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C 3.0 Security, Safety, and Mission Assurance

Security: Assuring that all proprietary, classified, and privileged information is protected from unauthorized use and dissemination. Also requires the identification of information and security requirements and the development and implementation of an effective IT security plan.

Safety and Mission Assurance: Activities associated with assuring the safety of personnel and property and the success of the project. These activities include Environmental Impact Statements; hazards analyses, elimination, and mitigation; mishap investigations; failure review boards; the flight safety review process; and safety, mission assurance, and risk management plans.

Select a competency from the outline menu or scroll down the page.

Categories and Competencies

Common Competencies



C 3.1 Security

Assuring that all proprietary, classified, and privileged information is protected from unauthorized use and dissemination. Also requires the identification of information and security requirements and the development and implementation of an effective IT security plan.

Underlying Skills

  • Leadership
  • Strategic thinking
  • Win-win negotiations
  • Working in teams

Fundamental Knowledge of:

  • Project mission, goals, and objectives
  • Project architectures and concepts
  • Agency and national security regulations
  • Political, economic, and other factors that influence project goals

Explore proficiencies for each role.

Team Practitioner / Discipline Engineer
Proficiency Level
Participates as a project team member to gain an overall understanding of the security aspects of a project and to gain initial experience in the competency.
Illustrations
Team Practitioners/Discipline Engineers should be able to describe, identify, or define:

  • The security requirements related to the subsystem.
  • How subsystem security plans will impact the subsystem and the team’s activities.

Team Lead / Subsystem Lead

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams (intact and at a subsystem level) in the formulation and execution of the security aspects of the project.
  • Provides guidance and expertise to team members assisting in resolving issues.
Illustrations
Team Leads/Subsystem Leads should be able to:
  • Identify the security requirements for the subsystem.
  • Develop and implement the security plan for the subsystem.

Project Manager / Project Systems Engineer

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams at the project level in the formulation and execution of the security aspects of the project.
  • Provides guidance and expertise at the project level, resolving project issues.
Illustrations
Project Managers/Project Systems Engineers should be able to:
  • Identify the security requirements for the system.
  • Develop and implement the security plan for the system.

Program Manager / Chief Engineer

Proficiency Level
Leads overall effort, reviews and approves products, resolves issues, and maintains relationships with the highest level internal, external, and international contacts.

Illustrations
Program Managers/Chief Engineers should be able to:

  • Direct the activities of Project Managers/Project Systems Engineers in relation to this competency.
  • Establish the security requirements for the program.

C 3.2 Workplace Safety

Ensuring that workplace safety is an integral part of developing products by applying systems safety analysis techniques throughout the project life cycle and integrating critical hazard elimination/mitigation measures into risk management and safety plans.

Underlying Skills

  • Clear communications
  • Leadership
  • Strategic thinking
  • Working in teams

Fundamental Knowledge of:

  • Project mission, goals, and objectives
  • Project architectures and concepts
  • Agency and federal safety regulations
  • Political, economic, and other factors that influence project goals

Explore proficiencies for each role.

Team Practitioner / Discipline Engineer
Proficiency Level
Participates as a project team member to gain an overall understanding of the aspects of workplace safety and to gain initial experience in the competency.
Illustrations
Team Practitioners/Discipline Engineers should be able to describe, identify, or define:

  • Factors that affect the safety of the public, astronauts, workforce, and capital.
  • Factors that affect safety in the workplace while developing products.
  • Flight safety review process and preparation, review, or approval of project safety and quality management plans.
  • The Certificate of Flight Readiness (CoFR) process.

Team Lead / Subsystem Lead

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams (intact and at a subsystem level) in the identification and management of workplace safety.
  • Provides guidance and expertise to team members, assisting in resolving issues.
Illustrations
Team Leads/Subsystem Leads should be able to:
  • Identify, describe, and define the application of systems safety analysis techniques throughout the project life cycle.
  • The process by which hazard levels are assigned and mitigation plans are implemented.
  • Additionally, Team/Subsystem leads must demonstrate experience in the following situations:
  • A mishap investigation or failure review board.
  • The flight safety review process.
  • The preparation, review, or approval of project safety and quality management plans.

