Our mission is to contribute to the decarbonization of hard-to-decarbonize transportation sectors like rail, maritime, and mining. We began by focusing on a niche area within the rail industry, developing a retrofit solution that offers a practical and cost-effective way to reduce emissions. In doing so, we became the first company in the EU to certify retrofitted diesel locomotives running on gaseous fuel and were honored as the European Railway Startup of the Year 2022 by Europe’s Rail. These milestones have positioned us as innovators in the emerging field of retrofitting diesel locomotives to run on hydrogen, battery, and biomethane. Right now, we’re working on some exciting projects: completing our flagship pilot with Irish Rail, starting a passenger train hydrogen retrofit initiative in Poland, and together with our investors, HDF Energy, embarking on the HyShunt project in France being Europe’s leading fuel cell and battery retrofit program for the railway sector.
To accomplish our ambitious goals, we are looking for a Certification specialist to join our team and mission, who will lead the certification of the retrofitted locomotives engaging with internal and external parties.
Key responsibilities:
- Safe System of Work (SSW) Documentation. Expand the existing installation manual and prepare comprehensive operational and maintenance manuals, ensuring alignment with safety and regulatory requirements.
- Test and Commissioning Plan Development. Design a detailed Test and Commissioning Plan with a strong emphasis on safety, outlining activities, tasks, their sequence, and the associated human resource (HR) requirements.
- Training Documentation for Railway Staff. Create detailed training materials for drivers and maintenance staff of the railway operator, focusing on the operation and maintenance of the hydrogen (H2) system.
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Conduct FMEA, including fault tree analysis, and evaluate risk acceptance, ensuring all potential hazards are identified and mitigated.
- Regulation 402 Safety Assessment. Perform Reg 402-compliant safety assessments, integrating identified hazards and FMEA results to establish a robust safety framework.
- System Component Certification and Datasheets. Compile, review, and prepare certificates and datasheets for all system components, ensuring compliance with relevant standards.
- Coordinate with External Bodies. Act as the primary point of contact for national safety authorities, notified bodies, and certification experts to ensure compliance with regulatory and certification standards.
- Liaise with regulatory and compliance organizations, customers and advisors. Represent the company in discussions with certification and safety authorities, effectively communicating project-specific needs, challenges, and solutions.
Key requirements:
- Experience with Certification Documentation. Previous involvement in compiling and reviewing system component certificates, datasheets, and other documentation required for regulatory and safety compliance. Proven track record of delivering documentation that meets the standards expected by EU safety authorities and other certification entities.
- Expertise in Safety Processes, preferably in the railway sector. Proven experience in preparing and managing documentation for various stages of safety and risk assessment processes, including test and commissioning plans, operational manuals, and regulatory safety assessments. Practical application of the FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) methodology in compliance with Regulation 402 requirements for railway safety processes.
- Knowledge of EU Railway Legislation is preferable. Comprehensive understanding of EU railway (or other sector’s) legislation, with a particular focus on safety tools, risk management methods, and applicable regulations. Familiarity with the roles and expectations of national safety authorities and notified bodies within the European railway framework.
- Technical and Safety Proficiency. A strong technical understanding to ensure accurate and reliable documentation. Ability to assess system risks and incorporate effective safety measures into the documentation and risk assessments.
- Document Preparation and Communication Skills. Demonstrated capability to produce high-quality technical documents, such as Safe System of Work (SSW) manuals, test plans, and training materials, tailored to the needs of diverse stakeholders.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Collaboration and Stakeholder Management. Experience in coordinating with parties like national safety authorities, notified bodies, and customer technical teams to align documentation and processes with regulatory requirements and project expectations. Ability to gather technical inputs from engineering teams and synthesize them into structured, compliant, and comprehensive documents.
- Industry Experience will be considered as an advantage. Prior experience within the railway or transportation sector, with examples of similar documents prepared for previous projects, highlighting familiarity with industry-specific practices and requirements.
Being part of our team means having:
- Result-oriented remuneration package (2 500 – 3 700 EUR) with a very clear and concrete objectives that are required to be met to go from the former to the latter.
- Meaningful impact within the company. Since our team is small and everyone reports directly to the CEO, you have the chance to directly influence the company’s direction and contribute to its growth and success.
- Skilled and Supportive Team working together with you. Be part of a small, highly-skilled, and collaborative team that values expertise and camaraderie.
- Unique learning opportunity. Gain unparalleled experience in the certification of retrofitted railway vehicles across global markets. Expand your skills and knowledge by working on projects in diverse geographies, with the opportunity to grow and eventually lead the certification division.
- Global impact with the hardware product. Not only all of our product deployment is outside Latvia, but our advisors also including former C-level people from Alstom & Bombardier Group.
- Personal development and career advancement. Challenge yourself to grow and become the best version of yourself in an ambitious and dynamic environment having a clear pathway for career progression, with the potential to transition from Certification Specialist to Certification Manager within two years.
If you think this opportunity is for you, please send an e-mail to r.strods@digasgroup.com with a subject line “Certification specialist” including your CV or a short description of why you believe you are the fit for the role.