System Safety Engineer (BT-26121)

Bastion Technologies•Huntsville, AL

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The System Safety Engineer - SLS Upper Stage will support the space program located at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. The selected candidate can expect to support system safety engineering for NASA's Space Launch System Upper Stage Office during a period of significant configuration evolution, including integration of United Launch Alliance's Centaur V-derived upper stage into future SLS/Artemis missions. The work will involve evaluating launch vehicle and upper-stage hazards across design, integration, test, ground processing, and mission operations; developing and reviewing hazard analyses, safety requirements, verifications, risk assessments, and safety review products; and coordinating with NASA, prime contractors, and commercial upper-stage providers to ensure propulsion, avionics, software, structural, pressure-system, cryogenic, separation, abort/contingency, and ground-interface hazards are identified, controlled, and formally dispositioned. The selected candidate will contribute to a high-visibility human spaceflight program, helping ensure that upper-stage changes, commercial hardware integration, and Artemis mission objectives are implemented with disciplined safety assurance, traceable hazard controls, and sound technical risk communication.

Requirements

This position requires US Citizenship status due to the sensitivity of customer related information.
Must have a bachelor's degree in the field of engineering, or a related field.
Must have 5+ years of recent and related work experience.
Must possess demonstrable experience in the performance of system safety hazard analyses and documenting results (e.g., development of System Safety Analysis Reports (SSARs) including hazard reports defining hazard causes, controls, and methods of verification/validation).
Extensive experience in the performance of Fault Tree Analysis, Functional Failure Analysis (FFA), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, and/or similar types of system safety engineering analysis.
Must have experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and TEAMS.
Must be team players with strong work ethics and must be culture oriented.
Able to communicate effectively, verbally and in written form, with internal and external customers.
Able to follow company programs, processes, procedures, practices, requirements, goals, and objectives.
Must be organized with good time management skills and must be able to work outside normal schedule and adjust schedule to meet peak periods and surge requirements.

Nice To Haves

Experience with cryogenic upper-stage failure modes. Desired areas include LH2/LOX leakage, fire/explosion hazards, over-pressurization, COPV/pressure vessel concerns, engine shutdown/restart failures, common-cause failures, software-commanding errors, valve failures, loss of thermal control, separation system failures, disposal failures, and ground servicing hazards.
Prior ULA, Vulcan, Centaur, RL10, or upper-stage integration experience.
Experience with ULA upper-stage systems, RL10 engine operations, Vulcan/Centaur interfaces, stage separation, propellant loading, tank pressurization, engine chill-down/start, in-space coast, restart, disposal, and related ground/flight constraints.
Experience integrating commercial hardware into NASA human spaceflight programs. The ideal candidate can bridge commercial-provider design data with NASA safety expectations, including translating provider analyses into NASA hazard-report structure, verification closure logic, and formal safety review products.

Responsibilities

Identify, analyze, classify (severity & likelihood), and formally present hazards and risks associated with integration of the SLS Upper Stage into the SLS vehicle to SMA leadership and risk-accepting authorities during milestone reviews, Table-Top Safety Reviews (TTSRs), and flight readiness/certification forums.
Prepare or assess System Safety Program Plans; review SLS program/contractor documentation (PWS, SRD, CEI, DRDs, verification procedures, etc.); assess proposed changes, Non-compliance Reports, and Waiver/Deviation requests to ensure full compliance with NASA Agency, Center, and Program safety requirements.
Actively participate in trade studies for design, development, operations, and mission events on both in-house and contracted projects to ensure safety requirements are met, risks are identified/characterized, and appropriate mitigations are implemented.
Develop/assess verification plans and Detailed Verification Objectives (DVOs); generate or evaluate safety verification compliance data; track implementation and validation of hazard controls; confirm successful closure of verifications; and develop/present operational hazard control verification evidence to the Safety Verification Board.
Review test, checkout, and operating procedures for compliance with approved safety controls and verification requirements.
Track SSAR review comments and TTSR action items/agreements to closure; prepare and present safety status during COFR, SORR, FRR, and other program reviews; provide required SMASS contract deliverables (weekly/monthly activity reports, MSR/PEB inputs, DRDs, etc.).
Perform additional system safety engineering tasks as assigned in support of the SLS Vehicle Integration Branch and overall program safety posture.