Space job
System Analysis Engineer
- US citizenship
- Secret clearance
About the job
Overview
Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. For more information about Draper, visit www.draper.com .
Job Description Summary
The High Availability Architecture Group within the Systems Engineering directorate is seeking a System Safety Engineer to guide and facilitate concept development, mission-system analysis, and requirement derivation, verification, & certification; of complex strategic deterrence, missile defense, hypersonic, space, precision guided munition, autonomous air/sea vehicle, and biotechnology systems.
This handpicked candidate must possess a unified System Safety, Personnel Safety, Range Safety, Environmental Safety, and Nuclear Weapon Safety Surety (NWSS) expertise that can expand Draper’s insight to address hazards which remain prevalent throughout critical enterprises, infrastructure, systems, and operations. A successful candidate will be equipped to propose modern solutions embedded with safety awareness, that adhere to FOD, OSHA, MIL-STD-882, NAS 411, Navy, NASA, FAA, and other DoD standards, to proactively mitigate unacceptable loss and unrecoverable downtime throughout their lifecycle.
The multidisciplinary proficiencies supporting this initiative are System Safety Concepts & Design Principles, Mission Assurance & Reliability, Resilient System Architecture, Fault & Contingency Management.
Specific responsibilities include
- Conducting System Safety Analyses that inform one another across the Systems Engineering lifecycle including STPA, FHAs, FMECAs/HAZOPs, FTAs, Component Criticality Analyses (CCAs), and Human Error Assessments
- On-time delivery and maturation of System Safety work packages such as: Hazard Analysis Traceability | Safety Requirements | Safety Architecture | Off-Nominal & Contingency scenarios | Anomaly Management policies
- Socializing and demystifying System Safety, NWSS, Range Safety, Environmental Safety, and Personnel Safety best practices and techniques to internal cross-disciplinary stakeholders such as: System Architecture | Avionics | Software | Hardware design teams
- Advocating for System Safety best practices, to internal and external stakeholders & customers to maintain a healthy safety culture
- Assessing technical data packages for compliance with System Safety processes and strategies
- Quick turn application of critical thinking for problem framing, analyzing, and synthesizing complex problems qualitatively and quantitatively
- Documenting insights, findings, lessons learned, and maintaining a knowledge base of contributions within Draper’s collaborative Digital Engineering tool suite
Job Description
Duties/Responsibilities
Develop, execute and track the performance of security & safety measures to protect mission critical embedded systems across diverse business areas.
Define and Mature System Safety artifacts to inform system requirements and disambiguate criticality
Identify, define and document system security requirements and recommend solutions to management.
Monitor systems for irregular behavior and set up preventive and responsive measures.
Plan, develop, implement and update System Safety campaign
Educate and train staff on System Safety design principles and best practices.
Take ownership of assignments and guide others as needed; successfully lead tasks while tracking priorities, scope, cost and schedule.
Derive plans and approaches to solving complex problems across a program lifecycle, capturing all assumptions and adapting appropriately to changes in requirements with limited direction.
Independently contribute high quality content for technical reports and presentations which shows an understanding of their task and an awareness of the intended audience. Demonstrates both confidence and success when presenting technical information during meetings with internal and external stakeholders.
Identify program/system-level technical risks and develop and execute mitigation strategies for them.
Actively mentor less experienced engineers and provide thoughtful, constructive feedback
Skills/Abilities
FMECA | Fault Tree | Attack Surface Modeling | Threat Modeling | Vulnerability Remediation | Criticality Analysis for embedded systems
Curiosity-driven approach to solving complex, industry and customer-driven problems as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
Collaborate and communicate effectively and openly with multi-disciplinary program team members. program leadership, and non-technical personnel
Team player able to work in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to balance multiple competing tasks and demands.
Education
Requires a bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, or related field. Master's degree preferred.
Experience
Bachelor's degree requires 5-10 years' experience of working on System Safety Engineer or other relevant position.
Master's degree requires 3-5 years' experience of working on System Safety Engineer or other relevant position.
Additional Job Description
Preferred Qualifications
Experienced Systems Engineer
Proficiency applying System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) to industry challenge problems
Proficiency with Model-based System Engineering toolkits, such as Cameo/MagicDraw, DOORs/DoorsNG, Jama Connect for the purposes of hazard & causal modeling and rapid impact & gap analysis for validation
An astute understanding of Software Safety and the application of the DoD Joint Software Systems Safety Engineering Handbook (JSSSEH) for flight software qualification and certification
Experience documenting compliance towards parent specifications and standards (i.e.: MIL-STD-882, JSSSEH, FOD Policy, NWSS Safety Critical Functions, Range Safety, FAA, SP-2014-612 V1.0 NASA System Safety Handbook, and ISO 14620-1:2018 Space Systems Safety Requirements)
Proficiency in requirement derivation, definition, and analysis for System Safety, Range Safety, Personnel Safety, Environmental Safety, and Nuclear Weapons Safety Surety needs
Experience integrating vulnerability remediation, risk mitigation, and incident response, failure review, and corrective action within the Systems Engineering process.
Experience drafting innovative R&D proposals to commercial and government sponsors
Applicants selected for this position will be required to obtain and maintain a government security Government security clearance which requires proof of US citizenship.
Current in-scope Secret security clearance is required, Top Secret preferred.
Connect With Draper for Future Opportunities! If you don't find the right posting in our Career Opportunities, you may submit your resume for future consideration.
Job Location - City
Cambridge
Job Location - State
Massachusetts
Job Location - Postal Code
02139-3563
The US base salary range for this full-time position is
$75,000.00 - $156,000.00
Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Union ranges will be in compliance with the collective bargaining agreement's approved rates by location and role. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and does not include bonuses or benefits.
Our work is very important to us, but so is our life outside of work. Draper supports many programs to improve work-life balance including workplace flexibility, employee clubs ranging from photography to yoga, health and finance workshops, off site social events and discounts to local museums and cultural activities. If this specific job opportunity and the chance to work at a nationally renowned R&D innovation company appeals to you, apply now www.draper.com/careers .
Draper is committed to creating an inclusive environment. We understand the value of inclusivity and its impact on a high-performance culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. Draper is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, please contact hr@draper.com .
From Draper's job posting, checked 10 Nov 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.
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About Draper
Draper's space work: guidance, navigation and control and space systems engineering for NASA and the military.
Pay on its listings: stated per posting
How it pays: Paid as an employee on Draper's own payroll, as each posting states.
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