ASTRON's mission is to make discoveries in radio astronomy happen via the development of novel and innovative technologies, the operation of world-class radio astronomy facilities — such as LOFAR — and the pursuit of fundamental astronomical research.

ASTRON has embarked upon an program to develop a Science Data Centre (SDC): an initiative to maximize the scientific impact of our world-leading instrumentation portfolio by making data products and analysis tools available to scientists in the most effective ways. It will provide services including hosting and distribution of petabyte-scale data archives from cutting-edge instrumentation, bulk and interactive data processing capabilities, and supporting services for the community to form collaborations, request resources, and execute scientific observing and data analysis programs. The SDC system encompasses a federated storage and compute infrastructure distributed over Europe, and a suite of services, tools, and databases that are developed and in collaboration with the astronomical community and our national and international partners. Construction of the SDC is a multi-team, multi-year effort, managed using a variation of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).

Development of such an ambitious facility requires a solid basis in systems engineering, and we are now seeking for an experienced systems engineer to lead that effort. As the SDC Systems Engineer, you will be responsible for the engineering integrity of the SDC over its complete lifecycle.

Your areas of responsibility will include:

•  Implementing processes and tools to capture, manage and evolve requirements across the complete SDC system.
• Developing verification and validation procedures for requirements, and acceptance procedures for deliverables.
• Working with the SDC System Architect to develop and update the SDC architecture.
• Working with internal and external stakeholders to provide appropriate control of interfaces, both internal to the SDC and between the SDC and external entities.
• Defining and organizing engineering change management processes.
• Working with the rest of the SDC team to integrate systems engineering processes with the agile workflow adopted by development teams.

As a systems engineer, you will be part of ASTRON's COMPAS — COMbined Project management And Systems engineering — group. In addition to your work on the SDC, you will work with your COMPAS colleagues to advocate for systems engineering best practices across ASTRON as an organization.

Developing the ASTRON SDC will be challenging, but it is also an exciting opportunity to make a real scientific impact, and we pride ourselves on providing a supportive and welcoming environment. If you feel that you could contribute, we invite you to respond to this vacancy and together we will explore the possibilities.

Employment conditions

• Full-time, 38 hours/week temporary appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of in total 2 years with a possible extension of 1 year based on good performance. 
• A gross monthly salary on a full-time basis, in the range of € 3.831 to € 5.990 depending on relevant experience, a holiday allowance of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.33% of the gross annual salary. 
• A solid pension scheme (ABP).
• 42 vacation days per year on a full-time basis.
• Employment conditions tailored to your needs (part-time appointment, parental leave, working from home, etc.).
• Opportunities and encouragement to grow and develop yourself and your career.
• Ambitious colleagues driven by collaboration in an international work environment.
• Beautiful premises in the heart of one of Drenthe's National Parks.

Additional information

More information about ASTRON can be found on our website www.astron.nl and www.jobsatastron.nl. For more information about this vacancy please contact Henriëtte Orsel, Coordinator HR; e-mail: [email protected].

How to apply

You can apply for this job by submitting your curriculum vitae and covering letter through www.jobsatastron.nl. The first closing date is 01-03-2022. Candidates will be considered until the position has been filled.

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