Sr. System Safety Engineer

About us

One team. Global challenges. Infinite opportunities. At Viasat, we’re on a mission to deliver connections with the capacity to change the world. For more than 35 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the globe communicate. We’re looking for people who think big, act fearlessly, and create an inclusive environment that drives positive impact to join our team.

We have a great opportunity for a System Safety Engineer to join our Government team! In this role, you will support the development, integration, and sustainment of complex systems by ensuring safety risks are systematically identified, analyzed, and mitigated throughout the system lifecycle. This role applies system safety engineering principles to evaluate hazards associated with hardware, software, and operational environments and ensures appropriate controls are implemented to reduce risk.

This position works closely with systems engineering, design teams, program management, the Viasat Environmental Health and Safety team, suppliers, and external customers to integrate safety into system design and program execution. The System Safety Engineer contributes to the development and improvement of the organization’s system safety program, ensuring alignment with applicable standards such as MIL-STD-882E while supporting efficient product development, testing, and operational deployment.

This role requires strong analytical capabilities, clear technical communication, and the ability to influence cross-functional engineering teams to ensure safety considerations are incorporated into system design and operational procedures.

• Perform hazard identification and risk analysis activities for system hardware, software, and operational environments
• Conduct system safety analyses including Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), Functional Hazard Analysis (FHA), System Safety Assessments, O&SHA, and Health Hazard Assessments
• Develop and maintain a Hazard Tracking System (HTS) to document hazards, mitigation strategies, and risk acceptance decisions
• Evaluate engineering designs, schematics, and system architecture to identify hazards, latent failure modes, and safety compliance issues
• Coordinate with systems engineers, design engineers, and program teams to incorporate safety requirements into system development
• Support verification and validation activities to ensure safety requirements are correctly implemented
• Participate in technical forums such as Integrated Product Teams, System Safety Working Groups, and design reviews
• Provide safety input during system testing, operational planning, and maintenance procedure development
• Prepare safety analysis reports and technical documentation for internal stakeholders and external customers
• Represent system safety engineering during customer reviews and program milestone reviews
• Contribute to continuous improvement of system safety processes, analysis methods, and documentation templates

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field (Systems Engineering, Safety Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, a related field) or equivalent years of experience.
• 10 years of professional experience in system safety engineering, systems engineering, or related technical field
• Experience applying system safety engineering principles and hazard analysis methodologies
• Familiarity with defense safety standards, including MIL-STD-882E, MIL-STD-1472 and MIL-HDBK-764
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, system architecture, and technical documentation
• Strong technical writing and communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Strong analytical and organizational skills
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• U.S. citizenship required
• Ability to travel up to 25% to support program activities

• Experience supporting DoD or military programs
• Knowledge of SAE ARP
  4761 safety analysis methods including PASA/PSSA, SSA, PRA, ZSA, and CMA
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering…