System Safety Engineer, SLD 30

About the role

Do not email applications.

To submit your resume for this Direct Hire opportunity click here. For additional information on other USSF direct hire opportunities visit the Air Force Civilian Careers Space Force website and follow USSF on LinkedIn.

What you will do

• The United States Space Force (USSF) at Vandenberg SFB, CA is searching for a System Safety Engineer for SLD 30 (NH-0803-03, GS 12/13 equivalent).
• Description: Lead the charge in safeguarding mission-critical space launch systems.
• We are seeking a dynamic System Safety Engineer to drive safety-critical requirements across Government and Commercial space lift missions, applying rigorous SSCMAN 91-710 and MIL-STD-882E standards.
• In this high-impact role, you will lead comprehensive hazard analyses, author safety-derived requirements for hardware and software, actively manage mission risk profiles, and deliver key technical briefings directly to Space Force Leadership and joint industry working groups.
• If you thrive on solving complex engineering challenges, championing mission safety from design through launch, and collaborating with top-tier defense and aerospace partners, join our team and secure the future of space operations.
• Ideal Candidate: Implementation of SSCMAN 91-710 Range Safety Requirements and MIL-STD-882E System Safety principles.
• Planning, defining, and verifying system safety requirements and system safety hazard analysis artifacts to ensure design integrity and safety.
• Verifying the necessary hazard analyses to identify potentially hazardous conditions and recommend actions that would contribute to minimizing or precluding hazards.
• Providing validation/verification of requirements and providing feedback to the programs and customers.
• Analyze technical data with interpretation for application to safety assessments.
• Identify safety tasks needed during requirements, design, implementation, and verification phases of safety critical item development for both hardware and software.
• Author, review and monitor Safety Derived Requirements.
• Participate in the risk & change management processes for Government and Commercial space lift missions.
• Document risks and risk mitigation plans and track risk changes over time.
• Communicate regularly/comprehensively to Space Force Leadership.
• Travel, as needed, to support mission requirements.
• Representing clients with military/industry at system safety working groups and launch vehicle and space craft system working groups.
• Reviewing client and supplier submitted documents related to system safety engineering SSCMAN 91-710.
• Providing guidance to engineering teams and suppliers related to system safety engineering.
• Working semi-autonomously, with the support of the functional SME, to review and develop Safety artifacts.
• Support/lead large, complex safety engineering efforts which contribute to overarching customer systems engineering efforts.
• REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS System safety engineering experience in the aerospace or defense industry.
• Experience with SSCMAN 91-710 Range Safety Requirements and MIL-STD-882E System Safety programs & risk assessment processes.
• Experience executing safety analysis techniques such as Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), Functional Hazard Analysis (FHA), System Hazard Analysis (SHA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Subsystem Hazard Analysis (SSHA), and Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), Operating & Support Hazard Analysis and operational procedure evaluation.
• Experience generating safety documents such as System Safety Program Plans (SSPP) and Safety Assessment Reports (SAR).
• Strong communication skills and ability to communicate effectively with varied audiences to gain support or resolve concerns.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to work on their own initiative and prioritize tasking to fit within the business goals and to quickly adapt to changing priorities.
• PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Experience with both commercial and military space lift programs.
• Familiarity with the Joint Services System Safety Engineering Handbook and the Joint Services - Software Safety Authorities, Software System Safety Implementation guide.
• Experience with and technical competency with one of the following: solid and liquid propellants, pressure vessels, COPVs, lightning protection, ordnance, inhibit strategies and launch processing.

How you will be evaluated

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies as related to the series and grade of the position being filled.

Final qualifications determinations will be assessed based on OPM's General Schedule Qualifications Standards found here: Interviews: You will be contacted by e-mail and/or telephone if your application is identified as qualifying for a position being filled. An interview may be conducted.

If interviewed, you will be asked to address the same knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies used to initially qualify your application for the position.

Documents you must provide

• You must submit a resume that may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts.
• You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume exceeds two pages or is illegible/unreadable.
• Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume.
• If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy.
• Your resume must provide: Personal information - your full name, email and mailing addresses, phone number Education information - the name of the school and the dates you attended Work experience - paid and unpaid work with the following information: Job title Detailed duties and accomplishments Employer's name and address Supervisor's name and phone number Starting and ending dates (If actual dates are not known, provide your best-estimated timeframes.) Hours per week Salary, if applicable Other qualifications - skills, certifications/licenses, honors, awards, special accomplishments, and job-related training courses College Transcripts (if applicable): Please see the Education section of this announcement for detailed information about transcripts.

What to expect next

For additional information on other USSF direct hire opportunities visit the Air Force Civilian Careers Space Force website and follow USSF on LinkedIn.

Additional information

Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. Click here for more information.

Disabled veteran leave is available to a Federal employee hired on/after 5 Nov 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more. For more information, click here.