Systems Safety Engineer

Systems Safety Engineer

Sunnyvale, California Engineering – Systems Engineering / Full-time / On-site

LTA is seeking a Systems Safety Engineer to serve as a senior individual contributor and technical authority within the Systems Engineering function. Operating at the principal level, this engineer applies broad mastery across subsystems and disciplines beyond their core area to architect and validate new, complex system-of-systems and integration approaches where no legacy solution exists. The Principal Systems Engineer sets the overarching technical direction for a systems discipline, owns the system-level safety, verification, and certification strategy for a vehicle program or major system, and acts as a subject-matter expert during internal audits and regulatory interactions. This is a role for a proven technical leader who provides leadership and direction to multidisciplinary, integrated product teams, mentors and develops senior engineering staff, shapes program-defining architectures and drives the integration and certification of lighter-than-air flight vehicles.

Key Responsibilities

• Innovate system-safety approaches for high-stakes integration and certification and own the aircraft / system-level safety-assessment strategy.
• Conduct and own System Safety Assessments (SSA) and the supporting analyses — Functional Hazard Assessment (FHA), Preliminary System Safety Assessment (PSSA), FMEA / FMECA, and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) per ARP4754A / ARP4761.
• Architect and validate new, complex system-of-systems and integration approaches where no legacy approach can be drawn upon; establish architectures that become the program standard and reduce cost or schedule.
• Apply Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE): Apply MBSE methods with tools like Cameo/MagicDraw to support system development activities, including requirements analysis, system design, and interface definition.
• Architect major, long-term system programs — full vehicle system architecture, Iron Bird integration, and avionics / flight-controls integration — and define the overall verification and integration strategy for a vehicle program or major system.
• Support system-level certification strategy and means-of-compliance approach for a vehicle program, defining the certification basis for airworthiness (in accordance with ARP4754A).
• Serve as the primary technical Subject Matter Expert (SME) during internal audits and regulatory interactions; own certification artifacts, compliance evidence, and verification-by-analysis credit toward the certification basis.
• Develop and maintain the system certification plan and coordinate certification deliverables across subsystems, applying DO-178C / DO-254 / MIL-STD-882 as applicable to establish airworthiness of software, complex hardware, and system safety.
• Provide technical leadership and direction to multidisciplinary, integrated product teams — aligning mechanical, electrical, software, and test engineers around shared architecture, interface, and verification goals.
• Set the technical vision and priorities for a systems discipline and lead the team to consensus and decisions under ambiguity, without relying on formal reporting authority.
• Actively mentor, coach, and develop Senior (P3) engineers and engineers in other disciplines, building the team's technical bench strength and next generation of leaders.
• Act as the primary Systems interface for major integrated product teams and influence cross-functional engineering leadership to ensure successful integration and certification.
• Lead or establish technical partnerships with suppliers, integrators, and regulatory airworthiness authorities.
• Work with wide autonomy — independent for weeks — setting technical objectives and approaches for major programs without leadership oversight.
• Lead root-cause analysis to resolve highly ambiguous, multi-variable, cross-system anomalies that impact critical program milestones.
• Innovate robust solutions that proactively prevent problems, with a demonstrated ability to reduce program cost or schedule.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in systems, Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical, or a related engineering discipline with 8+ years of experience; or
• Master's degree with 6+ years of experience; or
• PhD with 3+ years of experience.
• Broad mastery across subsystems and disciplines beyond the candidate's core area.
• Direct aerospace / aircraft systems experience, including taking systems through the certification lifecycle with airworthiness authorities (FAA / EASA) under ARP4754A, and serving as a technical SME during regulatory interactions and audits.
• Proven, hands-on experience conducting System Safety Assessments (SSA) and the associated safety analyses — FHA, PSSA, FMEA / FMECA, and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) to ARP4761, with results integrated into the certification basis.
• Expertise in system-of-systems architecture, interface definition, and end-to-end verification & integration for complex vehicle programs.
• Command of MBSE and requirements/verification tool chains (e.g., DOORS, Jama, Cameo/Rhapsody SysML) and analysis environments (MATLAB, Python, Simulink).
• Ability to define model architecture, fidelity, and digital-thread strategy and to establish model credibility and validation (VV&A) standards.
• Demonstrated leadership of cross-system root-cause analysis and of certification-oriented system-safety work.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver against demanding technical milestones — leading through influence and technical credibility rather than direct authority.
• Strong mentorship and coaching skills, with a track record of developing engineers and growing overall team capability.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills across engineering, program leadership, suppliers, and regulatory authorities.
• Sound technical judgment and decisiveness that build trust, resolve conflict, and align teams under ambiguity.

Compliance Requirements:

• Background check clearance
• Drug Test clearance wherever applicable

What We Offer!

• Relocation assistance
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision insurance through a PPO plan (100% premium paid for individuals, ~70% for dependents)
• Company-paid life, AD&D, long-term disability, and short-term disability insurances
• Parental leave
• Generous PTO + 10 paid holidays
• 401(k) matching up to 6%
• Lunch and snacks provided every day, including accommodations for all dietary restrictions
• Monthly wellness stipend
• Monthly cell phone stipend
• Yearly education stipend to obtain certifications or take classes in your field
• Fun events, swag, and the occasional airship ride
• An opportunity to change the world and work with some of the smartest and the most talented experts from different fields

$165,000 - $230,000 a year The base salary range for this role is $165,000 - 230,000, which is determined based on experience, geography, and qualifications. The base salary is one component of the total compensation package, which includes a very competitive annual bonus, 401K Match, and other generous benefits. While we believe competitive compensation is a critical aspect of your decision to join us, we do hope you also spend time considering why our mission and culture are right for you. LTA Research & Exploration welcomes all candidates to apply including those with limited experience. We understand that candidates with a growth mindset and passion for working on the next chapter in aviation advancement can outweigh experience alone. We celebrate diverse origins and journeys and understand their importance in developing new technology. Rooted in our humanitarian mission, we want to serve the entire globe and have a team that represents those we wish to serve. Lighter Than Air is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, veteran status or any other discriminatory factors prohibited by law. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.