System Safety Engineer

Honda Aircraft Company, LLC • Greensboro, NC

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About The Position

The Senior System Safety Engineer serves as the technical lead for establishing, executing, and overseeing the system safety program to ensure compliance with FAA Part 23 airworthiness standards. Reporting to the System Safety Senior Manager, the role leads aircraft- and system-level hazard analyses, guides cross-functional engineering teams on safety-critical architectures, and partners with management to engage regulatory authorities in support of aircraft type certification.

The role integrates safety requirements into engineering workflows, establishes FDAL/IDAL early in the aircraft lifecycle, and considers how requirements can support robust in-service experiences for aircraft customers and maintainers. It collaborates with human factors engineering to evaluate flight deck interfaces, mitigate crew workload risks, and validate pilot responses to system contingencies through human-in-the-loop testing.

Responsibilities also include reviewing supplier safety artifacts, maintaining traceability from hazards through design and verification, planning safety deliverables for program milestones, mentoring engineers, and supporting team methods and technical leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
• At least 5 years of direct experience in System Safety Engineering; aerospace industry experience is preferred.
• Comprehensive expertise applying SAE ARP4754A/B and ARP4761/A methodologies to civil aircraft programs.
• Deep experience flowing safety metrics down to engineering requirements and managing validation and verification baselines.
• Strong background collaborating with human factors engineering teams on human performance models, cockpit alert mechanics, and crew error mitigations.
• Working knowledge of DO-178C and DO-254 design assurance workflows, including defining FDAL/IDAL metrics.
• Experience auditing and validating safety artifacts provided by suppliers.
• Working knowledge of system engineering disciplines including propulsion, fuel, avionics, electrical, hydraulics, flight controls, landing gear, and environmental systems.
• Advanced proficiency in FHA, PSSA, SSA, FTA, FMEA/FMECA, CMA, PRA, and Zonal Safety Analysis (ZSA).
• Practical mastery of industry safety-modeling suites such as FaultTree+ or CAFTA.
• Expert use of digital traceability databases such as IBM DOORS.
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) software for tracing failure modes in digital architectures.
• Exposure to designing or supporting Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) engineering simulator protocols and flight-test data capture.
• Ability to effectively communicate in Business English and comprehend and adhere to management directions and safety instructions.
• Ability to read, hear, speak, and see without restrictions, as required by job duties.
• Ability to pull, push, carry, lift, or move items up to 10 lbs. throughout the work shift without assistance; occasional movement of items weighing up to 50 lbs. or more may be required with company-provided assistance technology.
• Work safely and professionally while adhering to applicable regulatory requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Aerospace industry experience in System Safety Engineering.
• Exposure to Human-in-the-Loop engineering simulator protocols and flight-test data capture.

Responsibilities

• Plan, perform, and approve aircraft- and system-level safety assessments, including FHA, PSSA, SSA, FTA, FMEA/FMECA, CMA, PRA, and ZSA, in accordance with the approved safety process.
• Develop and release safety requirements, analysis data, and compliance evidence; present technical positions and resolve findings with FAA representatives, designees, and other certification stakeholders.
• Review supplier safety artifacts and reliability data for technical adequacy, consistency, and compliance with program objectives.
• Partner with systems, human factors, hardware, software, test, certification, flight-test, and customer service teams to shape architectures and incorporate hazard mitigations early in development.
• Allocate FDAL and IDAL, maintain bidirectional traceability between hazards, safety requirements, design implementation, and verification evidence, and assess proposed design changes for safety impact.
• Plan safety deliverables and reviews to support program milestones, certification plans, and timely closure of technical risks.
• Mentor system safety engineers, provide independent technical review, and help strengthen common methods, templates, tools, and analysis quality across the team.
• Represent the function in cross-functional forums and provide delegated technical and day-to-day leadership support when the System Safety Senior Manager is unavailable.
• Collaborate with human factors engineering to evaluate flight deck interfaces, mitigate crew workload risks, and validate pilot responses to system contingencies during human-in-the-loop testing.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior