Robotics Safety & Compliance Lead

Welocalize•San Francisco, CA

12d•Onsite

About The Position

We're hiring a Robotics Safety & Compliance Lead to own safety, risk, and compliance across our robotics operations — and to lead the function as it scales. This is a builder-leader role: you'll set the standard, establish the frameworks, and grow the program (and eventually the team) that keeps our labs and data collection environments safe, compliant, and audit-ready. You'll be the senior voice on safety in the room with operations, engineering, and EHS — setting direction rather than waiting for it, and building practical frameworks that support both speed and control.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in safety, compliance, or EHS roles (technical or lab environments preferred)
Demonstrated leadership experience — owning a program, leading cross-functional initiatives, or managing/mentoring others
Experience developing and implementing safety programs or frameworks from the ground up
Strong understanding of risk assessment and incident management
Ability to translate standards into practical, operational processes
Clear communication and proven ability to influence senior and technical stakeholders

Nice To Haves

Experience in robotics, manufacturing, industrial, or lab-based environments
Familiarity with safety standards (e.g., ISO frameworks such as ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066, ANSI/RIA R15.06)
People management experience, or experience building a function and its first hires
Software or technical background as a plus — comfort with ROS, robot control software, teleoperation and motion capture systems, or scripting (e.g. Python) to analyze incident and sensor data
Experience building or automating compliance tooling — audit tracking, incident dashboards, or safety checklists integrated into lab workflows
Experience supporting high-growth or rapidly scaling operations
Background working with cross-functional technical teams

Responsibilities

Own safety and compliance end to end across robotics labs and data collection environments
Set the safety strategy and roadmap as programs scale across sites, and define what "good" looks like for the function
Develop and implement safety standards, SOPs, and risk mitigation frameworks
Conduct risk assessments across different lab setups (humanoid, teleoperation, motion capture, etc.)
Serve as the escalation point and decision-maker on safety risk — including the authority to pause work when conditions require it
Lead incident response processes, reporting, and root cause analysis
Conduct regular audits and maintain audit readiness across sites
Build and lead safety training, onboarding, and a safety champion network across lab teams
Influence senior stakeholders and report on safety posture, risk trends, and program maturity to leadership
Hire, mentor, and grow safety and compliance support as the program expands
Partner with engineering on safe system design — cell layout, e-stops, guarding, interlocks, and operating envelopes
Balance operational speed with safety and compliance requirements