How to hire a system safety engineer

How to hire a system safety engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step system safety engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a system safety engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new system safety engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a system safety engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the system safety engineer you need to hire. Certain system safety engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a system safety engineer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a system safety engineer that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of system safety engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of System Safety Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   System Safety Engineer	Health and safety engineers develop procedures and design systems to prevent people from getting sick or injured and to keep property from being damaged. They combine knowledge of systems engineering and of health and safety to make sure that chemicals, machinery, software, furniture, and other consumer products will not cause harm to people or damage to buildings.	$23-66
   EHS Coordinator	An EHS coordinator develops and organizes environmental health and safety (EHS) programs and protocols in a company. They typically perform research and analysis to determine the ideal practices, gather and analyze data to identify problem areas and their corresponding solutions, spearheading information drives within the company, and coordinating with different departments... Show more	$20-42
   Manager, Environmental And Safety	An Environmental and Safety manager is responsible for overseeing environmental sustainability concerning production and manufacturing processes and mitigating nature's hazardous effects. Environmental and Safety managers evaluate the methods and resources used to produce and eliminate procedures that violate safety laws and internal regulations... Show more	$30-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Safety Analysis
   • Fault Tree Analysis
   • System Design
   • Aerospace
   • DOD
   • Risk Assessments
   • Software Safety
   • Mil-Std-882
   • Failure Modes
   • Corrective Action
   • Assessment Reports
   • Maintainability
   • FMEA
   • Safety Assessments

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage site s OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 3rd party contractors.
   • Manage the material safety data sheet database and secure all MSDS's within the facility.
   • Lead accident claims investigation to establish root cause of report safety issues in market and assist with litigation as needed.
   • Manage drawing database and engineering changes.
   • Create test plans, evaluate, test, and write reports to relevant IEC, CSA and UL standards.
   • Evaluate fuel cell power systems and components for safe operation and compliance to UL, CSA, CE and NEBS standards.

   More system safety engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your system safety engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A system safety engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a system safety engineer in South Carolina may be lower than in California, and an entry-level system safety engineer usually earns less than a senior-level system safety engineer. Additionally, a system safety engineer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average system safety engineer salary

   $81,790yearly

   $39.32 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level system safety engineer salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average system safety engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$134,412	$65
   2	Colorado	$100,265	$48
   3	Pennsylvania	$97,869	$47
   4	Texas	$97,560	$47
   5	Minnesota	$88,713	$43
   6	Michigan	$86,056	$41
   7	Washington	$83,553	$40
   8	Arizona	$82,053	$39
   9	Alabama	$80,697	$39
   10	Utah	$79,109	$38
   11	Rhode Island	$77,627	$37
   12	Indiana	$75,464	$36
   13	Iowa	$72,090	$35
   14	Missouri	$70,253	$34
   15	Florida	$69,104	$33

   Average system safety engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NVIDIA	$154,174	$74.12	12
   2	Waymo	$142,328	$68.43	7
   3	Zoox	$140,379	$67.49	7
   4	Uber Technologies	$133,536	$64.20
   5	Joby Aviation	$128,424	$61.74	7
   6	Cirrus Aircraft	$127,110	$61.11
   7	Amazon	$127,055	$61.08	242
   8	Booz Allen Hamilton	$124,888	$60.04	10
   9	Cruise Automation	$123,053	$59.16
   10	Lucid Motors	$114,671	$55.13	4
   11	Oceaneering	$112,886	$54.27	1
   12	Bell Flight	$112,637	$54.15
   13	General Electric	$111,401	$53.56	98
   14	Sierra Nevada	$109,269	$52.53	8
   15	Boeing	$108,956	$52.38	150
   16	Roblox	$108,512	$52.17	2
   17	Textron	$107,338	$51.60	25
   18	Ford Motor	$107,319	$51.60	28
   19	ARES	$106,593	$51.25	1
   20	Jacobs Engineering Group	$106,535	$51.22

4. Writing a system safety engineer job description

   A system safety engineer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a system safety engineer job description:

   System safety engineer job description example

   About Us:
   Merlin is an early-stage autonomy company, building software to control sophisticated transportation systems. Our mission here at Merlin Labs is to develop hardware and software solutions that deliver the capability for aircraft to fly useful missions autonomously and safely. Our first product will be a certified system to bring automation to existing fixed wing aircraft.
   
   We're backed by some of the top institutional venture capitalists in the country, our headquarters are located in Boston with hubs in Denver, Los Angeles and the Mojave Desert. Come join our diverse, world class team, made up of people from places like Google, Airbus, Boeing, UTC, the US Navy, and the US Air Force.
   
   All of the sky, none of the limits!
   
   About You:
   Are you an experienced system safety engineer looking for something that you can't find in big aerospace? Do you dream about helping with the development of safe aviation systems? If so, you might be a good fit for the System Safety Engineer Lead role here at Merlin.
   The RoleThe System Safety Engineer is responsible for coordinating and managing all aspects of the system safety process for multiple Merlin products and Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs).Responsible for owning, developing and driving the safety case for Merlin's systems in order to meet Merlin's and regulatory requirements for safety and reliability. Employs safety analysis techniques which will be performed on the engineering products. Flows down safety requirements to the engineering teams and ensures they are documented in appropriate plans, processes, and procedures.Works with peers to develop and evolve processes for safety critical avionics hardware and software.Effectively and regularly communicates with direct management, the assigned and extended team (both internal or external), the FAA (and/or their delegates), as appropriate.Prepares and delivers presentations and participates in safety review meetings, system design meetings, program engineering review meetings, and change board meetings.Plans, hosts, and supports system safety working groups to validate the systems design to meet requirements.Spends the majority of your time working in a team environment by providing inputs to engineers, performing analyses, and writing reports.
   RequirementsBachelor's Degree in a Technical field preferred, or equivalent Avionics / Systems Safety experience5 years of experience in system safety, systems design, or systems analysis. FAA DER a significant advantage.Engineering and/or product development as an engineer, or significant field experience is required Previous experience working with ARP 4754A, ARP 4761, DO-178B/C, DO-254, ISO 9001, AS9100
   Preferred Skills, Experiences, & TalentsPrevious experience managing the safety aspects of high criticality aerospace systems which utilize software, airborne electronic hardware (including CEH devices), Flight Controls, and/or Flight Control mechanisms, Flight Management System and Display Systems.Experience with safety artifacts, FHAs (Functional Hazard Assessment), FMEAs (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis), SSAs (System Safety Assessment), Fault Trees, and other safety analyses.Knowledge of human factors and HMI is a plus Practical experience in electrical, mechanical, or aerospace engineering preferred.Experience working with Flight Controls is a plus Experience on part 23 and part 25 aircraft Reliability and Maintainability engineering knowledge Strong interpersonal and technical writing skills Ability to work in a self-directed manner
   #LI-Remote
   
   Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health, dental, life, unlimited vacation, and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission.
   
   Merlin Labs is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability status. All job offers are contingent upon the candidate passing background, export control and reference checks.
   
   Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find system safety engineers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your system safety engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit system safety engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with system safety engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new system safety engineer

   Once you've decided on a perfect system safety engineer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new system safety engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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