest standards of reliability, performance, and compliance with contractual requirements.

Key Responsibilities

As a Software Product Assurance (SW PA) Engineer, you will hold a crucial position within the Software Team. You will serve as the SW quality focal point for space projects, with a primary focus on the Nyx Earth project. Your duties will encompass a wide range of responsibilities, including but not limited to:

• Establishing and maintaining the project's SW PA&S requirements baseline in compliance with applicable NASA/ESA requirements and best market practices.

• Developing and implementing a SW Quality Assurance Program in accordance with NASA-STD-8739.8, intended to cover the SW quality activities across all the project lifecycle phases.

• Developing, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing SW QA plans.

• Conducting independent evaluations of software development processes to ensure compliance with organizational standards and safety requirements.

• Participating in the analysis and evaluation of software design, including change impact analysis and regression testing, particularly for COTS software.

• Overseeing and participating in verification and validation (V&V) activities according to a defined V&V plan, ensuring traceability of all requirements and exclusion of unauthorized functions.

• Supporting Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) activities, working in coordination with IV&V personnel to mitigate software risks and enhance safety and quality.

• Managing SW nonconformities, deviations, alerts, and assessing their impact.

• Contributing to the risk management process and managing SW Critical Items.

• Managing and applying SW lessons learned.

• Planning, conducting and following up on project SW audits.

• Overseeing configuration management processes to ensure alignment with approved plans, including identification, status accounting, change control, verification, and delivery.

• Ensuring software reliability and maintainability requirements are met and traceable to system requirements.

• Conducting software trade studies to ensure consideration of safety, reliability, maintainability, and quality assurance requirements.

• Supporting HSIA analysis.

• Overseeing SW integration with hardware.

What we would love to see from you

In the role of SW Product Assurance Engineer ideally, you will have the following:

• A bachelor in engineering or technical sciences

• Experience in software assurance, quality assurance, or a related field, particularly within aerospace, aviation or defense industries.

• Strong analytical skills and experience with software lifecycle evaluation