Energetics Safety & Assurance Officer

Destinus; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Destinus is seeking an Energetics Safety & Assurance Officer to own safety, quality, and regulatory assurance across missile and unmanned systems, guiding design, testing, and certification with rigorous risk management.

You will lead hazard analyses (PHA/SSHA/OSHA), FMEA, and CAPA, ensure explosives safety compliance, support live-fire campaigns, and coordinate export controls with legal teams while interfacing with certifying authorities throughout qualification and acceptance activities.

Qualifications

• Hazard analyses including PHA, SSHA, and OSHA conducted or led.
• FMEA and fault tree analysis performed on weapon and aerospace subsystems.
• Experience with MIL-STD-882E or equivalent frameworks.
• Familiarity with insensitive munitions requirements and STANAG 4439-type frameworks.
• Ability to produce safety case documentation and risk mitigation plans.
• Knowledge of export controls for munitions and dual-use technologies.
• Proficient technical documentation skills and English language.
• Certified Safety Professional CSP or equivalent is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain SSPP aligned with MIL-STD-882E and standards.
• Lead hazard analyses and FMEA across weapon and aerospace subsystems.
• Own hazard tracking and drive mitigation through closure.
• Lead investigations into safety incidents and CAPA.
• Ensure compliance with explosives safety requirements for siting, storage, and transport.
• Support live-fire and flight test campaigns with range safety.
• Verify energetic materials and propulsion meet certification before testing.
• Coordinate export control and end-use documentation with legal teams.
• Interface with certifying authorities and customer quality teams.
• Maintain configuration control and end-to-end traceability for safety components.
• Advise IPTs during PDR, CDR, TRR with safety input.
• Advise engineering on safety-critical design margins and fail-safe architectures.
• Train production and testing personnel in safe handling of ordnance.
• Provide leadership with clear visibility of safety status and risk posture.

Skills

Hazard analysis

FMEA

Risk assessment

Safety regulatory compliance

English proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or another relevant technical discipline

8+ years of professional experience in defense systems safety or related field

Master’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline is a plus

Job description

About the Role

Imagine this. You are the person ensuring that some of the most safety-critical aerospace and defense systems can move from design to production, integration, testing, and ultimately operation with the right level of assurance behind them. As our Energetics Safety & Assurance Officer, you will take ownership of the safety, quality, and regulatory assurance framework across missile and unmanned aerial system platforms, working closely with engineering, manufacturing, testing, and compliance teams.

This is a highly technical role where your expertise will directly influence how munitions, propulsion systems, warheads, guidance electronics, and other safety-critical systems are designed, handled, tested, and certified. You will have the authority and responsibility to identify risks early, challenge designs where needed, and make sure safety remains embedded throughout the entire product lifecycle.

At Destinus, we are revolutionizing the defense industry with cutting‑edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Our innovative technologies are designed to meet the unique demands of modern defense operations, delivering unparalleled speed, precision, and cost effectiveness. Destinus partners with government agencies and defense organizations worldwide to provide advanced solutions for mission‑critical operations, enabling a new era of efficiency and technological superiority. Join us in shaping the future of defense with groundbreaking aerospace innovations.

What You’ll Do

• Develop, implement, and maintain the System Safety Program Plan SSPP in line with MIL-STD-882E and relevant regional or customer‑specific standards

• Conduct and lead hazard analyses including PHA, SSHA and O&SHA, as well as Failure Mode and Effects Analysis FMEA and fault tree analysis across weapon and aerospace subsystems

• Own and maintain the hazard tracking process, driving identified risks through assessment, mitigation, verification, and closure

• Lead investigations into safety incidents, near misses, test anomalies, and other safety‑critical events, defining and following through on corrective and preventive actions CAPA

• Oversee compliance with applicable explosives safety requirements covering siting, storage, handling, transportation, insensitive munitions, and quantity‑distance criteria

• Work directly with range safety officers and internal teams to support live‑fire and flight test campaigns

• Ensure energetic materials, warheads, propulsion systems, and other safety‑critical components meet the necessary certification requirements before integration and testing

• Coordinate export control and end‑use compliance documentation with legal and compliance teams in accordance with applicable arms export and dual‑use regulations

• Interface with certifying authorities, government representatives, and customer quality teams throughout qualification and acceptance activities

• Maintain configuration control, documentation, and end‑to‑end traceability for safety‑critical components and systems

• Act as the safety authority within Integrated Product Teams IPTs and provide safety input during key design and readiness reviews including PDR, CDR and TRR

• Advise engineering teams on safety‑critical design margins, fail‑safe and fail‑operational architectures, arming and fuzing logic, and risk mitigation strategies

• Train and support production, integration, and test personnel in the safe handling of live and inert ordnance

• Provide senior leadership and relevant government safety boards with clear visibility of safety status, outstanding hazards, mitigations, and overall risk posture

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or another relevant technical discipline

• At least 8 years of professional experience in defense systems safety, explosives safety engineering, system safety engineering, or a closely related field within a defense manufacturing environment

• Strong working knowledge of MIL-STD-882E or equivalent system safety frameworks

• Practical knowledge of insensitive munitions requirements such as STANAG 4439‑type frameworks and relevant range safety practices

• Hands‑on experience conducting hazard analyses, FMEA, fault tree analysis, and developing safety case documentation

• Experience working with safety‑critical hardware and complex multidisciplinary engineering systems

• Familiarity with export control regimes applicable to munitions, defense products, and dual‑use technologies

• Strong technical documentation skills with the ability to turn complex safety assessments into clear actions and decisions

• Professional working proficiency in English

• A Master’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline is a plus

• Certified Safety Professional CSP or an equivalent system safety qualification is a plus

• Direct experience with missile propulsion, energetic materials, warhead integration, arming and fuzing systems, or UAS flight test safety is highly valued

• Previous experience working with military airworthiness, range safety, ordnance certification, or other relevant government authorities is a strong advantage

Who You Are

You are rigorous without becoming bureaucratic. You understand that in safety‑critical aerospace and defense systems, details matter, but you also know how to keep complex programmes moving. You are comfortable challenging assumptions, asking difficult technical questions, and standing behind your assessments when safety is on the line. You work naturally across engineering, manufacturing, testing, quality, and compliance teams, bringing structure to complex problems and turning risk into clear, actionable decisions. You take ownership, communicate with confidence, and thrive in an environment where technology moves fast and the standards remain exceptionally high.