Certification Engineer - Pine Brook, NJ

Founded in 1918, Kearfott Corporation, a global Aerospace and Defense supplier for over 100 years, is a leader in the design and manufacture of precision motion control products and inertial navigation components. Kearfott has a very long history of innovation and excellence and is the go‑to brand for many of our global clients. Kearfott is trusted, respected and plays a vital role in the success of America’s aerospace and defense industries.

With over a century of expertise & experience, Kearfott is dedicated to providing quality, reliability, and cutting‑edge technology to customers worldwide to meet their sea, land, air, and space navigation and guidance requirements.

We are looking for talented individuals who want to be part of a world‑class workforce. Join Kearfott and become part of a company that is recognized for technical expertise and respected worldwide as a 'full service' provider. For more information visit our website at

The Certification Engineer supports the development, verification, and approval of safety‑critical airborne systems by producing and managing airworthiness certification artifacts. This role works closely with systems, software, hardware, and safety teams to ensure compliance with applicable airworthiness certification bases and industry standards, including RTCA/DO‑178C and RTCA/DO‑254. The engineer contributes to certification planning, lifecycle data audits, and accomplishment summaries for multiple platform integration spirals using model‑based systems engineering (MBSE) and digital engineering environments.

• Coordinate with certification authorities and internal stakeholders to identify required airworthiness artifacts derived from the platform's Airworthiness Certification Basis.
• Develop and maintain airworthiness compliance matrices for each platform and integration spiral.
• Produce the ACCR, documenting verification results for applicable airworthiness certification criteria.
• Support safety‑critical criteria verification within the MBSE modeling plan as part of the Systems Engineering Management Plan.
• Utilize digital engineering tools and collaborative environments to generate certification artifacts in accordance with DI‑SESS‑81768 guidance.

• Plan software development and verification activities based on assigned Design Assurance Levels (DALs) to meet the intent, rigor, and objectives of RTCA/DO‑178C.
• Develop and submit a Plan for Software Aspects of Certification (PSAC) for each software item, including newly developed software and Previously Developed Software (PDS).
• Produce Software Accomplishment Summaries (SAS) in accordance with RTCA/DO‑178C.
• Ensure lifecycle data supports compliance with DO‑178C Annex A objectives, including requirements, design, source code, and verification evidence.
• Support Software Configuration Management (SCM) and Software Quality Assurance (SQA) activities, including audits and inspections.
• Perform selective audits of software lifecycle data to assess compliance with DO‑178C and contract requirements.

• Plan hardware development and verification activities based on assigned DALs to meet RTCA/DO‑254 objectives and lifecycle expectations.
• Develop and submit a PHAC for each hardware item, including Development Hardware and Previously Developed Hardware.
• Produce Hardware Accomplishment Summaries (HAS) in accordance with RTCA/DO‑254.
• Ensure hardware lifecycle data supports compliance with DO‑254 Annex A objectives, including requirements, design, and test artifacts.
• Support Hardware Configuration Management, Supplier Surveillance Quality Assurance (SSQA), and certification audits.
• Conduct selective audits of hardware lifecycle data against DO‑254 objectives and contractual requirements.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Electrical, Computer, Systems, or related discipline).
• 7+ years direct experience in certification.
• Experience supporting airworthiness or civil certification activities for airborne systems.
• Working knowledge of RTCA/DO‑178C and RTCA/DO‑254, including certification…