Principal Safety & Reliability Engineer

TL;DR

Principal Safety & Reliability Engineer (Aerospace): Develop and support safety design to meet project and statutory requirements with an accent on analysis, risk management, and certification compliance. Focus on performing FMEA/FTA, influencing system design, and validating requirements against standards like ARP4761, DO-178, and DO-254.

Location: Cambridge or Cheltenham, UK (hybrid home/office working; must be able to work in the UK without restrictions and undergo UK security vetting)

Company

Leading developer of mission and safety critical equipment in the defence and aerospace industry.

What you will do

• Act as technical arbiter in Safety Design Group, writing plans and performing analysis independently.
• Influence system design, decompose safety/reliability requirements, and provide real-time guidance to development teams.
• Allocate design rigour, make informed decisions impacting project course, and serve as project safety/reliability focal.
• Work directly with customers, present at design reviews, support bids, and conduct impact analysis on design decisions.
• Validate customer requirements against standards and escalate discrepancies.

Requirements

• Extensive experience in safety and reliability in aerospace
• Technically competent to assess and manage technical risk, communicate succinctly with customers and teams.
• Conversant with FMEA, FTA, ARP4761/4754, DO160/178/254, MIL-HDBK-217, and aerospace manufacturing techniques.
• Able to oversee and approve other engineers’ work and participate in product investigations.
• UK work authorization without restrictions and eligible for UK security vetting

Nice to have

• Familiarity with aerospace materials/components, PCB design, EMC techniques, and system design practices.

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible working within core hours, hybrid home/office options, part/full time possible.
• 25 days holiday + buy/sell option, bank holidays, 4x salary life assurance.
• Pension up to 7.5% employer contribution, flexible benefits, sports/social clubs.
• Supportive environment with team events, focus on innovation, empowerment, and diversity.