Lead Systems Engineer

queueinc•Newark, CA

About The Position

As Queue's second systems engineer, you'll be a technical leader and a true partner to the Head of Systems Engineering. You'll hold real authority over the architecture, safety, and regulatory direction of a fully autonomous system that dispenses medication to patients — with no human in the loop to catch a mistake. This is a staff / principal level role. Together we'll build Queue's systems engineering culture: how we make decisions, how we define "safe enough," and how we prove it to ourselves, our partners, and the regulators who oversee pharmacy. You'll set the bar others work to, and your judgment will shape the company as we scale from pilot sites to nationwide deployment.

Requirements

8-12+ years of engineering experience on complex, safety-critical products, including senior technical leadership of system architecture or system safety
Track record of shipping systems with real safety, operational, and economic consequences. Direct robotics experience isn't required; we welcome candidates from autonomous vehicles, aerospace, medical devices, and industrial automation
Deep expertise in system safety for autonomous or software-intensive systems, including SOTIF (ISO 21448) and hazard analysis methods (STPA, FMEA, FTA)
Experience building and defending safety cases or equivalent risk arguments with external stakeholders
Deep expertise in system architecture, requirements definition, interface design, and design trades
Fluency across hardware, software, and operations, with depth in at least one of: autonomy/perception, embedded or distributed software, electronics, or mechatronics
Demonstrated ability to set technical direction and influence without formal authority across teams and leadership
First-principles thinker who is data-driven, decisive under uncertainty, and operates with high ownership and low ego

Nice To Haves

Experience with autonomy and functional safety standards such as UL 4600, ISO 26262, IEC 61508, or ISO 10218
Experience with medical device or aerospace safety frameworks (e.g., ISO 14971, IEC 62304, ARP4754A/ARP4761)
Direct experience engaging regulators (e.g., state agencies, NHTSA, FAA, FDA, DEA, Boards of Pharmacy) on novel technology
Experience shaping standards, policy, or regulatory frameworks for emerging technology
Experience building an engineering function or processes at an early-stage company
Experience scaling autonomous systems from pilot to fleet deployment

Responsibilities

Partner with the Head of Systems Engineering to define SE processes, standards, tooling, and review practices across the company
Own critical architectural decisions end to end, with authority to set direction and hold the line on margins, safety, and quality
Act as the technical integrator across hardware, software, autonomy, operations, and pharmacy teams
Mentor engineers across disciplines and grow systems thinking throughout the organization
Influence roadmap and product strategy alongside executive leadership
Define and own the system safety strategy for a fully autonomous pharmacy, from hazard analysis through a defensible safety case
Apply Safety of the Intended Function (SOTIF) methods to identify and reduce risk from performance limitations, edge cases, and unknown-unsafe scenarios — not just component failures
Lead hazard analyses (e.g., STPA, FMEA, FTA) spanning perception, dispensing verification, software, and human interaction
Set safety metrics, acceptance criteria, and residual-risk arguments; build the evidence (simulation, testing, field data) that supports them
Establish safety monitoring and incident-learning loops as the fleet grows
Own the regulatory strategy for autonomous dispensing across state Boards of Pharmacy and relevant federal authorities
Translate regulator objectives (patient safety, accuracy, traceability, accountability) into system requirements and verifiable evidence
Represent Queue's engineering case directly with regulators, pharmacy partners, and standards bodies
Help shape emerging regulatory frameworks for pharmacy automation, working with legal, pharmacy, and business leadership
Own system requirements, interfaces, and performance, reliability, and safety budgets
Build and maintain system-level models for throughput, reliability, safety, and cost; use them to drive quantitative trade studies
Resolve ambiguity through first-principles analysis and clear, well-documented decisions
Architect for scale, serviceability, and field reliability, updating assumptions as manufacturing and field data arrive