Software Quality Engineering Specialist

European Medicines Agency (EMA); Netherlands; On-site; EUR 61,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Amsterdam, Netherlands, seeks a Software Quality Engineering Specialist to lead QA across the software development lifecycle. You will shape testing strategies, enable automated testing, and ensure regulatory compliance and release readiness for digital health-related systems.

The role requires coordinating with stakeholders, architects, developers and external partners, and may involve complex, regulated environments.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years in software quality assurance or engineering.
• Experience in delivering enterprise software implementations in roles such as Test Manager, QA lead and similar.
• Experience in and certified training in quality engineering practices (ISTQB, Agile Testing, Quality Management, Automation, Performance and Security testing).
• Prior experience leading supplier teams and working with external delivery partners.
• Experience working within Agile, DevOps or hybrid software development environments.

Responsibilities

• Define and promote software quality assurance strategies, methodologies, standards and best practices.
• Design, develop and oversee test plans, test cases and test execution activities.
• Coordinate functional, integration, system, regression, performance and UAT testing.
• Establish and maintain automated testing frameworks and quality metrics.
• Ensure traceability between requirements, test scenarios and outcomes.
• Oversee QA activities delivered by external suppliers and service providers.
• Support validation and compliance activities for regulated systems where applicable.

Skills

Quality assurance

Test management

Automation testing

Agile & DevOps

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Organisation/Company European Medicines Agency (EMA) Research Field Computer science Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 28 Oct 2026 - 23:00 (UTC) Country Netherlands Type of Contract To be defined Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week To be defined Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Job grade: AD 6

Internal job grade:AD06 and above

Type of position: Temporary agent

Selection procedure reference: EMA/AD/11579

Job title: Software Quality Engineering Specialist

Talent Pool:AD06 Enterprise Capabilities Management

Monthly net salary: 5979.41 Euro(including local weighting)plusbenefits(see calculators on the right) (based on a fulltime contract (40hrs/week))

Location:Amsterdam; The Netherlands (relocation to take up duties is mandatory)

About this role

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) relies on a growing portfolio of digital products and information systems to support the regulation of medicines and protect public and animal health. Ensuring the quality, reliability, security and compliance of these systems is essential to delivering trusted services to stakeholders across the European Medicines Regulatory Network.

The Agency is looking for a Quality Engineering Specialist to lead and coordinate quality assurance activities across the software development lifecycle. The successful candidate will contribute to the establishment and continuous improvement of testing methodologies, quality standards and validation practices, ensuring that software solutions meet business requirements, regulatory expectations and user needs.
Working closely with business stakeholders, architects, business analysts, developers, suppliers and operations teams, the Quality Engineering Specialist will help ensure the successful delivery of high-quality digital solutions and services.

In this job you will

• Define and promote software quality assurance strategies, methodologies, standards and best practices.
• Design, develop and oversee test plans, test cases and test execution activities.
• Coordinate functional, integration, system, regression, performance and user acceptance testing.
• Establish and maintain automated testing frameworks and quality metrics.
• Ensure traceability between business requirements, test scenarios and testing outcomes.
• Identify, analyse and manage software defects and quality risks.
• Oversee quality assurance activities delivered by external suppliers and service providers.
• Support validation and compliance activities for regulated systems where applicable.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, including DevOps and quality engineering practices.
• Provide advice on software quality, testing approaches and release readiness.
• Support audits, inspections and quality reviews related to information systems.

Link the full role description of the Platform Lead outlining generic duties and responsibilities.

Apply if you meet these eligibility criteria

To be eligible for consideration for this position, you are required to meet the following general and specific eligibility conditions:

General Conditions

• Enjoy full rights as a citizen of a Member State of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway.
• Have a thorough knowledge of English (minimum C1 level) and a satisfactory knowledge of another official language of the European Union (minimum B2 level).
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service.

Specific Conditions

• A University degree of at least three years in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Engineering or another relevant scientific, technical, or quantitative discipline, obtained by the closing date of the vacancy notice; and
• At least three years of professional experience acquired after obtaining the required qualification and by the closing date of the vacancy notice.

For general condition 1 and for specific conditions 1 and 2 you will be required to provide evidence in the application form and a proof at the interview stage. Failing to present these documents may result in thedisqualificationfrom the selection procedure.
Only eligiblecandidates will be assessed by the Pre-selection Committee in accordance with the Assessment Criteria below.

You will need

Experience

• At least 3 years in the field of software quality assurance or engineering in complex IT environments.
• Professional experience in delivering enterprise software implementations in roles such as Test Manager, Quality assurance lead and similar.
• Experience in and certified training in quality engineering practices, such as ISTQB, Agile Testing, Quality Management, Automation, Performance and Security testing)
• Prior experience of leading supplier teams and building successful working relationships with external delivery partners
• Working within Agile, DevOps or hybrid software development environments.
• Competency in Quality management, including:
  • Designing and executing functional and non-functional testing activities.
  • Test automation tools and frameworks.
  • Defect management and quality reporting.
  • Testing of web-based, cloud-based and integrated enterprise systems.
  • Risk-based testing methodologies and quality management practices.
  • Knowledge of quality assurance frameworks and continuous improvement principles.
  • Sound knowledge of software testing methodologies, tools and industry standards.

