Staff Systems Safety Engineer

Staff Systems Safety Engineer

Location: Austin, TX (On-site or hybrid depending on team needs)

About the Company

Our client is a high-growth robotics company building next-generation, AI-powered humanoid robots designed to work safely and collaboratively alongside people. Their technology spans the full robotics stack, from hardware and controls through autonomy and embodied AI, with an initial focus on real-world industrial deployment and a long-term vision that extends into broader human environments.

This team is now entering a critical commercialization phase, tackling challenges around safety, certification, and scale. You’ll join a deeply technical organization focused on shipping reliable, compliant robotic systems into production environments.

The Role

We are seeking a Staff Systems Safety Engineer to own and execute the product safety strategy for a portfolio of complex, general-purpose robotic systems. This is a highly influential role with broad ownership across functional safety architecture, regulatory compliance, and certification.

You will act as the internal authority on product and functional safety, working closely with cross-functional engineering teams to ensure safety-critical functions are designed, validated, and certified in accordance with evolving global standards. This role is well suited to someone who enjoys building safety frameworks from the ground up and guiding products through commercialization in emerging regulatory landscapes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead system-level safety risk assessments and hazard analyses in collaboration with internal stakeholders

• Define and execute a clear, actionable product safety roadmap

• Own functional safety planning and architecture in accordance with IEC 61508 and related standards

• Develop and document safety requirements, technical safety concepts, and compliance strategies

• Lead system-level failure analysis and guide component-level DFMEA activities

• Apply industry-standard safety methodologies to support deployment of robotic systems in commercial environments

• Partner closely with design, development, verification, and validation teams on safety activities

• Produce and maintain safety documentation including safety plans, risk analyses, and reliability assessments

• Collaborate with product, service, and validation teams to ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks and technical standards

• Support verification and validation efforts to ensure safety requirements are fully tested, documented, and traceable

Required Experience and Skills

• Deep experience in systems engineering with a focus on product and functional safety

• Strong background in HARA, DFMEA, and safety strategy development

• Proven experience taking complex electro-mechanical products through commercialization and safety certification

• Extensive hands-on safety engineering experience in robotics or adjacent safety-critical systems

• Expertise in relevant safety standards, including R15.06, R15.08, IEC 62061, and IEC 61508

• Experience with functional safety tools, compliance workflows, and certification processes

• Strong leadership skills, including driving change and executing safety roadmaps across organizations

• Proficiency with requirements management tools such as JAMA

• Demonstrated success securing NRTL or equivalent safety certifications for commercial products

• Strong analytical and creative problem-solving skills, with sound judgment in risk-based design decisions

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required

• Master’s degree preferred

• 8+ years of experience leading safety efforts for complex robotic or electro-mechanical systems

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods

• Occasional lifting of up to 15 pounds

• Ability to read technical documentation and communicate effectively with cross-functional teams

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive base salary and benefits

• Meaningful equity participation

• Flexible working hours

• Strong emphasis on professional development

• Generous paid time off

• 401(k) plan