Senior Airworthiness & Certification Engineer

Kearfott Corporation; Pine Brook (NJ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) match

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Paid holidays

9/80 work week

Job summary

Kearfott Corporation in New Jersey seeks a Senior Airworthiness & Certification Engineer to lead airworthiness artifact development, certification planning, and lifecycle data management for airborne systems.

You will work across systems, software, hardware, and safety engineering to ensure compliance with DO-178C/DO-254 and related standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Electrical, Computer, Systems, or related discipline).
• 7+ years direct experience in certification.
• Experience supporting airworthiness or civil certification activities for airborne systems.
• Working knowledge of RTCA/DO-178C and RTCA/DO-254, including certification planning, lifecycle data, and accomplishment summaries.
• Experience producing or reviewing certification artifacts such as PSACs, PHACs, SAS, HAS, and compliance matrices.
• Familiarity with DAL concepts and safety‑critical system development.
• Ability to work across systems, software, hardware, and safety engineering teams.
• Must be a US Citizen and have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Security Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with certification authorities and internal stakeholders to identify required airworthiness artifacts derived from the platform’s Airworthiness Certification Basis.
• Develop and maintain airworthiness compliance matrices for each platform and integration spiral.
• Produce the ACCR, documenting verification results for applicable airworthiness certification criteria.
• Support safety‑critical criteria verification within the MBSE modeling plan as part of the Systems Engineering Management Plan.
• Utilize digital engineering tools and collaborative environments to generate certification artifacts in accordance with DI-SESS-81768 guidance.
• Plan software development and verification activities based on assigned DALs to meet RTCA/DO-178C objectives.
• Develop and submit a PSAC for each software item, including Newly Developed Software (NDS) and Previously Developed Software (PDS).
• Produce SAS in accordance with RTCA/DO-178C.
• Ensure lifecycle data supports compliance with DO-178C Annex A objectives.
• Support Software Configuration Management (SCM) and Software Quality Assurance (SQA) activities via audits.

Skills

Certification experience

RTCA/DO-178C

RTCA/DO-254

US Citizenship

Security clearance

MBSE

Certification artifacts

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Electrical, Computer, Systems, or related)

Tools

DOORS

MBSE tools

Job description

Founded in 1918, Kearfott Corporation, a global Aerospace and Defense supplier for over 100 years, is a leader in the design and manufacture of precision motion control products and inertial navigation components. Kearfott has a very long history of innovation and excellence and is the go‑to brand for many of our global clients. Kearfott is trusted, respected, and plays a vital role in the success of America’s aerospace and defense industries. With over a century of expertise & experience, Kearfott is dedicated to providing quality, reliability, and cutting‑edge technology to customers worldwide to meet their sea, land, air, and space navigation and guidance requirements.

Senior Airworthiness & Certification Engineer

The Engineer supports the development, verification, and approval of safety‑critical airborne systems by producing and managing airworthiness certification artifacts. This role works closely with systems, software, hardware, and safety teams to ensure compliance with applicable airworthiness certification bases and industry standards, including RTCA/DO-178C and RTCA/DO-254. The engineer contributes to certification planning, lifecycle data audits, and accomplishment summaries for multiple platform integration spirals using model‑based systems engineering (MBSE) and digital engineering environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate with certification authorities and internal stakeholders to identify required airworthiness artifacts derived from the platform’s Airworthiness Certification Basis.
• Develop and maintain airworthiness compliance matrices for each platform and integration spiral.
• Produce the ACCR, documenting verification results for applicable airworthiness certification criteria.
• Support safety‑critical criteria verification within the MBSE modeling plan as part of the Systems Engineering Management Plan.
• Utilize digital engineering tools and collaborative environments to generate certification artifacts in accordance with DI-SESS-81768 guidance.

RTCA/DO-178C Software Certification Support

• Plan software development and verification activities based on assigned Design Assurance Levels (DALs) to meet the intent, rigor, and objectives of RTCA/DO-178C.
• Develop and submit a Plan for Software Aspects of Certification (PSAC) for each software item, including newly developed software and Previously Developed Software (PDS).
• Produce Software Accomplishment Summaries (SAS) in accordance with RTCA/DO-178C.
• Ensure lifecycle data supports compliance with DO-178C Annex A objectives, including requirements, design, source code, and verification evidence.
• Support Software Configuration Management (SCM) and Software Quality Assurance (SQA) activities, including audits and inspections.
• Perform selective audits of software lifecycle data to assess compliance with DO-178C and contract requirements.

RTCA/DO-254 Hardware Certification Support

• Plan hardware development and verification activities based on assigned DALs to meet RTCA/DO-254 objectives and lifecycle expectations.
• Develop and submit a PHAC for each hardware item, including Development Hardware and Previously Developed Hardware.
• Produce Hardware Accomplishment Summaries (HAS) in accordance with RTCA/DO-254.
• Ensure hardware lifecycle data supports compliance with DO-254 Annex A objectives, including requirements, design, and test artifacts.
• Support Hardware Configuration Management, Supplier Surveillance Quality Assurance (SSQA), and certification audits.
• Conduct selective audits of hardware lifecycle data against DO-254 objectives and contractual requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Electrical, Computer, Systems, or related discipline).
• 7+ years direct experience in certification.
• Experience supporting airworthiness or civil certification activities for airborne systems.
• Working knowledge of RTCA/DO-178C and RTCA/DO-254, including certification planning, lifecycle data, and accomplishment summaries.
• Experience producing or reviewing certification artifacts such as PSACs, PHACs, SAS, HAS, and compliance matrices.
• Familiarity with DAL concepts and safety‑critical system development.
• Ability to work across systems, software, hardware, and safety engineering teams.
• Must be a US Citizen and have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Security Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with MBSE, digital engineering environments, and model‑based verification.
• Experience with DOORS.
• Familiarity with ARP4754A and ARP4761 processes.
• Prior interaction with certification authorities or delegated engineering organizations.
• Experience supporting multi‑platform or spiral development programs.

In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role in New Jersey is $120,000 - $170,000 annually. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to job‑related knowledge and skills, experience, and internal consistency.

Additionally, we offer a medical, prescription, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, a 401(k) plan with company match, tuition assistance, paid vacation and sick days, paid holidays, and a 9/80 work week with every other Friday off. Our work environment embraces our people as we enjoy monthly employee events that celebrate our workplace culture.

Equal Opportunity Employer/including Disabled/Veterans