# Staff Engineer, Operational Safety Specialist

**Company:** [Shield AI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/shield-ai)
**Location:** Dallas, TX
**Role:** Other
**Salary:** $120k – $180k/yr
**Experience:** 5+ years
**Skills:** Aviation Safety, Uas Operations, Safety Management Systems, Sms, Operational Audits, Mishap Investigation, Root Cause Analysis, Risk Management, Capa, Safety Metrics, Hfacs, Taproot
**Posted:** 2026-07-14

> Operational Safety Specialist responsible for audits, safety metrics, CAPA processes, promotions, and leading mishap investigations to strengthen proactive and reactive safety programs for UAS flight and ground operations. Requires 3-5+ years in aviation safety or UAS operations, bachelor's degree, and strong analytical/communication skills.

## Job Description

## What you'll do
- Conduct audits of ground procedures and operational practices across the enterprise to ensure compliance, identify gaps, and drive corrective actions.
- Develop, maintain, and report leading and lagging safety metrics to drive transparency and continuous improvement.
- Own and manage the Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) process, ensuring findings are logged, analyzed, assigned, and closed on schedule.
- Lead the Safety Promotions program, including communications, awareness campaigns, and training touchpoints.
- Lead medium- and lower-priority mishap and near-miss investigations, ensuring proper root cause analysis, documentation, and follow-through.
- Maintain the Operational Risk Registry for the V-BAT platform and coordinate with engineering and operational stakeholders to ensure risks are properly assessed and updated.
- Collaborate with Airworthiness and System Safety teams to align operational and engineering safety efforts.
- Contribute to cross-functional safety reviews, readiness assessments, and operational approval activities.
- Support customer reporting obligations and engagements related to operational safety performance.

## Required qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, safety, aviation, or related discipline (or equivalent operational experience).
- 3–5+ years of experience in aviation safety, flight or ground operations, UAS operations, or safety management systems.
- Familiarity with SMS principles, operational audits, and mishap investigation processes.
- Ability to work effectively across diverse operational environments with multiple stakeholders.
- Strong analytical skills and proficiency with safety or quality tracking systems.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, particularly in producing investigation reports and safety summaries.

## Preferred qualifications
- Experience supporting UAS flight operations or military/rapid-deployment aviation environments.
- Experience developing safety promotion or training materials.
- Familiarity with risk management frameworks and operational assurance tools.
- Formal training in mishap investigation methodologies (HFACS, TapRooT, RCA).
- Experience with safety data analysis or safety‑related software tools.
- Demonstrated field experience supporting flightline or mission operations.

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