Expertise for the future
People – We believe in our teams’ expertise and we value their variety of talents and skills. We prepare them to meet tomorrow’s challenges without hesitating to entrust young people with responsibilities. At ALTEN, we are committed to making a positive impact on our partners’ future, our employees’ careers, and the exigencies facing our society and the environment.
Railway signaling systems
The rise of digital technology and the emergence of new mobility paradigms are revolutionizing the way people move in the 21st century. This transformation is exemplified by the increased efficiency, interoperability, and regularity of rail networks. Mounting urbanization, combined with the desire to reduce CO2 emissions, are leading public figures and major companies to invest massively in rail transport, focus on renewable energy sources, reduce carbon emissions, and promote eco-friendly practices. As for railway operators, they are making it a priority to increase the capacity of existing lines by modernizing their signaling systems.
Interviews
Emily De Mol, Certification and Authorization Engineer, ALTEN in Belgium
Emily received her mechanical engineering diploma in 2012 from the Faculté Polytechnique de Mons in Belgium, with a specialization in machine design and production engineering. She began her career in the fluid automation sector, gradually taking on greater responsibilities – from customer services to logistics, supply chain, planning, operations and safety – until becoming head of the Operations Department. In 2019, she joined ALTEN and began working with Alstom as a Certification and Authorization Engineer.
What expertise is required for this role?
This role requires very unique and highly specialized expertise, even if someone has worked in certification in another field, because the regulations and processes differ from one sector to another. A high degree of flexibility and autonomy is also essential, as the learning curve can be demanding. This is why ALTEN trains its engineers to gain comprehensive understanding of each mission, its tasks and processes, and to develop their soft skills.
“One major challenge is staying up to date on all project-related news, changes, and developments for each stakeholder. Our role is interconnected with every project stage and area: design, validation and verification, quality, safety, and others. To support the project team, I must also ensure that I am well-informed about changes in laws, standards, rules, processes, and return on experience.”
Tobia Mariotto, Certification and Authorization Engineer, ALTEN in Belgium
Tobia completed his advanced materials engineering studies in 2019 at the Politecnico di Milano in Italy, with a specialization in nanotechnologies and polymeric materials. He began his career in the quality automotive field, where he rapidly gained experience on production processes of the components and on the design of power generation devices. He joined ALTEN in 2023 and began a mission at Alstom as a Certification and Authorization Engineer.
What are your daily responsibilities?
As middleman between the project team and the legal framework, my daily activities require strong technical knowledge as well as project management and administration skills. I ensure that the implementation of new solutions complies with the latest European and national standards. I am also responsible for overseeing the updating of authorizations in the event of product changes or certificate expiration, and I manage the dialogue with the assessment bodies, with a particular emphasis on the Italian processes.
“One of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of this role is managing the discussions with the European and national authorities for the authorizations. This requires not only a solid knowledge of both the project and the legal framework; you also need to have strong negotiation skills to streamline the authorization process while meeting the required level of compliance.”
