About The Position
As ADMT, we develop and realize fully autonomous mobility and transportation services. Our mission is to make mobility-and transportation-as-a-service safe, accessible and most attractive for society. For that, we cover the entire ground from strategy and business development, software development and end-2-end integration, fleet operations to next-generation self-driving systems. Being the driver in Volkswagen Group initiative for mobility solutions, we’re an integral part of Volkswagen Group's future success. Brief Role Description The Safety & Incident Response Process Owner is responsible for owning and continuously improving the operational safety and incident response processes for Level 4 autonomous driving deployments for US based operations. This role ensures that safety incidents, anomalies, and emergencies are handled in a structured, timely, and effective manner to protect people, assets, and public trust. The role acts as a central coordination point during safety-critical events and ensures that lessons learned are translated into lasting safety improvements. This role owns operational safety execution and incident response and does not own system-level safety case development or safety standard compliance decisions. The position plays a key role in demonstrating operational safety readiness to internal stakeholders and external authorities.
Requirements
- 7+ years of Experience in operational safety, incident response, or fleet operations within a safety-critical or regulated environment.
- Experience working with complex, software-driven systems (e.g., autonomous vehicles, robotics, aviation, rail, or similar domains)
- Exposure to on-road testing or deployment operations, preferably in autonomous driving or ADAS program
- Experience defining, owning, or improving operational processes and procedures
- Experience working in cross-functional and international teams
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Safety Management, Transportation, or a related field or equivalent experience in operational safety or incident response within a safety-critical environment
- Strong analytical and decision-making skills under time pressure
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
- Ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, operations, legal, communications, and leadership teams
- Structured, process-oriented mindset with strong attention to detail
- Ability to balance safety, operational continuity, and regulatory expectations
- High sense of responsibility, integrity, and safety ownership
- Strong Knowledge of Level 4 autonomous driving concepts, Operational Design Domains (ODDs), and fallback strategies
- Strong knowledge with incident classification, escalation models, and emergency response frameworks on federal and state level.
- Experience with safety incident investigation and root cause analysis methodologies
- Strong understanding of Safety Management System (SMS) principles as applied to operational safety, incident management, and continuous improvement
- Understanding of human–machine interaction in operational contexts (remote operators, safety drivers, dispatch)
- Experience with safety reporting, safety KPIs, and operational safety metrics
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree in Engineering, Safety Management, Transportation, or a related field
- Advanced training or certification in Safety Management Systems (SMS), operational risk management, or incident command frameworks (e.g., aviation, rail, nuclear, or equivalent domains)
- Working awareness of system safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262, ISO 21448 / SOTIF, UL 4600, regulatory and SMS frameworks) sufficient to support effective coordination with system safety and engineering teams
- Working knowledge of perception, prediction, planning, and control stacks
- Familiarity with AI/ML failure modes (e.g., dataset bias, corner cases, overfitting, distribution shift)
- Experience with simulation-based safety validation and scenario generation
- Familiarity with SIL, HIL, and vehicle-in-the-loop testing approaches
- Experience with safety analyses including HARA, FMEA, FTA, and scenario-based safety assessment
- Experience interacting with regulators, assessors, or certification bodies in ADS contexts
- Participation in industry working groups, standards committees, or safety consortia
Responsibilities
- Own and maintain the end-to-end incident response process for Level 4 autonomous vehicle operations in close collaboration with the global organization
- Act as a safety authority or coordinator during safety-critical incidents and operational emergencies
- Ensure timely classification, escalation, and communication of incidents according to defined procedures
- Escalate systemic safety issues and trends to the Safety Management System governance function for assessment and incorporation into system-level safety controls
- Coordinate cross-functional responses involving operations, engineering, legal, PR, and leadership
- Drive or support safety incident investigations and root cause analyses
- Define, track, and verify completion and effectiveness of corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) arising from safety incidents, operational risk assessments, and audits
- Identify systemic operational safety risks and trends based on incident data
- Drive continuous improvement of operational safety processes and controls
- Define, document, and maintain operational safety procedures, playbooks, and escalation paths
- Support safety readiness reviews for new ODDs, vehicles, features, or operational changes
- Ensure alignment between operational processes and the organization’s Safety Management System
- Monitor and report operational safety performance using defined KPIs and indicators
- Work closely with fleet operations, remote operations, and on-road teams to ensure safe execution
- Support training and qualification requirements related to incident response and safety procedures
- Provide safety guidance during live operations, testing, and deployment activities
- Contribute to the definition of operational safety constraints and go/no-go criteria
- Support regulatory reporting obligations related to safety incidents and operational events
- Prepare safety incident summaries and reports for internal management and external stakeholders
- Participate in audits, assessments, and reviews related to operational safety and incident response
- Support engagement with authorities, emergency services, and partners as required
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
