Principal Engineer Systems Safety

Principal Systems Safety Engineer

Mid-Level | $90,000 - $112,000 | Colorado Springs, CO | Onsite | Travel Up to 10% | Active Secret Clearance Required

Support the development of next-generation defense and radar systems by ensuring mission-critical hardware and software are designed, tested, and operated safely throughout the system lifecycle. Join a multidisciplinary engineering team responsible for applying system safety engineering principles to identify hazards, mitigate operational risk, and ensure compliance with military safety standards supporting advanced defense programs.

A Day in the Life - What you'll do

• Perform comprehensive system safety analyses throughout the system development lifecycle, ensuring hardware, software, and operational concepts comply with military system safety standards.
• Evaluate system designs, engineering documentation, operational procedures, and support equipment to identify hazards and develop effective risk mitigation strategies.
• Apply MIL-STD-882E system safety processes to analyze hazards, assign risk levels, and drive safety requirements into system architecture, software, hardware, and operational procedures.
• Develop and maintain System Safety Program Plans (SSPPs), System Safety Assessment Reports (SARs), Software Safety Analyses, hazard analyses, and other required safety documentation supporting customer and range certification requirements.
• Maintain and manage Hazard Tracking System (HTS) records, ensuring hazards are documented, mitigated, verified, and closed through a disciplined lifecycle process.
• Participate in system design reviews, technical interchange meetings, and engineering peer reviews to ensure safety is incorporated early in the design process.
• Collaborate daily with systems engineers, software developers, hardware engineers, integration teams, and program leadership to resolve safety concerns and implement corrective actions.
• Perform operational safety audits and assessments to evaluate program compliance and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Support accident and incident investigations by identifying root causes, documenting findings, and recommending corrective and preventive actions.
• Verify compliance with applicable military, customer, and regulatory safety standards while balancing technical performance, mission requirements, schedule, and program cost.
• Support requirements development, system verification, validation, and test activities by ensuring safety requirements are fully traceable throughout the engineering lifecycle.
• Support occasional travel (up to 10%) for customer meetings, engineering reviews, and program activities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Safety Engineering or a related STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) discipline from an accredited university and 5 years of related experience; OR
• Master's degree and 3 years of related experience; OR
• PhD and 1 year of related experience.
• Four additional years of relevant experience may be substituted in lieu of a degree.
• Active in-scope DoD Secret security clearance required at time of application.
• Experience applying MIL-STD-882E system safety processes to identify, assess, mitigate, and eliminate system hazards.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-1472H , applicable AFMAN guidance, and military safety compliance requirements.
• Experience developing and maintaining Hazard Tracking System (HTS) documentation.
• Experience developing system safety artifacts including:
  • System Safety Program Plans (SSPP)
  • System Safety Assessment Reports (SAR)
  • Software Safety Analyses
  • Hazard Analyses
• Understanding of systems engineering lifecycle processes, including requirements development, system architecture, software development, integration, testing, verification, and validation.
• Experience developing, reviewing, and approving system safety requirements and engineering documentation.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively across Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), program leadership, customers, and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project).
• Ability to travel up to 10%.
• Ability to work onsite full-time in Colorado Springs under a 9/80 work schedule.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) using Cameo Enterprise Architecture.
• Familiarity with radar systems, radar operations, or sensor-based defense systems.
• Experience working within Agile development environments using Scrum or Kanban methodologies.
• Experience using Atlassian collaboration tools including Jira and Confluence.
• Experience supporting SharePoint-based engineering documentation.
• Experience working in fast-paced, multidisciplinary defense engineering environments.
• Experience with systems engineering tools such as IBM DOORS.
• Experience using system modeling tools including CORE, Rhapsody, PTC Integrity Modeler, or Cameo.
• Working knowledge of military and industry safety standards including:
  • MIL-STD-882
  • MIL-STD-1472
  • ASTM
  • ANSI
  • OSHA
  • PESHE
  • NFPA
  • FCC

Who is Caribou Thunder?

Caribou Thunder is a HUBZone-certified small business providing advanced technical and engineering services to the U.S. Department of War and its mission partners.

35+ states and 20+ countries.

We've delivered trusted solutions for over two decades—strengthening national readiness across missions on land, undersea, in the air, and throughout LEO, MEO, GEO, and deep space.

Why Caribou Thunder?

TEAM THUNDER — Mission Focused. Delivery Proven. Ready to Serve.

• Employee Advocacy
• Mission Proven
• Global Reach
• Skilled Teams
• Modern Tools
• Empowering Culture

Our engineers and innovators ensure capability from sea floor to space frontier—delivering on time, maintaining compliance, and performing with precision in high-consequence environments.

We specialize in Engineering Services, Cybersecurity, Software Development, Modeling & Simulation, Digital Engineering, System Safety, and Artificial Intelligence —disciplines powering the nation's most complex technical missions.

Employee Advocacy + Benefits

Our people are the heart of Caribou Thunder. We invest in their growth, flexibility, and well-being—knowing their success drives ours.

Benefits include:

• Premium Health, Dental & Vision Insurance
• 401(k) with 6% Company Match
• Flexible PTO & Work Schedule
• Education & Certification Reimbursement
• Support for Military Leave
• Work–Life Balance & Traditional Family Values

Your future, your flexibility, your well-being—we invest in you.