System Safety Engineer

Job Description:

AMA supports NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) on a variety of cutting edge and high value flight test and research activities of national and international importance. We are currently seeking a System Safety Engineer (SSE) to support NASA Armstrong’s flight research activities. The SSE position directly supports NASA’s airworthiness and safety review process. This is a full-time mid to senior-level position to lead and facilitate system safety and hazard management in an organized, disciplined approach to the identification and mitigation of test safety hazards affecting personnel, hardware, and mission success to an acceptable level. The successful candidate will be required to undergo necessary training in NASA System Safety standards, policies, and practices to acquire the necessary NASA System Safety competency. This is an onsite position at Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in Edwards, CA.

SSE Responsibilities:

• Provide System Safety expertise to the Project Teams and facilitates the development, documentation, and implementation of system safety plans for flight and ground operations,
• Maintain Continuous Risk Management (CRM), capture lessons-learned, and analyze component-level reliability and maintainability.
• Manage and lead projects through System Safety Working Group (SSWG) discussions, capture project risks, hazards classification and mitigation formulation.
• Develop and maintain project hazard database and support project hazards reporting.
• Support review group(s) chartered to provide independent assessments of the project.
• Participate in project meetings, configuration control boards, design reviews, flight readiness reviews, etc.
• Prepare presentations and present project system safety hazard status in front of NASA center management and/or agency safety review boards as required.
• Complete a curriculum of NASA and DoD training to ensure system safety competency required by the various NASA operations.

Desirable Attributes:

• Applies knowledge of engineering, technology and systems engineering concepts to the specific technical tasks.
• Able to mentor less experienced engineers in specific system safety process and principles.
• Exercises a high degree of originality and sound judgment in formulating, evaluating, and correlating broad engineering research concepts, guiding the analysis of unique problems.
• Able to apply standard methodologies but is capable of innovative thinking, problem-solving, and independent judgment in resolving complex issues.
• Experience as a technical team member in the development, prototyping and flight testing of unique aerospace systems
• Ability to apply safety analysis techniques such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) for identifying failure modes in design, manufacturing, assembly, and operations is desirable.
• Solid leadership abilities to lead teams to identify, categorize, mitigate, and manage system safety risks (hazards) to personnel, mission systems and supporting systems.
• Experience in one or more of the following technology areas: aircraft systems, avionics hardware systems, software design, development and management, real-time systems, Unmanned Aircraft Systems or system test and validation.

General work requirements:

• Able to work a 9/80 2-week work schedule with core hours between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm.
• May be required to travel occasionally.
• Compliance with AMA’s Drug Free Workplace Policy.
• This is an onsite position at Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in Edwards, CA.

Education & Experience Requirements:

Professional degrees in Engineering (Aeronautical, Aerospace, Electronics, Electrical, Chemical, Civil, and/or Mechanical), the Sciences (Mathematics, Chemistry, or Physics) or Technology (Electronics Technology, Computer Science, Human Factors, Safety, Industrial Engineering). Educational institutions must be accredited by one of the nationally recognized accreditation organizations. Military technical school certificates may be applied in lieu of equivalent degrees offered by civilian institutions. Non-degreed candidates with uniquely applicable experience will be considered. One of the following is required for this position:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or Physical Science and 3+ year' experience or Advanced Degree in Engineering or Physical Science.

Salary Range: $75k-$95K

US Citizenship is required

Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA) is proud of our customer relationships, our diverse and dynamic work environment, and our employees' career satisfaction. AMA is a small business with a wide reach; headquartered in Hampton, VA, AMA has operations in Greenbelt, MD; Huntsville, AL; Dallas and Houston, TX; Denver, CO; Mountain View, CA; and Edwards Air Force Base, CA. With over 60 years of experience, AMA specializes in aerospace engineering, science, analytics, information technology, and visualization solutions. AMA combines the best of engineering, science, and mathematics capabilities with the latest in information technologies, visualization, and multimedia to build creative solutions. We offer competitive salaries and a substantial benefits package, including but not limited to paid personal and federally recognized holiday leave, salary deferrals into a 401(k)-matching plan with immediate vesting, tuition reimbursement, short/long term disability plans, and a variety of medical, dental, and vision insurance options.

AMA is committed to the professional growth of every employee, understanding that the successes of our employees drive our success. We provide a work environment that is engaging, collaborative, and supportive. To learn more about our company, please visit our website at and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

AMA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment or employee because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited under federal, state, or local laws.