Skills and Knowledge

• Understanding of software development lifecycle management.
• Ability to communicate complex technical issues to non-technical audiences.

Competencies you need to have

Role competencies
Project and programme management Advanced
IT service management and service acceptance Advanced

Sub-family competencies
Quality management (please see specific expectations listed under “You will need section”) Advanced
Emerging technology monitoring Intermediate
Continuous improvement Intermediate
Applied knowledge Intermediate

Grade competencies
Adaptability and agility Intermediate
Analysing and problem solving Intermediate
Prioritising and organising Intermediate

Core competencies
Ethics and integrity Intermediate
Team collaboration Intermediate
Customer centricity Intermediate
Results orientation Intermediate
Communication Intermediate
Cross-cultural sensitivity Intermediate
Continuous learning and self-development Intermediate

For more information about definitions of competencies and associated proficiency levels, please refer to the EMA Competency Framework .

These are considered as Nice to Have

Experience in:

• Testing in the context of an AI Software Development Lifecycle.
• Validation of regulated systems.
• Testing of data-intensive, analytical or AI-enabled solutions.
• Performance, security and accessibility testing.
• Public sector or international organisation environments.

Selection procedure timelines

Deadline for applications

27 October 2026 at 23:59 CET

Preliminary Assessments

Third week of November 2026

Final assessments

Second week of December 2026

January 2027

Selection process

Only eligible candidates (see eligibility criteria) will be assessed by the selection committee.

Suitability and qualifications ofeligible candidateswill be assessed against the assessment criteria and competencesin different steps of the selection procedure.

Note:Candidates who fail any assessment linked to any Need to Have requirement, Sub-family, grade specific competencies and Core Competencies at any stage of the process are disqualified, despite getting points on other criteria.

Before the start of the selection procedure, it is decided which criteria and competences will be assessed at each stage of the process. Certain criteria / competences will be assessed / scored only for shortlisted candidates during interviews (and/or tests). Please consult the Careers at EMA - Guidance on selection and recruitment (section 1.3. selection procedure) for an overview of the criteria and competences assessed at each stage of the process.

Shortlisting

In order to allow the selection committee to carry out an objective assessment of all candidates in a structured way, as part of their application, all candidates must answer the pre-defined set of questions based on Need to have criteria and sub-family competences.

The Selection Committee will therefore assess eligible candidates using the information provided in the responses to those questions and in their application. When answering a question, you should includeall relevant information, even if it is already mentioned in other sections of your application form.

To carry out this assessment, each of your responses will be awarded points (0 to 10). The points are added up to identify those candidates whose profiles best match the duties to be performed as advertised in the vacancy notice.

Next steps of selection may include a preliminary assessment. Most assessments will be conducted remotely (i.e. Webex/Teams, remote test, etc.). All assessments are based on the assessment criteria listed in this vacancy notice.

Shortlisted candidates will participate in personality assessments (e.g. SHL occupational personality questionnaire OPQ32) to assess their Core Competencies (pass score is 26 out of 100 points and above). In addition, selected Core Competencies may be assessed throughout the process.

Additional assessments, such as cognitive (e.g. deductive reasoning) assessments might also be foreseen as part of the selection process. Furthermore, motivation and overall fit for the job and knowledge of EU relevant to role may be assessed.

The aim of this selection procedure is to create a reserve list of qualified and suitable candidates. Each candidate having reached the final step of the selection procedure will be notified via e‑mail whether she/he has been placed on the reserve list, and relevant Talent Pool. Candidates should note that the placement on a reserve list and/or Talent Pool does not guarantee an employment offer.

We strongly encourage that candidates do not apply for the vacancies that are at the same grade and the same subfamily as the Talent Pool they have been placed on, as this will not improve their chances of being considered for a vacant post within the Agency.

When a vacancy becomes available, candidates on the reserve list may be contacted for an additional interview.

More information about selection and recruitment (including administrative complaint procedure) at the EMA is available at our careers website .

If Temporary Agent posts are not available, if justified in the interest of the service, candidates on the reserve list may be approached to provide written consent to be considered for Contract Agent positions. These candidates will remain on the Temporary Agent reserve list and will be considered for a Temporary Agent post should a suitable post become available.

Contract Agent posts differ from Temporary Agent posts in terms of categories, function groups, grades and remuneration and career progression.X

Conditions of employment

In principle, the Agency offers a five-year renewable contract. Contracts of a shorter duration may be offered to the candidates.

The successful candidate will be required to relocate to the Netherlands to pick up duties.