Back to jobs
New

System Safety & Risk Assurance Engineer (Contract)

Greater Seattle Area

About Gravitics 

At Gravitics, we're not exploring space—we're building it. We're creating the infrastructure for a thriving space economy, enabling humanity to flourish beyond Earth. Our vision is bold, but we're not just dreamers; we're doers. We design and manufacture large-scale orbital structures that enable commercial operations while meeting the requirements of defense and government missions.  

Our systems are built to scale and built to last—bridging commercial innovation with mission-critical performance. If you're ready to lay the foundations for a new era in space, embrace a culture of relentless learning and innovation, and contribute to a future where humanity's reach extends farther, Gravitics is the place for you. Let's build the future together.   

About the Role  (This is a contract role.)

In this role, you will be responsible for evaluating off-nominal conditions, influencing spacecraft architecture, and driving system-level trades across performance, mass, safety, and reliability. Crucially, you will ensure our modular structures and pressurized spacecraft meet the rigorous criteria required for human-rated flight profiles and government/commercial space program delivery. 

Core Responsibilities 

  • Hazard & Failure Analysis: Lead and support spacecraft system safety assessments, including Functional Hazard Assessments (FHA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), and Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA). 
  • Human-Rating & Pressurized Systems Safety: Own hazard analysis and safety compliance for high-pressure systems, structures/mechanisms, and Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) required for human habitation. 
  • Fault Management (FDIR): Develop and refine fault-protection concepts including fault detection, isolation, containment, recovery, safing, and mission-recovery strategies across flight software, avionics, and operational segments. 
  • Cross-Functional System Integration: Collaborate with Chief Engineers, Manufacturing, and Integration & Test teams to translate safety and mission assurance objectives into verifiable technical requirements. 
  • Verification & Testing: Define and execute verification plans for hazard controls and fault-protection requirements through hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, simulations, and fault injection. 
  • Root Cause & Anomaly Resolution: Lead or participate in Failure Review Boards (FRBs), analyzing testing anomalies, waivers, deviations, and operational constraints for safety and mission impacts. 

Required Qualifications 

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems Engineering, or a related technical STEM field. 
  • Experience: 5+ years of direct experience in systems engineering, system safety, reliability engineering, or mission assurance within space system development. 
  • Domain Expertise: Deep technical understanding of structural integrity, pressure vessels, leak paths, or human-rating safety frameworks (e.g., NASA-STD-8719.13 or military range requirements). 
  • Execution Mindset: Comfortable navigating technical ambiguity, balancing engineering rigor with rapid product manufacturing and testing cadences. 
  • U.S. Person Status: Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual to conform to U.S. space technology export regulations (ITAR/EAR). 

Preferred Qualifications 

  • Prior experience with life-support (ECLSS) systems, active thermal loops, or human-tended space station docking mechanisms.
  • Familiarity with requirements and engineering configuration tracking systems (e.g., Jama, Jira, Confluence, or NX/Simcenter environment pipelines).
  • Direct experience handling commercial launch licensing approvals (FAA-AST) or working alongside commercial space station operators (e.g., Axiom Space, U.S. Space Force). 

Travel Requirements 

This position requires approximately 10–20% travel to support business needs, including visits to company facilities, customer sites, industry events, and team meetings. Travel frequency may vary based on business priorities and project requirements. 

Compensation and Benefits 
This position will initially be engaged as a contract (1099) role, with the opportunity to transition to a regular full-time employee based on business needs and performance. Compensation will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will vary depending on relevant experience, qualifications, and demonstrated skills. 

Upon successful conversion to full-time employment, the selected candidate may become eligible for Gravitics' comprehensive employee benefits package, which includes company equity, medical benefits, a 401(k) retirement plan, and other employee programs, subject to applicable plan terms and company policies. 

ITAR Requirements 
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. 

Gravitics is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ethnicity, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected status.  

Salary Range

$65 - $90 USD

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...

U.S. Standard Demographic Questions

We invite applicants to share their demographic background. If you choose to complete this survey, your responses may be used to identify areas of improvement in our hiring process.
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Gravitics, Inc’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 07/31/2029

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.