Aeronautics Systems is seeking a Sr. Principal Systems Safety Engineer to support the BQM-34 Targets program in Rancho Bernardo, CA. The selected candidate will apply systems engineering and safety engineering principles to identify, assess, and mitigate hazards across the system lifecycle, and will be responsible for planning and executing safety analyses and validating safety requirements and assumptions against design and test evidence.
Responsibilities
- Perform system safety engineering activities across the lifecycle, including hazard identification, analysis, tracking, and mitigation.
- Develop and maintain system and subsystem safety requirements, and ensure they are properly allocated, implemented, and verified.
- Conduct safety analyses such as Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), Functional Hazard Analysis (FHA), System Safety Assessments (SSA), FMEA/FMECA, and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), as applicable.
- Plan and execute safety validation activities, including defining safety acceptance criteria, identifying supporting test/analysis data, and confirming that system behavior satisfies safety requirements and assumptions.
- Collaborate with systems, software, hardware, integration/test, and reliability teams to ensure safety considerations are incorporated into design decisions and verification plans.
- Support preparation of safety-related documentation and artifacts (e.g., hazard logs, safety assessments, safety case/evidence packages) for internal reviews and customer deliverables.
- Present safety findings, risks, and recommendations to program and customer stakeholders and support resolution of safety-related issues.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related STEM discipline and 8+ years of relevant experience.
- Experience in systems engineering and/or systems safety engineering on complex systems.
- Experience performing or supporting safety or reliability analyses (e.g., hazard analysis, FMEA/FMECA, FTA, or similar).
- Active DoD Secret clearance, with the ability to obtain and maintain higher-level clearances if program needs evolve.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with system safety on aerospace, defense, or mission-critical systems (airborne ISR, mission systems, or similar domains).
- Familiarity with applicable safety standards or guidance (e.g., MIL-STD-882 or similar system safety standards).
- Strong analytical, documentation, and communication skills, with the ability to work across multiple engineering disciplines.
- Experience contributing to and presenting material at systems engineering technical reviews (SETR) for safety specific topics.
- Familiarity with systems engineering practices (requirements development, architecture, verification/validation) and how safety integrates into these activities.
- Experience with safety, reliability, or requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS/DOORS Next, safety/hazard tracking tools, or similar).
- Experience with earned-value management systems and management of a control account.
- Experience with RCC-319 and Range Safety
- 882E System Safety Engineering methodology
- 882E / JS-SSS-EH / IG Software Safety Engineering methodology/SwCI and LOR analysis
- ESOH policies
- HAZMAT / NAS 411-1
- An understanding of the US Navy System / Software Safety Engineering policies – NAVAIRINST 5100.3H
- An understanding of aircraft systems
- An understanding of drone aircraft operations
- An understanding of Navy NAVAIRINST 13034.1G airworthiness policy and possibly 516C airworthiness criteria
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related STEM discipline
- 8 or more years of relevant experience
- Experience in systems engineering and/or systems safety engineering on complex systems
- Experience performing or supporting safety or reliability analyses, such as hazard analysis, FMEA/FMECA, or FTA
- Active DoD Secret clearance
- Ability to obtain and maintain higher-level clearances if program needs evolve
- Experience with system safety for aerospace, defense, or mission-critical systems
- Familiarity with applicable safety standards, including MIL-STD-882 or similar standards
- Strong analytical, documentation, and communication skills
- Experience presenting safety topics at systems engineering technical reviews
- Familiarity with systems engineering practices, including requirements development, architecture, and verification/validation
- Experience with safety, reliability, or requirements management tools such as DOORS or DOORS Next
- Experience with earned-value management systems and control account management
- Experience with RCC-319 and Range Safety
- Knowledge of 882E, JS-SSS-EH, and IG software safety engineering methodologies, including SwCI and LOR analysis
- Knowledge of ESOH policies and HAZMAT/NAS 411-1
- Understanding of U.S. Navy system and software safety policies, including NAVAIRINST 5100.3H
- Understanding of aircraft systems and drone aircraft operations
- Understanding of NAVAIRINST 13034.1G airworthiness policy and potentially 516C airworthiness criteria
Northrop Grumman Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Northrop Grumman and has not been reviewed or approved by Northrop Grumman.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage offers multiple medical plan options by region alongside dental, vision, mental‑health resources, and wellness programs. Recent materials also highlight added family‑building support, including a dedicated fertility benefit.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) savings plan is positioned as competitive with a company match, auto‑escalation features, and access to an employee stock fund/ESPP. Official filings and benefits guides emphasize retirement as a core element of the Total Rewards package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Many sites offer a 9/80 schedule, generous PTO, paid holidays, and flexible/telework options where program needs allow. Paid parental and caregiver leave are prominently featured, with recent enhancements for the delivering parent.
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