CalTek is a Los Angeles engineering and manufacturing staffing agency with a specialty in recruiting talent for the aerospace and defense industries. Our client is a next-generation aerospace startup at the forefront of innovation in hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Their mission is to revolutionize regional air mobility by delivering safe, sustainable, and scalable flight solutions through the use of cutting-edge propulsion systems, lightweight composite materials, and integrated flight control systems.
Backed by top-tier aerospace investors and operated by a team of aerospace veterans, this company is developing FAA-compliant, high-performance eVTOL aircraft capable of significantly reducing the carbon footprint of short-range air travel. With in-house teams specializing in aerostructures, electrical propulsion, software integration, and mission assurance, they are poised to transform how people and goods move across congested regions.
Typical Duties and Responsibilities
As an Assurance Design Engineer, you will serve as a key technical contributor responsible for ensuring that all systems, subsystems, and components meet rigorous safety, reliability, and compliance standards throughout the design, development, and certification lifecycle. You’ll collaborate closely with engineering, quality assurance, systems safety, and certification teams to validate designs for performance, manufacturability, airworthiness, and mission-critical reliability.
Key responsibilities include:
- Lead design assurance activities for complex aerospace systems, ensuring that hardware and software designs meet all safety, reliability, and regulatory requirements.
- Develop and maintain safety analyses, including FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis), FTA (Fault Tree Analysis), FHA (Functional Hazard Assessment), and PSSA (Preliminary System Safety Assessment).
- Ensure compliance with FAA certification standards, including 14 CFR Part 23, Part 27, Part 33, and relevant Advisory Circulars (ACs).
- Work with cross-functional teams to define design validation, verification plans, and test protocols in accordance with ARP4754A, DO-178C, DO-254, and MIL-STD-882E.
- Review and assess designs for compliance with airworthiness, manufacturability, and maintainability standards, including ISO 9001, AS9100, and DO-160G environmental requirements.
- Support Design Reviews (PDR, CDR, TRR) and gate reviews with detailed documentation and traceability matrices.
- Manage design assurance plans (DAPs) and contribute to configuration management in collaboration with systems engineers.
- Lead investigations into design anomalies, coordinate with root cause analysis teams, and ensure implementation of corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
- Contribute to the development of company-wide safety policies, design processes, and design control procedures for emerging technologies in hybrid propulsion and flight control systems.
- Support prototype testing and flight test campaigns, ensuring all design verification data meets traceability and compliance expectations.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field is required.
- Master’s degree in Engineering, Reliability Engineering, or Systems Assurance is highly preferred.
Required Skills and Experience
- 5–10 years of experience in design assurance, systems safety, or mission assurance engineering within the aerospace or defense industries.
- Strong understanding of aerospace development lifecycles, particularly within FAA certification environments (Part 23, Part 27, etc.).
- Proficiency in safety-critical standards and industry frameworks, such as:
- ARP4754A (System Development)
- ARP4761 (Safety Assessment)
- DO-178C (Software Certification)
- DO-254 (Hardware Assurance)
- DO-160G (Environmental Testing)
- MIL-STD-882E (System Safety)
- Experience generating and reviewing system safety documentation including FHA, FMEA, PSSA, SSA, Zonal Safety Assessments, and Common Mode Analysis (CMA).
- Familiarity with AS9100D, ISO 9001:2015, and other quality assurance standards for aerospace product development.
- Hands-on experience with CAD software (e.g., Siemens NX, SolidWorks, CATIA) for design review and interface validation.
- Proficient in using PLM tools such as Teamcenter, Windchill, or Arena for design control and configuration management.
- Excellent technical writing and documentation skills with the ability to clearly communicate complex compliance and reliability information to engineering and leadership teams.
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct experience working on eVTOL, hybrid-electric propulsion systems, or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/UAV).
- FAA DER (Designated Engineering Representative) experience or direct interface with ODA (Organization Designation Authorization) teams is a strong plus.
- Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) tools such as Cameo, SysML, or Simulink.
- Experience with digital thread and digital twin initiatives in a safety-critical environment.
- Lean Six Sigma Certification (Green or Black Belt) or background in Quality Engineering methodologies.
