Senior Airworthiness & Certification Engineer

Founded in 1918, Kearfott Corporation is a global Aerospace and Defense supplier with over a century of expertise in precision motion control products and inertial navigation components. A leader in innovation and excellence, Kearfott is trusted by global clients for sea, land, air, and space navigation and guidance requirements. Join a world-class workforce and become part of a company recognized for technical expertise and respected worldwide as a full-service provider.

About the role

The Senior Airworthiness & Certification 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.

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 Airworthiness Certification Compliance Report (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 Plan for Hardware Aspects of Certification (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.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Electrical, Computer, Systems, or related discipline).
• 7+ years of 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.

Pay

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.

Benefits

• Medical, prescription, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• Tuition assistance.
• Paid vacation and sick days.
• Paid holidays.
• 9/80 work week with every other Friday off.
• Monthly employee events celebrating workplace culture.