Safety and Mission Assurance Engineer

Safety and Mission Assurance Engineer

Intuitive Machines is seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) Engineer to support the development, integration, testing, and mission operations of aerospace systems and spacecraft. The S&MA Engineer will play a critical role in ensuring mission success through comprehensive safety analyses, reliability assessments, risk management, and mission assurance activities across all phases of the program lifecycle.

This role requires strong technical expertise, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to lead safety and risk review processes in a fast-paced aerospace environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform system and vehicle hazard assessments and safety analyses to identify, evaluate, and mitigate potential risks to personnel, hardware, software, mission objectives, and the public.
• Lead and coordinate Safety Review Panels (SRPs) and related technical review boards, ensuring closure of action items and compliance with safety requirements.
• Conduct vehicle and system reliability assessments, including reliability predictions, failure mode evaluations, and trend analysis.
• Support overall Mission Safety and Mission Assurance activities throughout design, manufacturing, integration, test, and flight operations.
• Develop, maintain, and manage program risk registers and risk databases.
• Perform risk management activities including risk identification, categorization, mitigation planning, and residual risk evaluation.
• Provide regular risk tracking and reporting to engineering leadership, program management, and customers.
• Develop and maintain the Quality Process and a Quality Plan for the company
• Review engineering designs, procedures, test plans, and operational concepts for compliance with safety and mission assurance standards.
• Collaborate with systems engineering, avionics, propulsion, software, quality, manufacturing, and operations teams to resolve safety and reliability concerns.
• Support anomaly investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective/preventive action development.
• Assist in the development and implementation of S&MA processes, procedures, and best practices.
• Ensure compliance with applicable aerospace industry standards, customer requirements, and regulatory guidelines (NASA, FAA, DoD, etc.).

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 3+ years of experience in aerospace, aviation, defense, or other high-reliability engineering environments.
• Experience performing hazard analyses, risk assessments, or mission assurance activities.
• Knowledge of reliability engineering principles and system safety methodologies.
• Familiarity with aerospace development lifecycle processes including design, integration, test, and operations.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to lead technical reviews and work effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools and engineering documentation systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with launch vehicles, spacecraft, lunar systems, or other complex aerospace platforms.
• Familiarity with standards such as:
  • NASA System Safety Handbook
  • MIL-STD-882
  • AS9100
  • FAA safety regulations
• Experience with FMEA/FMECA, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA), or similar methodologies.
• Knowledge of configuration management and quality assurance processes.
• Active or ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance.

Desired Attributes

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to mission success.
• Ability to balance technical rigor with program schedule and operational constraints.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Passion for aerospace exploration and high-reliability systems.

US EEO Statement: 

Intuitive Machines is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.