Principal System & AI Safety Engineer

Edge Case Research•Pittsburgh, PA

1d•Remote

About The Position

Edge Case is seeking a Principal System & AI Safety Engineer to help reinvent how the world assures autonomous and AI-enabled systems. Our mission is to enable the safe deployment of frontier technologies and sophisticated systems, solving the consequential problem of deploying autonomous, AI-enabled, and complex systems without compromising safety. We work across defense, aerospace, automotive, and energy industries, helping organizations transition frontier technologies from prototypes to trusted real-world systems. Our platform, Guardian AI, uses AI-assisted safety intelligence to help teams identify hazards earlier, develop stronger safety arguments, and maintain decision-ready safety evidence. This is a unique opportunity for a system safety thought leader and entrepreneurial builder to apply Guardian AI to complex customer programs, identify repeatable problems, invent better methods, and collaborate with our product team to scale expert knowledge into product capabilities. You will help define the emerging discipline of AI-assisted safety engineering and influence the product, company, and broader field. This role is ideal for someone with deep technical credibility and entrepreneurial energy who wants to build solutions to unsolved problems.

Requirements

A strong record of accomplishment in system safety through high-consequence programs, influential research, technical leadership, or a combination of these.
Expertise in methods such as PHA, FHA, SHA, FTA, FMECA, STPA, HARA, or related approaches.
Experience with frameworks such as MIL-STD-882E, JSSSEH, ISO 26262, ISO 21448/SOTIF, ARP4761, or DO-178C.
Experience developing safety requirements, plans, cases, assessment reports, or comparable assurance artifacts.
Ability to move between detailed analysis, system architecture, customer strategy, and Product design.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
A builder's mindset: initiative, curiosity, comfort with ambiguity, and a desire to create repeatable solutions.
Enthusiasm for AI and automation, paired with sound judgment about their limitations.
U.S. work authorization.
Employment sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

PhD preferred in system safety, systems engineering, robotics, controls, computer science, AI/ML, human factors, or a related field. Exceptional equivalent experience is welcomed.
Recognized contributions through research, publications, patents, standards, conference presentations, or industry leadership.
Experience with autonomous systems, ML safety, AI assurance, behavioral safety, or adaptive systems.
Startup, product, advanced research, or zero-to-one development experience.
Familiarity with digital engineering, MBSE, Cameo, or digital safety cases.
Experience working directly with software product and engineering teams.
CSP, CFSE, CFSP, or a related certification.

Responsibilities

Solve high-consequence safety problems
Lead system safety work for autonomous and complex systems.
Help customers reason through novel hazards, operational uncertainty, and increasingly software- and AI-driven behavior.
Pioneer AI-assisted safety engineering by using Guardian AI to accelerate and strengthen analyses such as PHA, FHA, SHA, FTA, FMECA, STPA, and HARA.
Determine where AI improves engineering performance and where expert judgment must remain decisive.
Set the technical bar by critically evaluating AI-generated outputs for rigor, traceability, completeness, and alignment with applicable standards.
Establish validation practices customers can trust in safety-critical environments.
Turn expertise into product by recognizing recurring customer problems, prototyping better workflows, and partnering with the software team to transform insights into Guardian AI capabilities.
Shape safety architectures and requirements by advising customers on CONOPS, ODDs, hazard controls, system and subsystem safety requirements, levels of rigor, mitigations, and verification strategies.
Advance digital safety cases by helping organizations move from static documents to connected, maintainable digital safety cases and decision-ready safety evidence.
Help move the field forward by developing technical viewpoints and contributing to publications, standards, conferences, and senior industry conversations.
Elevate the team by mentoring engineers, challenging assumptions, sharing emerging research, and strengthening a culture of rigor, experimentation, and high ownership.