Quality Assurance – HV equipment

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

Description

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.

Required Qualification

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 — i