Mission Assurance & Regulatory Engineer

LEAP is seeking a Mission Assurance & Regulatory Engineer to lead mission assurance, launch licensing, flight safety compliance, and regulatory coordination across our Bullfrog and Bighorn launch vehicle programs. This role combines technical mission assurance with regulatory execution, ensuring LEAP's vehicles, ground systems, launch operations, and mission processes meet applicable safety, regulatory, and customer requirements. The ideal candidate brings experience in launch vehicle engineering, flight safety, mission assurance, or aerospace regulatory compliance and can translate complex technical and regulatory requirements into practical processes that support rapid development, testing, and flight operations. This is a hands-on, cross-functional position working closely with Engineering, Test & Launch, Program Management, and executive leadership. The successful candidate will help LEAP build a scalable mission assurance and regulatory framework that supports an increasing launch cadence without compromising safety, reliability, or compliance.

Core Responsibilities

Mission Assurance & Flight Safety

• Develop, implement, and maintain LEAP's mission assurance framework across vehicle development, qualification, manufacturing, integration, testing, launch, and flight operations.
• Establish mission assurance requirements, processes, and verification criteria appropriate for LEAP's rapid-development and high-cadence launch operations.
• Lead or coordinate mission-level safety assessments, hazard analyses, and risk evaluations, including Preliminary Hazard Analyses (PHA), Failure Modes and Effects Analyses (FMEA), Fault Tree Analyses (FTA), and other applicable methodologies.
• Develop and maintain hazard tracking, risk registers, mitigation plans, and verification-of-closure documentation.
• Support flight readiness reviews (FRR), test readiness reviews (TRR), launch readiness reviews (LRR), and mission go/no-go decision processes.
• Verify that critical safety requirements, mission constraints, regulatory conditions, and operational readiness criteria are satisfied before testing and flight.
• Coordinate independent technical reviews of mission-critical systems, including propulsion, structures, avionics, guidance and control, flight termination systems, and ground support equipment, as applicable.
• Support anomaly investigations, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), and lessons-learned processes.
• Establish practical mission assurance metrics and reporting, including open hazards, verification status, safety-critical discrepancies, corrective actions, and flight readiness.
• Partner with Engineering and Operations to incorporate mission assurance requirements into vehicle design, manufacturing, testing, and operational procedures.

Launch Licensing & Regulatory Compliance

• Lead FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST) launch and reentry licensing activities for LEAP's Bullfrog and Bighorn vehicle family, as applicable.
• Prepare, coordinate, and maintain launch license applications, including required safety analyses, operational documentation, environmental reviews, and supporting technical submissions.
• Develop and maintain compliance matrices and verification evidence for applicable requirements under 14 CFR Part 450 and other relevant regulatory frameworks.
• Coordinate flight safety analyses, including flight hazard areas, public risk assessments, debris analyses, flight safety limits, and other applicable launch safety requirements.
• Work with Engineering and Test & Launch teams to establish and document flight safety systems, operational controls, and safety-critical procedures.
• Coordinate with FAA/AST, launch ranges, spaceports, and other authorities to support licensing, approvals, and operational readiness.
• Manage regulatory approval schedules, submission milestones, agency requests, and compliance deliverables to minimize impacts to flight schedules.
• Support launch site and range safety reviews, including operations at commercial, federal, and international launch facilities.
• Monitor changes to launch and reentry regulations and translate requirements into actionable guidance for LEAP's technical and operational teams.

Systems Safety & Technical Risk Management

• Establish and maintain a systems safety program appropriate for LEAP's vehicle architecture, development maturity, and mission profiles.
• Identify and evaluate hazards associated with propulsion systems, pressurized systems, cryogenic propellants, hazardous operations, flight dynamics, and ground infrastructure.
• Support verification and validation planning to ensure mission-critical and safety-critical requirements are adequately demonstrated through analysis, inspection, testing, or operational controls.
• Evaluate technical risks associated with design changes, manufacturing deviations, test anomalies, and operational modifications.
• Coordinate with Engineering on reliability assessments, failure investigations, and corrective actions.
• Maintain traceability between regulatory requirements, system safety requirements, hazard controls, verification evidence, and operational procedures.
• Support configuration management and change-control processes to ensure changes affecting mission safety are properly assessed and approved.

Test, Launch & Operational Readiness

• Support development and review of test plans, launch procedures, operational checklists, emergency response plans, and safety documentation.
• Participate in test campaigns and launch operations to verify compliance with established safety requirements and operational constraints.
• Coordinate safety reviews for propulsion testing, vehicle integration, fueling operations, and launch campaigns.
• Support range safety coordination, launch site approvals, and operational readiness assessments.
• Ensure safety-critical nonconformances, open risks, and required corrective actions are documented and appropriately dispositioned before major test or flight milestones.
• Support post-test and post-flight reviews, anomaly investigations, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Help develop repeatable mission assurance processes that support increasing flight cadence and distributed launch operations.

