Principal Safety Engineer in Bristol

Join us in helping to design and deliver safe, reliable systems that operate in some of the most complex engineering environments. As a Principal Safety Engineer, you’ll play a key role in ensuring our products meet the highest safety and environmental standards throughout their entire lifecycle. Working within the Company Safety and Environmental Management System, you’ll collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams, customers, partners and suppliers to analyse risks, influence design decisions and ensure the safe delivery of innovative systems.

Your impact

In this role, you will apply your safety analysis expertise across the full system lifecycle — from early requirements definition through design, development, manufacture, integration, acceptance testing, delivery and, when required, disposal. Your work will include:

• Conducting safety assessments across the lifecycle, from Hazard Identification through to the delivery of project Safety Case Reports.
• Performing detailed safety analyses using techniques such as Functional Failure Analysis, system requirements analysis and Fault Tree Analysis to identify risks and influence design decisions and architecture.
• Carrying out Environmental Impact Assessments to ensure products comply with relevant legislation and environmental standards.
• Developing Safety Requirements and identifying appropriate verification and validation methods.
• Building robust safety arguments supported by evidence to demonstrate compliance and support safety claims.
• Presenting the results of safety analysis to Integrated Project Teams and customers.
• Supporting incident or observation investigations where required.
• Working closely with engineers from multiple disciplines to solve complex technical challenges and deliver safe products.
• Contributing to the continuous improvement of the Company Safety Management System.

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone who enjoys solving complex problems and influencing system design through safety expertise.

• Experience analysing complex systems from a safety perspective, with an understanding of system functions.
• Knowledge and experience in developing Safety Case Reports for complex systems, ideally within an electronics or avionics environment.
• A self-motivated mindset with a passion for learning new technologies and continuously improving your skills.
• The ability to collaborate across multiple subsystem teams, managing design complexity and uncertainty to help develop effective system solutions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Experience working with internal and external stakeholders at a variety of seniority levels.

It would be great if you also have experience with CAMEO Systems Modeller, Azure DOORS, Adelard ASCE, Isograph FaultTree+, Microsoft Office, particularly Word and Excel. This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV).

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity.
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website. Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety. At Leonardo, we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.