Operations Safety Lead

Operations Safety Lead

Applied Intuition is the vehicle intelligence company that accelerates the global adoption of safe, AI-driven machines. Founded in 2017, Applied Intuition delivers the toolchain, Vehicle OS, and autonomy stacks to help customers build intelligent vehicles and shorten time to market. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers and major programs across the Department of Defense trust Applied Intuition's solutions to deliver vehicle intelligence. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining, and agriculture industries and is headquartered in Mountain View, CA, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Diego, CA, Ft. Walton Beach, FL, Ann Arbor, MI, London, Stuttgart, Munich, Stockholm, Seoul, and Tokyo.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments.

About the Role

Applied Intuition is seeking an Operations Safety Lead to design, implement, and scale the systems that keep our on-road operations safe. You will lead risk assessments, oversee incident investigations, define fleet safety monitoring processes, and establish governance frameworks that align with regulatory standards and customer expectations. Beyond immediate impact, this role will drive the global rollout of a standardized Safety Council across all Applied verticals—ensuring consistent documentation, training, tooling, incident ownership, and dry-run readiness—embedding safety as a company-wide foundation for scaling autonomy.

At Applied Intuition, You Will:

• Establish and lead a global Safety Council that standardizes documentation, training, tooling, incident ownership, and dry-run processes across all verticals.
• Risk Identification & Mitigation: Conduct hazard assessments, maintain a live safety risk register, and implement mitigation strategies.
• Incident Response & Investigation: Lead or support root-cause analyses of safety incidents, recommend corrective actions, and ensure follow-through.
• System Safety Support: Partner with engineering to assess the impact of stack or system changes, aligning with industry safety standards.
• Fleet Safety Monitoring: Track safety metrics in real time, and close feedback loops between operations and engineering.
• Governance & Compliance: Drive adherence to regulatory requirements and support internal/external safety audits and safety case documentation.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Bridge operations, engineering, legal, and policy teams to build consensus and transparency on safety topics.
• Tooling & Process Improvement: Develop scalable processes and tools for safety flagging, escalation, and decision-making.

We're Looking For Someone Who Has:

• Experience building or leading safety councils, governance boards, or cross-functional working groups, ideally spanning multiple teams or geographies.
• Background in safety or operations leadership, ideally in autonomous vehicles, ADAS, robotics, or a similarly regulated/complex domain.
• Experience running safety programs that span field operations, compliance, and technical teams.
• Strong knowledge of safety frameworks and ability to apply them in operational contexts.
• Proven track record building and scaling processes and governance structures that withstand operational pressure.
• Excellent cross-functional communication skills to influence engineering, policy, and frontline teams alike.

Nice to Have:

• Background in standardizing safety practices across global operations, including documentation systems, training programs, or council governance.
• Direct experience with autonomous vehicle or ADAS testing operations.
• Familiarity with functional safety and autonomy standards.
• Hands-on exposure to safety case development or audits.
• Background working with regulators or certification bodies on safety compliance.
• Prior experience building internal safety monitoring tools or incident tracking systems.

Autonomy is one of the leading technological advances of this century that will come to impact our lives. The work you'll do at Applied will meaningfully accelerate the efforts of the top autonomy teams in the world. At Applied, you will have a unique perspective on the development of cutting edge technology while working with major players across the industry and the globe.

Don't meet every single requirement? If you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that they will abide by the requirements of various regulations prohibiting discrimination and require affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability.