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Dawn Aerospace is developing a remotely operated reusable spaceplane that combines rocket performance with aircraft operational discipline. This role owns the flight safety analysis for a first-of-its-kind aerospace vehicle operating at the intersection of aviation and spaceflight.
You will define and implement the flight safety analysis methodology from scratch, including trajectory modelling, malfunction flight modelling, failure probability analysis, debris modelling, population exposure analysis, and vulnerability modelling. You'll translate high-level safety targets into quantitative safety criteria, lead development of the flight safety analysis tool to software qualification standards, assess vehicle system design to derive failure probabilities, and run flight safety analysis for each mission profile under Part 450 regulations.
You will also lead aircraft system safety assessments using aviation industry practices (ED-279 & ED-280 methodologies per 14 CFR 25.1309), perform or contribute to Functional Hazard Assessments, Fault Tree Analysis, Common Cause Analysis, and reliability analysis. Additionally, you'll specify flight abort behaviour requirements, including flight termination and abort system specifications, flight abort rules, and required response times, working with engineering teams on system design and qualification.
This role suits someone who enjoys deep technical ownership, works effectively across disciplines, makes pragmatic engineering judgements, and wants genuine responsibility for how the vehicle flies safely. There is no established playbook for this vehicle class, so you will shape the methodology and standards.
You'll work alongside highly capable engineers at a company with international teams distributed across the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA. The company is focused on sustainable space transportation, with existing products in in-space propulsion (170+ units on 40+ operational satellites) and developing in-space servicing capabilities.
REQUIREMENTS:
Strong experience required in:
- Flight safety analysis for launch or re-entry under Part 450 (or Parts 417/431), or comparable range safety work
- Quantitative risk, trajectory, or debris modelling, and verification and qualification of analysis software, methods, and models
- Functional Hazard Assessment, Hazard Analysis, Fault Tree Analysis, or Common Cause Analysis
- Systems engineering for complex aerospace or other safety-critical systems
- Aircraft, spacecraft, launch vehicle, or advanced unmanned aircraft development
Desirable experience:
- Range Commanders Council Standard 319 flight termination system requirements
- Design, build, or qualification of flight termination systems
Success factors:
- Quickly understand team strengths and adapt approach; raise technical standards through leading by example
- Naturally take ownership and drive work to completion
- Understand complex systems and make pragmatic engineering decisions
- Build practical engineering solutions rather than simply follow process
- Communicate clearly and influence technical direction through sound engineering judgement
