Director, Organizational Safety

Aurora Innovation•Pittsburgh, PA

20h•Hybrid

About The Position

Aurora is seeking a highly experienced and strategic Director, Organizational Safety to spearhead the continuous improvement and scaling of our Enterprise Safety Management System (SMS). Reporting directly to the Chief Safety Officer, you will serve as a critical pillar of Aurora’s safety leadership team. You will be the primary architect of the Aurora Approach to Organizational Safety, ensuring that safety is integrated into the DNA of our corporate culture and business processes. You will maintain and continuously improve Aurora’s strong Safety Culture, and ensure appropriate safety assurance protocols are in place to maintain the health of Aurora Safety Programs. You will also establish and maintain credible and appropriate approaches to managing safety risk to the organization, products and operations, including responsibility for the governance of the highest level risk-based decision-making via management of the Safety Review Board.

Requirements

10+ years of experience developing and/or managing a comprehensive Safety Management System (SMS) within a safety-critical transportation industry (e.g., Automated Driving Systems, Aviation, Rail, Marine, or Automotive).
At least 5 years of experience managing diverse safety teams and leading through other managers to derive results through highly effective teams.
Demonstrated mastery of applied, credible methodologies for Safety Risk Management (SRM) at an enterprise level.
Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Safety Management, or a related technical discipline.
Deep understanding of safety-critical systems and relevant standards and best practices (e.g., FMVSS, ISO, ICAO, AVSC).
Exceptional ability to synthesize and derive insights from complex data for C-suite executives, business partners, and regulatory bodies.
Experience representing an organization in industry forums or helping shape national/international safety standards.

Nice To Haves

Master's or Ph.D. in Safety Engineering, Human Factors, or Safety Management
Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Director of Safety (CDS), or equivalent.
Direct experience with the unique risk management challenges of autonomous vehicle technology or complex robotics.

Responsibilities

Ensure the Aurora SMS framework remains state of the art and appropriate to manage the unique risks of autonomous technology development and operations, that it is scalable, transparent, and aligned with industry-leading standards and delivers measurable improvements.
Ensure that the SRB maintains appropriate visibility on enterprise safety risks and is presented with necessary and timely information to make decisions on managing safety risks. Manage the agenda, risk synthesis, and follow-up for Aurora’s highest safety governing body to ensure the Accountable Executive is appropriately informed on safety. Support SRB decision making for Aurora driverless products before they are released on public roads.
Lead the enterprise-wide program for reporting, triaging, and investigating safety concerns, fostering a "just culture" where employees feel empowered to report risks without fear of retribution.
Define and oversee the methodologies used for identifying, evaluating, mitigating, and monitoring organizational, product and operations safety risks.
Provide strategic direction to the Manager of Fleet Safety, ensuring that DOT/FMCSA compliance, driver fitness, and vehicle inspection programs are appropriate for Aurora product and operations and ensuring execution is conformant to safety policies.
Lead and mentor a high-performing team, including the Fleet Safety organization and SMS Team.
Drive the internal and external communications narrative regarding safety performance, safety case/SMS integration and cultural maturity.
Partner with Legal, HR, Finance, and Engineering to ensure safety risk mitigations are reflected in corporate policies and insurance frameworks.