Broader Regulatory & Compliance Support

• Support LEAP's export control compliance activities under ITAR and EAR, including technical data handling, technology control plans, licensing requirements, and foreign national access considerations.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders and outside counsel on export licensing, international operations, and defense-related compliance matters.
• Support environmental and operational permitting requirements, including NEPA reviews, hazardous materials management, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Assist with regulatory requirements associated with new launch sites, test facilities, and international operations.
• Support applicable customer, defense, and government mission assurance requirements.
• Develop and deliver training on mission assurance, flight safety, regulatory obligations, and compliance processes.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 5+ years of experience in aerospace engineering, mission assurance, systems safety, launch operations, flight safety, or aerospace regulatory compliance.
• Experience performing or coordinating safety assessments, hazard analyses, risk evaluations, and technical readiness reviews.
• Working knowledge of aerospace systems engineering, verification and validation, technical risk management, and safety-critical system development.
• Familiarity with FAA/AST launch licensing requirements, including 14 CFR Part 450 or predecessor regulations.
• Experience developing technical documentation, compliance matrices, safety analyses, or regulatory submissions.
• Ability to work directly with multidisciplinary engineering teams to identify risks, develop mitigation strategies, and verify compliance.
• Strong technical writing, analytical, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to independently manage multiple technical and regulatory workstreams in a fast-paced development environment.
• Ability to support test campaigns, launch operations, and occasional travel to launch or test facilities.
• Must be a U.S. Person as defined under applicable U.S. export control regulations, or otherwise authorized to access required controlled technical data.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience supporting FAA/AST Part 450 launch or reentry license applications.
• Experience in mission assurance, systems safety, or flight safety for launch vehicles, spacecraft, missiles, or other high-consequence aerospace systems.
• Experience with FAA flight safety analysis methodologies, public risk calculations, debris modeling, and flight safety systems.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-882E, NASA mission assurance practices, or equivalent aerospace safety and reliability standards.
• Experience with Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), reliability engineering, and probabilistic risk assessment.
• Experience supporting flight readiness reviews, launch campaigns, or range safety approvals.
• Background in liquid propulsion systems, cryogenic operations, pressurized systems, or launch vehicle ground operations.
• Experience supporting mishap investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action programs.
• Familiarity with ITAR/EAR export controls and DoD customer requirements.
• Experience with environmental reviews and permitting for launch or propulsion test operations.
• Experience working with commercial spaceports, federal launch ranges, or international launch regulatory authorities.
• Experience developing scalable engineering or compliance processes in a startup or rapid-development environment.

Success in This Role

The successful candidate will:

• Establish a practical and scalable mission assurance framework for Bullfrog and Bighorn.
• Drive timely preparation and approval of launch licensing and regulatory submissions.
• Ensure flight safety requirements, hazard controls, and compliance evidence are integrated into engineering and operational processes.
• Improve readiness review quality and provide clear visibility into mission-critical risks.
• Reduce schedule delays caused by late identification of safety or regulatory requirements.
• Support safe, repeatable launch operations as LEAP increases its flight cadence.
• Build strong working relationships with regulatory authorities, launch ranges, engineering teams, and mission stakeholders.

Compensation

Salary Range: $100,000–$145,000 per year

The estimated salary range for this role reflects various compensation factors. The final offer depends on factors such as work experience, education, training, key skills, and business needs.

Benefits

LEAP provides a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees, including:

• Equity Program: Equity plan participation is available to all employees following an initial 90-day employment period and is performance-based. Equity allocations are determined on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed. All equity grants are subject to executive review and approval in accordance with the Company's equity plan.
• Retirement Planning: 401(k) plan with competitive company matching.
• Professional Development: Stipend for training, education, and professional growth.
• Flexible Time Off: Flexible PTO, holiday breaks, two week-long company winter breaks, and applicable family and medical leave.
• Hybrid Work: Flexible work arrangements coordinated with the team, subject to onsite testing and operational requirements.
• Health Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage at minimal to no cost for employees, with dependent coverage and HSA options.
• Insurance: Basic life and long-term disability coverage, with optional supplemental insurance.

Equal Opportunity Employer

LEAP is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace in Colorado. We welcome all qualified applicants and provide equal consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

This includes individuals with a criminal history, in compliance with applicable regulations. We encourage applications from minorities, women, veterans, and people with disabilities.

At LEAP, we strive to create a supportive and welcoming environment throughout the hiring process. If you're excited about making a real-world impact in space technology, we want to hear from you!