Range Safety Officer at Firestorm in San Diego, CA

Job description

Who We Are At Firestorm, we’re on a mission to revolutionize how defense solutions are designed and delivered. Our goal is to empower the United States and allied nations to effectively deter aggressors—regardless of their defense budget—through innovative, cost-efficient technologies. We call this vision “democratized deterrence.” As a venture-backed company at the intersection of defense technology and Silicon Valley, Firestorm develops mission-adaptable unmanned aerial systems and effects designed to rapidly deliver operational capability to the warfighter. About the Role Firestorm is developing and testing next-generation unmanned aircraft, energetic payloads, and deployable combat systems. We are seeking an experienced Range Safety Officer / Explosive Safety Authority to lead explosive safety and range operations across the company. This position serves as Firestorm’s principal operational authority for the safe handling, storage, transportation, integration, testing, and employment of explosives and energetic systems during development and test activities. The ideal candidate is a former military Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician or similarly qualified explosives professional with extensive field experience executing high-risk explosive operations and managing live-fire ranges. This is not primarily an engineering position. It is an operational safety and technical authority role responsible for translating explosive safety requirements into executable procedures that allow Firestorm teams to rapidly conduct testing without compromising personnel safety, regulatory compliance, or mission success. The Range Safety Officer / Explosive Safety Authority will work closely with Engineering, Flight Test, Operations, Manufacturing, Program Management, government customers, explosive suppliers, and military and commercial range authorities. Most importantly, this position will have the authority and responsibility to stop or suspend any explosive or live-fire operation when an unacceptable hazard exists. What You’ll Do Explosive Safety Authority Serve as Firestorm’s senior operational subject-matter expert for explosives, energetic materials, munitions, initiators, fuzing systems, and explosive test operations. Establish, maintain, and enforce company explosive safety policies, procedures, and standards. Provide independent explosive-safety review of proposed tests, demonstrations, developmental activities, and live-fire operations. Identify explosive hazards and establish appropriate controls, separation distances, personnel limits, PPE requirements, emergency procedures, and operational constraints. Exercise independent stop-work authority when explosive operations create an unacceptable risk to personnel, property, aircraft, or the public. Advise Firestorm leadership on explosive risk and clearly communicate when schedule, technical, or operational objectives conflict with acceptable safety practices. Serve as a technical interface between Firestorm and government explosive-safety organizations, range authorities, customers, vendors, and other regulatory stakeholders. Range Safety & Live-Fire Operations Serve as Range Safety Officer, or Firestorm’s designated safety representative, during developmental tests, demonstrations, live-fire events, and other energetic operations. Plan and oversee explosive and live-fire test activities conducted at military, government, commercial, and Firestorm-operated facilities. Develop range packages, test safety plans, hazard analyses, operational risk assessments, emergency procedures, and range-specific documentation. Coordinate with host-range personnel to ensure Firestorm operations comply with range regulations, approved procedures, explosive limits, and local safety requirements. Establish firing-point, observation-point, exclusion-zone, fragmentation, and personnel-control requirements in coordination with applicable engineering analysis and range authorities. Conduct pre-tes