R&D System Safety Engineer - STATE COLLEGE, PA
Company websitepsu.edu (Penn State University, opens in new tab)
Base salary $105,900 to $231,000
Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range Penn State University Park
You apply on the employer's own site. Six Figure Work does not handle applications.
- LocationPenn State University Park
- WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
- Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
- Last checked (1 h ago) · observed since
About this job
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.
Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.
POSITION SPECIFICS
We are searching for an experienced, motivated, and driven System Safety Engineer to join the Systems Engineering Department within the Undersea Systems Office at the Penn State University Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) located fully on-site in State College, PA. Candidates should be comfortable working within the Department of Defense safety process and will be involved in the development of the next generation of undersea systems. The System Safety Engineer will operate across the entire lifecycle of undersea systems development, from concept formulation to design, build, and test. The candidate will develop in-depth knowledge of ARL-developed systems and will represent them within the safety community.
ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.
You will:
Collaborate with Systems Engineering and Subsystem Design Teams to learn the design and operation of ARL systems
Perform safety analyses as specified in MIL-STD-882E including Preliminary Hazard Analyses, Functional Hazard Analyses, Requirements Hazard Analyses, Subsystem Hazard Analyses, Software Safety Level of Rigor, etc.
Assess engineering documents, data, and artifacts to ensure component and system level safety compliance; identify and mitigate potential and existing hazards
Participate in anomaly investigations, failure review boards, and root cause/corrective action analyses
Collaborate with internal and external team members and United States Navy (USN) counterparts in order to ensure delivery of a safe product
Collaborate and maintain relationships within the community including sponsors, engineering teams, and program management
Participate in System Safety Working Groups to ensure that all aspects of system safety are addressed and communicated throughout the program
Communicate with government personnel including NOSSA (Naval Ordnance Safety Support Activity), the WSESRB (Weapon Systems Explosive Safety Review Board) and its constituent panels (FISTP, SSSTRP) and the Navy PHST center (Packaging, Handling, Shipping, Transportation) to identify and address requirements for safe shipping, handling and deployment of weapons systems
Brief the WSESRB and its constituent panels at periodic formal engagements as well as less formal “Tech Assist” meetings.
Brief program personnel including USN Program Manager(s), relevant Technical Warrant Holders, etc.
The person in this role will have the capability to work independently with external government, program, and contractor counterparts to develop successful system safety programs
Develop deliverable safety work products including System Safety Program Plans, Software System Safety Program Plans, Hazardous Material Management Plans, etc.
Additional responsibilities for higher level positions include:
Lead system safety efforts across one or more undersea programs
Lead team members in order to ensure the delivery of a safe product
Mentor staff in the system safety process including development of work products
Train additional staff in the System Safety process as required by ARL workload
Represent program(s) with presentations, analyses, and reports at engineering review boards, technical interchange meetings, and government safety working groups
Required skills/experience areas include:
System Safety Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field
Effective at presenting in front of teams or groups, or creating conveying information to drive understanding, action, or decision
Previous success with collaborations in a multi-disciplinary, team-oriented, culture
Ability to obtain and maintain a government security clearance
Preferred skills/experience areas include:
Familiarity with relevant engineering and safety standards
Ability to conduct various safety analyses: Functional Hazard Analysis, Fault Trees, Failure Modes and Effects Analyses (FMEA), Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analyses (FMECA), Requirements Hazard Analysis, Software Level of Rigor Analyses, etc.
Hardware circuit design and development
Embedded software development
Active government security clearance
Your working location will be located fully on-site in State College, PA.
MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS
If filled as R&D Engineer - Systems (ARL) - Senior Professional, this position requires:
Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science
14+ years of relevant experience
Required Certifications:
None

If filled as R&D Engineer - Systems (ARL) - Advanced Professional, this position requires:
Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science
5+ years of relevant experience
Required Certifications:
None

If filled as R&D Engineer - Systems (ARL) - Intermediate Professional, this position requires:
Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science
2+ years of relevant experience
Required Certifications:
NoneARL’s purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Intel Community (IC).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our web site at www.arl.psu.edu.
BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES
Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.Notice regarding employment at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL):
Employees must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance, participate in the ARL drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors. ARL operates in a secure information environment involving Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified information. Personal electronic devices brought onsite must be registered and may be restricted from certain areas. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply.SALARY & BENEFITS
The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $105,900.00 - $231,000.00.Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure
Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.
CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS
Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.
EEO IS THE LAW
Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.
Federal Contractors Labor Law Poster
PA State Labor Law Poster
Penn State Policies
Copyright Information
Hotlines
Source: Penn State University on Workday · View original posting (opens in new tab)
Pay in context
This role's base floor ($105,900) is above 10% of the 8,138 Engineering (non-software) roles nationwide listed on this site; 11 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $136,000; the middle half runs from $116,800 to $160,000.
Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 8, 2026.
This listingR&D System Safety Engineer - STATE COLLEGE, PA$105,900 to $231,000
Research and Development Computer Vision Engineer$105,900 to $200,808
Systems Engineer - Test and Evaluation$105,900 to $231,000
AR/VR/XR Visualization Research and Development Engineer$105,900 to $200,808
Systems & Robotics Engineer$105,900 to $231,000
Engineer - Vehicle Flight Control & Inertial Navigation Systems$105,900 to $231,000
Electrical R&D Engineer$105,900 to $200,808
Chart as a table
| Role | Published base |
|---|---|
| R&D System Safety Engineer - STATE COLLEGE, PA (this listing) | $105,900 - $231,000 |
| Research and Development Computer Vision Engineer | $105,900 - $200,808 |
| Systems Engineer - Test and Evaluation | $105,900 - $231,000 |
| AR/VR/XR Visualization Research and Development Engineer | $105,900 - $200,808 |
| Systems & Robotics Engineer | $105,900 - $231,000 |
| Engineer - Vehicle Flight Control & Inertial Navigation Systems | $105,900 - $231,000 |
| Electrical R&D Engineer | $105,900 - $200,808 |
Observed changes
- First observed on the employer's board
- Began meeting the published-salary criteria
- Observed since
- Employer-stated posting date
- 2026-08-24
Where this pay comes from
Location as the employer wrote it: Penn State University Park
The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $105,900.00 - $231,000.00.
- Method
- Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
- Checked
- Rule set
- us-base-v2
The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.
What we verified
- The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
- The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
- The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.
We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.