Senior System Safety Engineer IV/V

Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Department: Engineering

We are seeking a Senior System Safety Engineer to lead system safety activities across the product lifecycle. This role focuses on system safety architecture, data-driven analysis, comprehensive documentation, and test planning for safety verification. You will engage directly with customer counterparts on System Safety Reviews and Panels including THAR (Technical Hazard Assessment Review) and NNMSB (Nuclear Navy Material and Safety Board). 

Key Responsibilities: 

System Safety & Architecture 

• Develop and maintain System Safety Program Plan and safety architecture documentation 

• Lead Functional Hazard Analysis (FHA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), and System Safety Assessments 

• Identify, document, and manage hazards, risks, and mitigation measures throughout the lifecycle 

• Draft System Safety Analysis Reports and maintain traceability between safety requirements, hazards, and mitigations 

• Lead Safety Critical Functional Thread Analysis (SCFTA) and support HAZOP/ETA activities 

Data, Documentation & Test Planning 

• Establish data collection and analysis frameworks for safety metrics and trending 

• Develop technical documentation including safety standards, specifications, procedures, and user guides 

• Create and execute test plans for safety verification and validation 

• Lead development of Built-In Test (BIT) plans and support Qualification Test Plan development 

• Define test requirements, acceptance criteria, and success metrics for safety-critical functions 

• Review test data to confirm safety requirements compliance 

Customer Engagement & Reviews 

• Serve as primary point of contact with customers on system safety matters 

• Lead and participate in THAR, NNMSB, and other customer System Safety Reviews and Panels 

• Present safety analysis findings, risk postures, and mitigation strategies to customers 

• Support milestone reviews (PDR, CDR, QDR, MRR) representing system safety 

• Coordinate responses to customer safety data items and deliverables 

Risk Management & Process Improvement 

• Lead safety corrective actions from Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations 

• Host corrective action reviews and ensure lessons learned implementation 

• Coordinate risk mitigation with Manufacturing Engineering, Logistics, and Deployment Operations 

• Develop and implement system safety processes and tools 

• Ensure compliance with MIL-STD-882E and other applicable safety standards 

Basic Qualifications:  

• 7+ years as a System Safety Engineer or equivalent safety-critical engineering role 

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Systems, or Electrical Engineering, or Physics 

• Expertise with MIL-STD-882E and military safety standards 

• Experience creating and executing test plans for safety verification 

• Proven experience engaging with customers on System Safety Reviews (THAR, NNMSB, or similar) 

• Strong system architecture knowledge and safety requirements decomposition 

• Extensive FHA, FTA, and SCFTA experience 

• Failure investigation with proven corrective action implementation 

• Technical writing for reports, procedures, and documentation 

• Hazard/risk management and tracking to closure 

• Design review experience (PDR, CDR, MRR) with strong presentation skills 

• Data collection, analysis, and trending for safety metrics 

• U.S. Citizenship 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Master's degree in engineering or related field 

• 10+ years progressive system safety experience 

• System Safety certification (ASP, CSP, CSEP) 

• DoD or Navy safety programs experience 

• Quantitative FTA with probabilistic risk assessment 

• FMEA/FMECA, HAZOP, and ETA experience 

• Safety analysis software tools (Relyence, Windchill, PTC Integrity) 

• Requirements management tools (JIRA, JAMA, Cameo, DOORS) 

• Aircraft, spacecraft, or UAV systems experience 

• Active U.S. Security Clearance or ability to obtain 

For candidates based in San Luis Obispo, California, the annual base salary range for this role is $155,000 - $220,000/year USD. The final compensation package will be determined based on factors including but not limited to experience, skills, qualifications, and internal pay equity. 

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