Key Skills

Job Description

Software Quality Engineering Specialist (m/f/d) 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 Deadline for applications: 27 October 2026 at 23.59 CET Monthly net salary: 5979.41 Euro (including local weighting) [1] plus benefits (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 the disqualification from the selection procedure. Only eligible candidates 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. Who we are?Serving a population of 500 million citizens, we promote and protect public animal health in EU Member States, as well as the countries of the European Economic Area, by ensuring that all medicines available on the EU market are safe, effective and of high quality. What do we offer? Meaningful work contributing to protecting the health of every individual and animal in Europe within multinational, multidisciplinary team Development opportunities (e.g. internal mobility, mentoring, peer coaching, career reflection programme, etc.) Work-life balance (flexible working arrangements, teleworking, generous annual leave plus official holidays) Benefits (applicable only to Temporary Agent and Contract Agent vacancies) In principle, initial 5 year renewable contract with competitive monthly national tax-free salary and household & children’s allowances (where applicable). Privileges including expatriation (for expatriate staff) and education allowances (where appropriate) and additional home leave. Relocation assistance. Excellent health insurance scheme and social benefits. Retirement Pension Plan.

Core Responsibilities

Lead and coordinate quality assurance across the software development lifecycle, including test strategy, planning, execution, automation, defect management, and quality reporting. Oversee supplier-delivered QA, support validation and compliance, contribute to continuous improvement, and advise stakeholders on software quality and release readiness.

Requirements

Requires a university degree of at least three years in computer science, information technology, software engineering, engineering, or a relevant technical or quantitative discipline, plus at least three years of post-qualification professional experience. Candidates need software quality assurance experience in complex IT environments, enterprise implementation and testing expertise, familiarity with Agile or DevOps, and English at C1 level plus another EU official language at B2 level.

Benefits

• Household Allowance
• Children's Allowance
• Expatriation Allowance
• Education Allowance
• Home Leave
• Relocation Assistance
• Health Insurance
• Social Benefits
• Retirement Pension Plan
• Flexible Working Arrangements
• Teleworking
• Annual Leave
• Official Holidays
• Development Opportunities
• Mentoring
• Peer Coaching