Safety Officer – Test & Launch

The Safety Officer – Test & Launch is responsible for ensuring LEAP’s rocket engine testing, stage testing, and launch operations are planned and executed safely, in compliance with applicable regulations, permits, approved procedures, and established aerospace safety requirements. This role leads the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of operational safety programs supporting LEAP’s test and launch activities. The Safety Officer works closely with engineering, test, launch, and operations teams to identify hazards, assess operational risk, establish effective controls, and ensure safety requirements are integrated into test and launch planning and execution.

The Safety Officer serves as a primary safety interface with local and regional fire departments, launch ranges, emergency response organizations, regulatory authorities, and other external stakeholders. Responsibilities include supporting emergency response planning, coordinating safety requirements for hazardous operations, participating in operational readiness reviews, and ensuring appropriate safety controls are in place for test and launch activities. This is a primarily field-based position requiring on-site presence during hazardous operations and travel to LEAP test and launch sites.

The successful candidate will work directly with technical teams and operators in dynamic, high-consequence environments and exercise sound judgment under operational pressure. Reports directly to the CEO initially, with reporting expected to transition to Mission Assurance as that function is established. The Safety Officer provides independent safety oversight and may escape unresolved safety concerns directly to the CEO, including after the reporting transition, without requiring approval from test or launch leadership.

LEAP is transforming space logistics with rapid-response, mass producible launch solutions designed to eliminate bottlenecks in space access. Leveraging proprietary propulsion technology and modern manufacturing techniques, LEAP delivers scalable and cost-effective, launch solutions for national security, commercial payload deployment, and global point-to-point logistics applications.

• Operational Safety & Stop-Work Authority:
  Actively support safe test and launch execution in the field. Exercise explicit authority to stop or suspend unsafe test and launch operations when hazards are uncontrolled, required safety controls are not verified, or conditions deviate from approved procedures. Verify corrective actions and required safety controls before supporting authorization to resume operations.
• Risk Management & Hazard Analysis:
  Conduct formal hazard analyses, job hazard analyses, field inspections, and operational risk assessments. Maintain risk registers, identify and track mitigations and corrective actions, and verify their effectiveness. Ensure residual risks and risk acceptance by the designated accountable authority are documented before operations proceed.
• Test & Launch Readiness:
  Participate in test and launch readiness reviews and go/no-go decisions. Verify implementation of required safety controls, personnel readiness, approved procedures, site conditions, and emergency preparedness before operations. Identify unresolved safety risks and address them for resolution.
• Hazardous Operations:
  Establish and verify controls for rocket propulsion testing, cryogenics, propellant storage and handling, pressure systems, ignition systems, and associated hazardous activities. Work with engineering and operations teams to define and enforce exclusion zones, access controls, safe operating limits, and procedures.
• Incident Investigation & Corrective Action:
  Lead…