Flight Systems Engineer

Actalent supports complex Systems Integration and Engineering Support Services, focusing on safety engineering for strategic weapon systems across programs such as D5LE2, OHIO, COLUMBIA, and SLCM-N.

About the role

In this role, you work both independently and collaboratively to provide sound, strategic safety advice, shape nuclear surety architectures, and guide system-level safety decisions for current and future platforms and weapon systems. The environment emphasizes rigorous systems engineering practices, structured safety analysis, and adherence to nuclear surety standards.

Responsibilities

• Plan and direct the technical execution of weapon system safety functions, applying a deep understanding of system-level safety engineering philosophies and schedules.
• Synthesize technical and programmatic information to develop alternative safety strategies for current and future platforms and weapon systems.
• Lead and collaborate with a team of engineers to formulate, implement, and refine safety strategies across multiple strategic weapon system programs.
• Support the development of Nuclear Surety Architectures to ensure compliance with the four Department of Defense Nuclear Weapon Surety Standards.
• Interpret current and future changes to Nuclear Surety Standards and advise on practical approaches to maintain compliance.
• Prepare for and present technical content at design reviews and customer meetings, clearly communicating safety requirements and recommendations.
• Perform safety requirements analysis at the system level, and develop a strong understanding of associated design safety requirements.
• Conduct safety assessments and document findings to support program decision-making and risk management.
• Identify safety and programmatic risks, perform structured risk assessments, and develop effective risk mitigation strategies.
• Exercise sound judgment in determining when to elevate risks to leadership and stakeholders for timely resolution.
• Establish and maintain strong, positive relationships with customers, effectively representing safety engineering perspectives and program status.
• Use analysis, critical thinking, and technical problem-solving skills to resolve complex safety and systems engineering challenges.
• Prepare and lead design reviews or technical meetings, ensuring safety considerations are clearly addressed and integrated into system designs.
• Collaborate with weapon system safety and technical branches to align safety engineering activities with broader program objectives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 6–8 years of related professional work experience, or a Master’s Degree and a minimum of 4–6 years of related professional work experience, or 15 years of applicable strategic weapon system experience.
• Active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain a Top Secret clearance.
• Experience working on missile systems, particularly strategic deterrence and/or missile defense systems and missions.
• Proven systems engineering experience in complex weapon or flight systems environments.
• Demonstrated experience in nuclear safety methodologies and their application to weapon systems.
• Strong understanding of Nuclear Surety Standards and their practical implementation in system designs.
• Advanced skills in analysis, critical thinking, and technical problem solving in safety-critical systems.
• Experience preparing for and leading design reviews or customer meetings, including development of technical presentations and documentation.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain strong, positive customer relationships.
• Ability to interact with and effectively present information to employees, engineering teams, and management.
• Proficiency with MS Office and MS Project for documentation, analysis, and project planning.
• Proficiency with JIRA and Confluence for requirements tracking, issue management, and collaborative documentation.
• Experience with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tools such as Windchill or equivalent systems.

Skills

• Experience within the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) Office and familiarity with the Trident II D5 Strategic Weapon System.
• Knowledge of nuclear safety engineering principles applied throughout all phases of a complex system’s life cycle, including design, integration, testing, deployment, and sustainment.
• Experience working with Department of Defense nuclear weapon systems and their associated safety and surety requirements.
• U.S. Navy Fleet Ballistic Missile experience or experience with nuclear reactor programs.
• Ability to engage effectively with weapon system safety and technical branches and tenured leadership to influence safety strategy and decisions.
• Experience with hazard analysis applications, including tools used for systematic identification and evaluation of safety hazards.
• Experience with fault tree analysis applications for quantitative and qualitative safety and reliability assessment.
• Familiarity with Model-Based Engineering approaches and tools such as MagicDraw and Teamwork Cloud.
• Working knowledge of SysML for modeling complex systems and capturing safety-related requirements and behaviors.

Work Environment

This role operates in a professional engineering environment focused on strategic weapon and flight systems safety. You collaborate closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams, safety specialists, and program stakeholders, using modern digital tools such as MS Office, MS Project, JIRA, Confluence, and PLM platforms like Windchill to manage requirements, documentation, and project activities. Work typically follows standard business hours with some flexibility to support critical reviews, customer meetings, and program milestones. The environment values technical excellence, clear communication, and proactive risk management, with opportunities to contribute to high-impact national security programs.

Schedule

This is a hybrid position based in Rockville, MD. Work typically follows standard business hours with some flexibility to support critical reviews, customer meetings, and program milestones.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $77.00 - $87.50/hr. Individual compensation offered within this range will depend on qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Benefits

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on job classification and length of employment. If eligible, benefits may include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)