Staff / Senior Systems Safety Engineer
About The Position
Electra is building the EL9, a nine-passenger, hybrid-electric aircraft with Ultra Short Takeoff and Landing (eSTOL) technology. This technology aims to unlock new operating locations and enable quiet, point-to-point regional travel. The company, headquartered in Manassas, VA, is backed by major industry players and is progressing towards first test flights in 2027 and certification by late 2029 or 2030. This role is crucial for the company's development stage, requiring a Staff or Senior Systems Safety Engineer to support system safety and reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) engineering efforts for the EL9 aircraft. The engineer will be responsible for functional hazard assessment, safety analysis, and RAM substantiation across various aircraft systems, ensuring compliance with FAA Part 23 certification requirements and industry safety standards. Collaboration with multiple engineering teams, including systems engineering, avionics, propulsion, structures, software, and certification, is essential to identify hazards, allocate safety requirements, and demonstrate that the aircraft design meets its safety and reliability targets.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Systems, Electrical, Mechanical Engineering, or related engineering discipline
- Experience in system safety engineering supporting aircraft or complex system development programs
- Strong knowledge of safety analysis methods: FHA, PSSA, SSA, FTA, FMEA/FMECA, CCA
- Working knowledge of reliability engineering methods: reliability prediction, RAM modeling, MTBF/MTTF, maintainability analysis
- Experience supporting FAA Part 23 and/or Part 25 certification programs
- Familiarity with ARP4754B, ARP4761A, and related safety/certification guidance
- Strong understanding of system architectures, redundancy concepts, and failure propagation across electrical, mechanical, and software systems
- Experience developing safety substantiation and RAM reports for certification submittal
- Strong technical writing and communication skills
- Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree in Aerospace, Systems, or related engineering discipline
- Experience supporting aircraft programs from conceptual design through certification and production
- Experience with hybrid-electric, eSTOL, eVTOL, or advanced air mobility aircraft programs
- Experience with reliability/safety analysis tools (e.g., Windchill Quality Solutions/Relex, RAM Commander, isograph)
- Experience working directly with regulatory authorities (FAA) during certification efforts
- Experience mentoring engineers and reviewing safety/reliability analyses
- U.S. Person (U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder) preferred
Responsibilities
- Lead functional hazard assessment (FHA), preliminary system safety assessment (PSSA), and system safety assessment (SSA) activities across aircraft systems
- Develop and maintain fault tree analyses (FTA), failure modes and effects analyses (FMEA/FMECA), and common cause analyses (CCA/ZSA/PRA)
- Own reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) analysis, including reliability prediction, block diagrams, spares/maintainability modeling, and MTBF/MTTF substantiation
- Allocate safety and reliability requirements to systems, subsystems, and components, and verify closure through analysis and test
- Develop safety and RAM analysis plans supporting FAA Part 23 type certification, per ARP4754B, ARP4754B, and related guidance
- Support development assurance level (DAL) determination for hardware and software items in coordination with systems and software engineering
- Partner with reliability, maintenance, and supportability stakeholders to define maintenance intervals and inspection/replacement strategies
- Prepare safety substantiation reports, certification safety assessments, and RAM reports for internal reviews and submission to the FAA
- Present safety and reliability analyses and recommendations during internal and external design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TCB)
- Support test planning and review for safety- and reliability-related verification activities (e.g., failure injection, environmental, endurance testing)
- Track open safety issues, hazard logs, and risk mitigations through closure
- Contribute to the establishment of system safety and RAM processes, tools, and design standards across the organization
- Support supplier technical reviews, evaluating supplier safety and reliability data and analyses
Benefits
- Competitive salary and equity
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance; STD, LTD, and life insurance
- Generous PTO, sick leave, and company holidays
- Paid winter break
- 401(k) with immediate vesting
- Free catered lunches, coffee, snacks, and drinks at our Manassas headquarters
- Free on-site parking
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