Project Manager / Project Systems Engineer

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams at the project level in the identification and management of workplace safety.
  • Provides guidance and expertise at the project level, resolving project issues.
Illustrations
Project Managers/Project Systems Engineers should be able to:
  • Identify, describe, and define the requirements for project life cycle systems safety.
  • Identify, describe, and define the processes for evaluating the adequacy of system safety analysis reports and mitigation plans.
  • Review and integrate system safety analyses and hazard elimination/ mitigation recommendations into a project risk management plan.
  • Evaluate and approve hazard elimination/ mitigation measures.
  • Coordinate inputs for Certificate of Flight Readiness (CoFR).
  • Formulate innovative safety plans for project situations that have no precedents or established plans.

Program Manager / Chief Engineer

Proficiency Level
Leads overall effort, reviews and approves products, resolves issues, and maintains relationships with the highest level internal, external, and international contacts.

Illustrations
Program Managers/Chief Engineers should be able to:

  • Review and approve program safety plans.
  • Lead a mishap investigation or failure review board.
  • Play a leadership role in the flight safety review process and preparation, review, or approval of project safety and quality management plans.
  • Develop safety plans for complex systems in challenging environments and with severe consequences for failure.

C 3.3 Safety and Mission Assurance

Activities associated with assuring the safety of personnel and property and the success of the project. These activities include: Environmental Impact Statements; hazards analyses, elimination, and mitigation; mishap investigations; failure review boards; the flight safety review process; and safety, mission assurance, and risk management plans.

Underlying Skills

  • Clear communications
  • Leadership
  • Strategic thinking
  • Win-win negotiations
  • Working in teams

Fundamental Knowledge of:

  • Project mission, goals, and objectives
  • Project architectures and concepts
  • SMA organization and practices
  • Political, economic, and other factors that influence project goals

Explore proficiencies for each role.

Team Practitioner / Discipline Engineer
Proficiency Level
Participates as a project team member to gain an overall understanding of the SMA process and to gain initial experience in the competency.
Illustrations
Team Practitioners/Discipline Engineers should be able to describe, identify, or define:

  • Relevant safety regulations/ procedures and activities for a subsystem.
  • The process by which potential subsystem hazards are assessed.
  • The process by which mission assurance requirements are identified.
  • The process by which system safety analysis is performed.
  • The process by which system safety is verified.
  • The process by which failures are resolved and reported.

Team Lead / Subsystem Lead

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams (intact and at a subsystem level) in the execution of the SMA process.
  • Provides guidance and expertise to team members, assisting in resolving issues.
Illustrations
Team Leads/Subsystem Leads should be able to:
  • Identify relevant safety regulations/ procedures.
  • Assess potential hazards.
  • Monitor and control, eliminate, or reduce identified hazards.
  • Perform subsystem safety analysis.
  • Identify and manage the test safety for the subsystem.
  • Verify subsystem safety.
  • Conduct failure resolution and reporting.

Project Manager / Project Systems Engineer

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams at the project level in the execution of the SMA process.
  • Provides guidance and expertise at the project level, resolving project issues.
Illustrations
Project Managers/Project Systems Engineers should be able to:
  • Lead and manage the system safety planning and implementation for a system.
  • Review subsystem safety plans and implementation for the program.
  • Identify mission assurance requirements for the system.
  • Lead activities to prepare the system for and participate in safety and mission assurance readiness reviews, program audit and review processes, and Certificate of Flight Readiness (CoFR) process.

Program Manager / Chief Engineer

Proficiency Level
Leads overall effort, reviews and approves products, resolves issues, and maintains relationships with the highest level internal, external, and international contacts.

Illustrations
Program Managers/Chief Engineers should be able to:

  • Lead and manage the system safety planning and implementation for a system.
  • Review subsystem safety plans and implementation for the program.
  • Identify mission assurance requirements for the system.
  • Lead activities to prepare the system for and participate in safety and mission assurance readiness reviews, program audit and review processes, and Certificate of Flight Readiness (CoFR) process.