Senior Safety Systems Engineer

Focused • Austin, TX

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Focused Energy is seeking a Senior Systems Safety Engineer to support its Austin facility. This role is an embedded engineering safety position, focused on working directly with engineering and operations teams to identify hazards, evaluate system risks, and develop practical mitigation strategies throughout the system lifecycle. The position will partner closely with the central safety function in Germany while providing local technical ownership for engineering safety execution in Austin. This role is ideal for a technically complex and evolving site where continuous risk assessment is crucial.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Safety Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in a systems safety, engineering safety, operational safety, or closely related technical role in a high-risk or highly regulated environment.
• Demonstrated experience performing structured hazard analyses and translating findings into practical engineering and operational controls.
• Ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary engineering and operations teams in a fast-moving R&D, prototype, or advanced manufacturing environment.
• Strong working knowledge of low-voltage electrical, mechanical, laser, cryogenic, or process hazards relevant to complex technical systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Comfort operating in a hands-on environment where system definition is evolving and risk assessments must keep pace with development.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree is a plus.
• Experience supporting Class 3B / Class 4 laser systems, laser laboratories, or high-energy optical systems.
• Experience with low-voltage industrial electrical systems, including facility mains-fed three-phase equipment, and with controls such as interlocks, grounding, isolation, lockout-tagout, and safe access boundaries.
• Familiarity with commissioning, startup, validation, and operational readiness processes for new or modified systems.
• Experience supporting safety in construction, facility buildout, equipment installation, or laboratory expansion projects.
• Knowledge of risk assessment approaches used in R&D, industrial, energy, aerospace, or complex equipment environments.
• Experience working across international teams or matrixed organizations where system ownership and safety governance are shared.
• Professional certification such as CSP, PE, CFSE, LSO, or similar is a plus, but not required.

Responsibilities

• Act as the engineering safety partner for the Austin site, working closely with TTE, laser, facilities, and operations teams to assess and manage risk throughout design, installation, validation, commissioning, and routine operation.
• Lead or facilitate structured hazard analyses such as HAZID, FMEA, JHA, what-if reviews, and task-based risk assessments for laser systems, low-voltage electrical systems including facility mains-fed three-phase equipment, cryogenics, gases, mechanical assemblies, controls, and supporting infrastructure.
• Review system designs, changes, and experimental setups to ensure safety considerations are incorporated early and practically. Support engineering teams in translating hazard findings into design requirements, interlocks, procedures, and operational controls.
• Provide hands-on safety support during equipment installation, facility modifications, subsystem integration, validation, and commissioning activities. Ensure hazards are identified and controlled before work is performed and before systems are released for operation.
• Support the development of safe operating envelopes, startup/shutdown strategies, lockout-tagout boundaries, access controls, permits, and readiness reviews for new and modified systems.
• Work with engineers, technicians, and operations personnel to define and track corrective actions, engineering controls, administrative controls, and procedural safeguards to closure.
• Develop and maintain risk assessments, safety reviews, operating constraints, work instructions, and engineering safety documentation needed to support project execution and operational use.
• Coordinate with the broader company safety function and with safety system definition led from Germany to ensure consistency of approach, alignment of standards, and appropriate escalation of major risks.
• Participate in investigations of incidents, near misses, and abnormal events related to equipment or operations. Support root cause analysis and the development of practical corrective and preventive actions.
• Provide technical safety guidance to engineers, technicians, and operators, and support the rollout of project-specific safety training tied to real system hazards and work activities.
• Support compliance with applicable OSHA, NFPA, ANSI, and other relevant requirements as they relate to engineering systems and operational activities, in partnership with site operations and the central safety function rather than as sole owner of all site compliance programs.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Company ownership in the form of stock options
• Medical, Dental, Vision insurance (active on the 1st day of employment)
• Unlimited PTO
• Snacks and Drinks
• 401k plan with company match up to 4%
• State-of-the-art Windows or Apple Laptops, keyboard, mouse, and headset
• Regular events to foster team bonding, encourage collaboration, and build a strong, supportive company culture.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior