Safety Assurance Engineer Lead

Job Title: Safety Assurance Engineer Lead

Job Description

The Safety Assurance Engineer Lead plays a critical role in the development of safety‑critical transportation systems and products. Working as a key member of the engineering organization, this role ensures that complex hardware, software, and system‑level designs meet stringent safety requirements throughout the entire product lifecycle, from concept through deployment and operational support. This position operates within the engineering design process, partnering closely with Systems, Hardware, Software, Test, and Project Engineering teams to identify hazards, assess risk, develop mitigations, and ensure safe product implementation. It is not an Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) role, but a technically focused engineering position requiring deep experience in safety analysis for safety‑critical systems and the ability to evaluate designs at both the system and electronic hardware/component levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead safety assurance efforts for new product development initiatives and customer programs across the full lifecycle, from concept through deployment and operational support.
• Develop, own, and maintain Safety Plans, Safety Cases, and Safety Reports to document the safety approach, evidence, and conclusions for assigned products and systems.
• Perform and thoroughly document safety analyses including Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), System Hazard Analysis (SHA), Subsystem Hazard Analysis (SSHA), Interface Hazard Analysis (IHA), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA).
• Identify hazards across hardware, software, and system domains, define clear safety requirements, and drive mitigations through verification and closure.
• Own and maintain Hazard Logs, ensuring complete traceability from initial hazard identification through requirement definition, verification activities, and formal closure with objective evidence.
• Participate actively in design reviews and peer reviews to identify potential safety concerns early in the development process and recommend design improvements.
• Collaborate closely with hardware, software, systems, test, and integration teams to ensure that designs satisfy safety objectives and comply with applicable safety standards.
• Evaluate engineering changes and assess the impact of hardware, component, software, and system modifications on overall system safety, including failure propagation and risk levels.
• Support verification, validation, testing, and commissioning activities from a safety perspective, ensuring that safety requirements are adequately tested and demonstrated.
• Interface directly with customers, independent safety assessors, and regulatory stakeholders to communicate safety approaches, respond to questions, and support audits or assessments.
• Present and defend Safety Cases to internal and external stakeholders and support resolution of findings and recommendations from independent safety assessments or certification activities.
• Investigate safety issues arising from fielded systems, support root cause analysis, and define corrective and preventive actions to restore and improve safe operation.
• Provide guidance, coaching, and mentoring to other safety engineers when assigned, and contribute to building safety assurance capability within the engineering organization.
• Review hardware and electronic circuit designs to understand safety implications and confirm that design decisions support safe operation.
• Analyze component‑level failure modes and their impacts on system behavior, including the effects of component substitutions or design changes on safety margins.
• Assess failure propagation through complex systems to determine potential hazards, likelihoods, and severities, and to prioritize mitigations.
• Translate identified hazards into actionable, testable engineering safety requirements that can be implemented by hardware, software, and systems teams.
• Work effectively across hardware, software, systems, and integration disciplines to ensure a holistic, system‑level approach to safety assurance.

Essential Skills

• At least 5 years of experience performing safety assurance activities in safety‑critical environments.
• 8-10+ years of overall engineering and/or safety assurance experience.
• Proven experience developing and executing safety analyses such as FMEA, FMECA, SHA, SSHA, PHA, IHA, and FTA.
• Strong understanding of functional safety principles and hazard management processes.
• Demonstrated experience maintaining Hazard Logs and showing hazard closure through objective evidence.
• Working knowledge of safety standards such as AREMA, CENELEC standards (e.g., EN series), and MIL‑STD‑882 or equivalent safety standards.
• Ability to read and understand engineering designs, technical drawings, and specifications.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present and defend Safety Cases to technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Ability to work independently and serve as the primary safety representative embedded within engineering teams.
• Hands‑on hardware or electronics engineering background with experience reviewing circuit designs.
• Experience conducting component‑level and circuit‑level failure analysis for complex systems.
• Experience supporting independent safety assessments or certification activities in safety‑critical industries.
• Leadership experience leading projects, mentoring engineers, or coordinating technical teams.
• Exposure to fail‑safe system design principles and their application in safety‑critical products.
• Experience supporting products throughout the full development lifecycle, from requirements definition through deployment and operational support.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Industry experience in railroad, transportation, aerospace, avionics, defense, or other safety‑critical domains.
• background in railroad signaling and train control systems, including safety assurance for signaling equipment and control systems.
• Experience in aerospace and avionics safety, including safety cases for flight‑critical or mission‑critical systems.
• Experience with defense systems and other high‑integrity, mission‑critical applications.
• Exposure to autonomous systems and their unique safety challenges, including perception, decision‑making, and control aspects.
• Experience with industrial controls, including programmable logic controllers and safety‑related control systems.
• background in functional safety engineering, including application of safety standards and lifecycle processes.
• Experience with safety‑critical embedded systems and the interaction between hardware and software in safety functions.
• Highly preferred experience in railroad signaling safety assurance.
• Highly preferred aerospace or avionics safety background.
• Highly preferred circuit‑level or hardware‑level analysis experience for safety‑critical designs.
• Strong knowledge of CENELEC standards, AREMA guidelines, and MIL‑STD‑882 or comparable safety frameworks.

Work Environment

This role sits within a multidisciplinary engineering environment focused on safety‑critical transportation systems. You will work closely with Systems, Hardware, Software, Test, Integration, and Project Engineering teams, as well as with customers, independent safety assessors, and regulatory stakeholders. The work involves detailed analysis of hardware and electronic circuit designs, review of system architectures, and collaboration across disciplines to ensure safe implementation. The environment emphasizes rigorous documentation, structured safety analyses, and adherence to industry safety standards such as AREMA, CENELEC, and MIL‑STD‑882. Work is primarily conducted in an office or lab setting with access to engineering tools, design documentation, and test facilities, and may involve participation in design reviews, test campaigns, and commissioning activities. The culture values technical excellence, thoroughness in safety assurance, cross‑functional collaboration, and proactive identification and mitigation of risks throughout the product lifecycle. Attire is typically professional or standard engineering office dress suitable for meetings, design reviews, and occasional visits to lab or operational environments.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Melbourne, FL.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $48.00 - $64.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 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)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Melbourne,FL.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 31, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.