Certification Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Company

hirify.global develops sustainable space transportation technologies, including in-space propulsion, satellite servicing, and a remotely piloted reusable spaceplane.

What you will do

• Manage certification projects and liaise with civil aviation authorities, aerodrome operators, air traffic service providers, and other external stakeholders.
• Develop operational risk assessments and the safety case for frequent unmanned, rocket-powered flights to space using JARUS SORA practices.
• Define and manage operational constraints, safety mitigations, requirements, and verification activities across Flight Operations and Systems Engineering.
• Develop flight-test and operations risk-management practices for technical uncertainty, new payloads, and new mission profiles.
• Provide leadership and mentorship on procedure validation, crew training, human factors, human-machine interfaces, and detect-and-avoid systems.
• Monitor flight operations independently, identify unsafe conditions, manage crew duty and rest periods, and lead emergency-response activities at aircraft incident sites.

Requirements

• Experienced certification engineer, flight test engineer, flight safety specialist, or launch safety official.
• Experience with UAS operations or rocket launch operations and leadership across engineering and operations disciplines.
• Strong experience in at least two or three areas including safety-critical certification project management, medium- or high-risk UAS safety cases, civil aviation rules and airspace procedures, launch safety and licensing, or quality and safety management systems.
• Ability to interpret high-level safety objectives, define practical mitigations, and present concise safety cases for complex operations.
• Ability to balance technical, aviation safety, commercial, and schedule risks while working with regulators and external agencies.

Culture & Benefits

• Work on a first-of-its-kind aerospace vehicle at the intersection of aviation and spaceflight.
• Take ownership of critical vehicle functions and directly influence safety, reliability, and operational readiness.
• Collaborate with international teams distributed across the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA.
• Inclusive environment supporting people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences.