Systems Engineer (Safety; Senior Principal Level; San Diego, CA)

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Systems Safety Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Systems Engineering organization. This position is located in Rancho Bernardo, CA.

In this role you will be supporting continued safe flight analysis of various system configurations as they are modified for capability enhancement and/or sustainment. System Safety engineering is a unique discipline that encourages individuals to (1) analytically examine function, (2) acquire relevant data / information, and (3) justify conclusions in order to model cause effect relationships of a complex system in various conditions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Independently analyze and recommend safety criteria in system design, equipment, and procedures to mitigate or eliminate hazards.

• Evaluate systems, associated support equipment and facilities, networks, and information systems to ensure designs meet applicable safety specifications and standards.

• Apply knowledge, methodologies and principles of safety engineering as defined in MIL-STD-882.

• Apply methodologies, best practices, and principles of safety engineering as defined in the corresponding System Safety Program Plan (SSPP).

• Understand and work in accordance with (IAW) applicable system safety industry standards e.g., US Air Force Instructions (AFIs), NASA Procedural Requirements (NPRs), SAE Aerospace Recommended Practices (ARPs), FAA Advisory Circulars (ACs), Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics Documents (RTCA DO’s), and Code of Federal Regulations – Title 14 (Aeronautics & Space).

• Prepare engineering and technical analyses, reports, and other technical documentation, host internal peer review, and facilitate configuration managed release in support of Airworthiness Certification IAW MIL-HDBK-516.

• Collaborate with Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, and System Test organization to ensure acceptable safety critical function verification.

• Reviews architecture, requirements, and interface artifacts for safety on complex hardware/ software systems.
  • Proactively support planned work for successful on time delivery of safety product(s) i.e., regularly communicate dependencies, progress / blockers with stakeholders.

• Model system function failure conditions with Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) IAW SAE ARP 4761.

• Lead information acquisition efforts from relevant responsible engineers (REs), subject matter experts (SMEs), field data, etc. to support safety analysis.

We offer flexible work arrangements, 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self-motivated, proactive, and goal-oriented people to help us grow our services and become even better at what we do.

• Educational assistance is available to employees who want to continue to learn and develop skills/knowledge. Our educational assistance program supports employee development by providing resources such as:
• Free Education Advice: Call 855-222-2398 to speak with an experienced advisor to tailor an educational program to your career goals and needs.
• Tuition Savings at Accredited Schools: Access a network of accredited schools in a variety of locations (and online) to take advantage of reduced tuition costs and waived fees.
• Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) provide benefits for the member, our leaders and the company. Our ERGs offer opportunities to be a friend, be active, be a volunteer, be a leader, to be recognized and to be yourself. Every ERG is inclusive of all employees!

Basic Qualifications:

• Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 9 years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering, OR a Master’s degree AND 7 years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering or a PhD and 4 years of related experience professional/military experience in Systems Engineering
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to assess a complex situation – define issue, identify critical pieces relating to issue – analyze, collaborate with individuals to acquire all pieces within issue – collect, assemble pieces within issue to model the overall picture – compliance
• Ability to grow / enhance a process or product by applying your own unique skillset and perspective
• Ability to effectively communicate with all levels of leadership and work independently
• Must be independently motivated to learn new methods / practices of analysis
• Demonstrated ability to individually contribute to a complex challenge with real world non-ideal conditions.
• System Safety and/or Specialty Engineering experience.
• Experience in military aviation.
• An active DoD Secret or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
• Familiarity with military Systems Safety and process standards and their Industry equivalent such as: MIL-STD-882, DO-178B/C, DO-248, DO-254, ARP-4754, ARP-4761, MIL-HDBK-516C, etc. 

The health and safety of our employees and their families is a top priority. The company encourages employees to remain up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. U.S. Northrop Grumman employees may be required, in the future, to be vaccinated or have an approved disability/medical or religious accommodation, pursuant to future court decisions and/or government action on the currently stayed federal contractor vaccine mandate under Executive Order 14042 https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/contractors/.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO/AA and Pay Transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions.