Sr. Engineer - Pilot

Akiva Ai•Arlington, VA

2d•$125,000 - $185,000•Hybrid

About The Position

AKIVA is seeking a senior engineer with active or recent pilot experience to support Safety Management System (SMS) and Independent Operational Assessment (IOA) workstreams for the FAA Air Traffic Organization. You will bring flight deck and operational perspective to Safety Risk Management panels, IOA planning and execution, and policy and training updates. The role suits a senior engineer who is also a current or recent pilot (commercial, ATP, or military) and can translate cockpit-level insight into safety analyses and acquisition assessments.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Aviation, Aerospace, or a related field (equivalent experience may be substituted)
8+ years of professional engineering or aviation operations experience
Active or recent pilot certificate (Commercial, Airline Transport Pilot, or military equivalent)
5+ years performing or supporting Safety Risk Management, system safety, or operational assessments
Demonstrated experience producing federal-grade technical documentation, including SRM checklists, IOA plans, briefings, and reports
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and executive-level business-writing skills
Ability and willingness to travel up to four weeks at a time, including possible night and weekend shifts at FAA field facilities
Ability to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) credential
Must be authorized to work in the United States

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Engineering, Aerospace, Aviation, or related discipline
Type ratings or instructor ratings on transport-category aircraft
Prior FAA, military aviation, or major commercial carrier safety/standards experience
Familiarity with FAA SMS, Safety Risk Management Guidance for System Acquisitions, and the In-Service Decision (ISD) process
Familiarity with FAA Order 8040.6A (Unmanned Aircraft Systems Safety Risk Management Policy)
Section 508 Trusted Tester certification
Familiarity with AI-assisted safety analysis and briefing-generation tools

Responsibilities

Provide subject matter expertise on Safety Risk Management documentation associated with FAA acquisition programs; review and submit comments to the program office for review and approval
Review and compile comments on national change Safety Risk Management documents
Facilitate Safety Risk Management Panels with advanced working knowledge of SRM and Safety Assurance principles, providing recommendations on current and proposed National Airspace System systems, equipment, and operational safety issues
Prepare SRM document review checklists and execute data mining for SRM document reviews and panel preparations
Collect and analyze data from safety-related sources (occurrence reports, quality control data, operational data) and draft monthly and quarterly Safety Performance Monitoring Reports
Provide technical input and prepare draft IOA Implementation Strategy and Planning Documents, IOA designation documents, IOA Program Management Plans, IOA plans, IOA procedures, and IOA reports
Provide strategy and planning input for IOA programs, including scope considerations and resource estimates
Collect and analyze IOA data, organize data in databases, identify potential safety and operational risks, and produce reports and graphics
Document IOA team discussions and provide technical expertise on Air Traffic and Technical Operations processes and procedures
Ensure all deliverables are Section 508 compliant