--- title: 'Senior Systems Engineer, Safety and Reliability at Salient Motion' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-systems-engineer-safety-and-reliability-salient-motion-torrance-sjbcgpw2099h' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-08' --- # Senior Systems Engineer, Safety and Reliability at Salient Motion - **Company:** Salient Motion - **Location:** Torrance, CA - **Posted:** 2026-08-18 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/salientmotion/jobs/5391727008 ## Job description ## Who We Are We are pioneering modular motion technologies to power the next generation of innovation for Industrial, Aerospace and Defense. If you're excited about disrupting legacy industries and building safety-critical systems that fly, let's chat! We are at the forefront of innovation, crafting exclusive motion control components that propel the aerospace and defense sectors into the future. A couple other things: - We offer a lot of autonomy - We like to run lean for impact - We have great benefits - We are well funded, and already generating revenue - We just moved into a new large hangar facility in Hawthorne, CA What you'll do: We are looking for a Senior Systems Engineer with deep expertise in safety and reliability to own safety and reliability deliverables across the product lifecycle — from requirements and architecture through analysis, test, and certification. You will work directly with our systems engineering lead, DER, and cross-functional leads across hardware, software, and mechanical engineering on a fast-moving FAA Part 25 / EASA CS-25 certification program. Safety Analysis - Hazard Analysis & Assessment: Own FHA, PSSA, and SSA activities end-to-end. Produce certification-quality deliverables that satisfy SAE ARP4754B and SAE ARP4761A guidelines. - Fault Analysis: Lead FTA and FMEA/FMES (Failure Modes and Effects Summary) development across system, subsystem, and component levels. Maintain traceability from hazard to design mitigation to verification evidence. - Requirements Allocation: Define and allocate safety requirements to hardware, software, and mechanical subsystems. Track closure through test and analysis. - Certification Interface: Serve as the safety engineering point of contact for the FAA DER and airframe customer technical teams. Support development of safety plans, compliance checklists, and design assurance documentation. Reliability Engineering - Reliability Modeling: Develop and maintain reliability models and predictions using MIL-HDBK-217, FIDES, or equivalent methods. Own MTBF analysis and reliability requirement allocation to subsystems. - FMEA/FMES: Drive reliability-focused FMEA activities that feed both design decisions and safety analysis inputs. Cross-Functional Collaboration - Design Reviews: Participate in PDR and CDR as the safety and reliability subject matter expert. Identify and drive resolution of safety-relevant design risks. - Software & Hardware Interface: Support DO-178C and DO-254 planning activities as they interface with system-level safety requirements. What you need: - Education: Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering. Advanced degree a plus. - Experience: 5+ years of systems engineering experience, with at least 3 years focused on safety and/or reliability analysis. Hands-on ownership of deliverables — not just familiarity. - Safety Frameworks: Demonstrated working knowledge of SAE ARP4754B and SAE ARP4761A, or equivalent frameworks (IEC 61508, MIL-STD-882, ISO 26262 considered). Must have owned FHA, FTA, and FMEA/FMES deliverables through a formal review. - Reliability Methods: Proficiency in MTBF analysis and reliability prediction. Ability to build and maintain reliability models independently. - Communication: Strong written communication; able to produce certification-quality documentation that holds up to DER and airframe customer scrutiny. Nice to have: - Experience with FAA Part 25 or Part 23 certification programs. - Familiarity with DO-160G, DO-178C, and/or DO-254 as they intersect with system safety. - Background in adjacent industries is welcome — defense, medical devices, and automotive functional safety (ISO 26262) develop the same analytical rigor we need. - Prior experience at a small or scaling aerospace company. What we have to offer: We are not just building components. We are reshaping the future of the Aerospace and Defense component industry, which is a $300B+ market! Come join us and help build next generation systems that will make a massive impact at global scale. - Salary Range: $160,000-$175,000, plus equity and benefits at a well-funded, fast-moving startup - We offer competitive compensation + equity - Exceptional healthcare benefits, Medical is 100% covered by the company - Flexible PTO - 401K - More to come! ## About Salient Motion ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Salient Motion designs and manufactures critical electromechanical actuation systems for commercial aviation and defense, replacing legacy supply chains with modular, software-defined motion control. - **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage) - **Headquarters**: Torrance, California, USA - **Founded**: 2022 - **Founders**: Vishaal Mali (CEO) ## Core Business - **Primary Industry**: Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing, Defense - **Target Customers**: OEMs (e.g., Boeing), MROs, and defense contractors for commercial airliners and military platforms (B2B, Enterprise) - **Mission**: To change the paradigm of legacy aerospace and defense supply chains, unlocking a new era of speed, innovation, and possibility. ## Products & Services - **Critical Actuation Systems**: Advanced electromechanical actuators (linear and rotary) for flight control, landing gear, and other mission-critical functions on commercial and military aircraft. - **Software-First Architecture**: A modular, software-defined actuation platform that decouples control logic from hardware. Core motor control software is certified to DO-178C standards as a reusable library, enabling rapid configuration and validation across platforms. - **Certification Services**: Certification-centric engineering built from day one, aiming for up to 10x reductions in cost and lead time for certifiable products. - **Support & Sustainment**: Direct, fast, and personal support for integration, troubleshooting, and sustainment of actuation systems. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total Funding of **$4.0M** (Seed round led by Cantos VC in October 2024, with participation from AE Ventures and Ian Rountree; a Pre-Seed round occurred in November 2022) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Cantos (Lead), AE Ventures, Ian Rountree. Key customer/partner: **Boeing** (collaborating on certifying modular actuators for commercial airliners). - **Growth Signals**: Headcount of ~30 employees with +15.2% monthly growth; talent sourced from Anduril Industries, Boeing, Virgin Galactic, and other top aerospace/defense firms; active job postings increasing +200% month-over-month; expansion to a second office in Irvine, CA. ## Competitive Advantages - **Software-First Modularity**: Their core differentiator is a software-defined architecture that is certified as a reusable library (DO-178C). This allows for rapid, low-cost configuration for different aircraft platforms, offering a 10x improvement in lead time and cost over legacy suppliers. - **Vertically Integrated Supply Chain**: Streamlined engineering workflows and vertically integrated partnerships enable delivery of actuator systems in weeks, not quarters. - **Certification-First Approach**: All systems are designed with certification in mind from day one, drastically reducing the time and cost to achieve airworthiness. - **Legacy Disruption**: They offer a direct alternative to high-cost, slow-moving legacy OEM suppliers, providing certified solutions without overhead markup. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale Production**: Moving from design and prototyping to manufacturing and delivery at scale, as evidenced by hiring for Senior Manufacturing Engineer and Quality Manager roles. - **Expand Customer Base**: Deepening the partnership with Boeing while expanding to other commercial and defense OEMs. - **Domestic Supply Chain**: Developing motors and inverters using domestic resources to meet national security imperatives. - **Platform Development**: Refining their core "electric motion operating system," including standalone inverters, web-based configuration platforms, and performant motors. ## Why Work Here - **High-Impact Work**: Employees solve some of the hardest motion control challenges in aerospace and defense, with work that directly impacts millions of daily passengers. - **Culture**: Described as a high-velocity environment emphasizing "Extreme Entrepreneurship," "Execution Over Excuses," and "Mastery Over Ego." The culture values ownership, creativity, and a relentless focus on execution. - **Strong Talent Pool**: Team includes veterans from Anduril, Boeing, Virgin Galactic, and SpaceX, providing a steep learning curve and high-performance peer group. - **Work Policy**: **In-Office** (Torrance, CA and Irvine, CA). The company explicitly values in-person collaboration. - **Growth Trajectory**: Early-stage (Seed) with rapid headcount growth, offering significant upside and career acceleration for early employees. ## Sources 1. [salientmotion.com](https://salientmotion.com/) 2. [salientmotion.com](https://salientmotion.com/careers) 3. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/salient-motion) 4. 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