Staff Safety Engineer

Third Wave Automation • Union City, CA

12d • $166,000 - $249,000

About The Position

At Third Wave Automation, we don’t just deploy technology; we transform how the world’s largest OEMs and logistics providers operate. Moving 3,000lb autonomous reach trucks with centimeter precision means that safety isn't just a regulatory hurdle—it is the bedrock of our product, our customer trust, and our entire business model. We are looking for a Staff Safety Engineer to act as our primary technical authority on system safety and compliance. We do not want a "box-checker" or someone whose favorite phrase is "because the standard says so." We are looking for an innovator—a deeply technical engineer who understands why a standard exists and can propose novel, compliant architectures that accommodate the bleeding edge of Physical AI. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will have full autonomy. You will inherit a strong foundation, but you will have the absolute authority to refine, correct, or completely rebuild our frameworks if there is a better way.

Requirements

• 10+ Years of Deep Expertise: A decade or more of hands-on experience in safety engineering within robotics, autonomous systems, automotive, or heavy industrial automation.
• Regulatory Mastery: Deep, working knowledge of OSHA regulations and core autonomy standards, specifically IEC 61508, ISO 13849 (Parts 1 & 2), and ISO/SAE 21434 (Cybersecurity).
• The "First-Principles" Mindset: The technical depth to challenge engineering assumptions and propose innovative safety solutions rather than relying on outdated boilerplate compliance.
• AI Fluency: Comfortable leveraging LLMs and modern software tools to 10x your efficiency in research, technical writing, and workflow automation without compromising engineering rigor.
• Diplomacy & Gravitas: Proven experience participating in industry standards committees and the professional polish to influence C-suite executives, OEMs, and regulatory bodies.
• A "Builder's" Autonomy: The ability to operate in a high-growth startup environment where you are trusted to define the roadmap, not just execute someone else’s plan.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Deep experience navigating functional safety audits and successfully achieving safety certifications for complex hardware/software systems.
• Outstanding interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex safety standards into clear, actionable engineering requirements.
• Outstanding interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex safety standards into clear, actionable engineering requirements.

Responsibilities

• Architect the Safety System: Partner directly with Product and Engineering leaders to weave safety into the DNA of our robotics platform. Your job isn't to slow them down; it’s to show them how to move fast, safely—pushing our systems to go above and beyond the baseline requirements.
• Industry Influence & Advocacy: Represent TWA on national and international standards committees. We are building tech that outpaces current regulations; you will advocate for and influence standards bodies to accommodate and safely regulate the next generation of embodied AI.
• AI-Augmented Execution: While AI will never dictate our safety architecture, we expect our leaders to be at the forefront of modern productivity. You will leverage generative AI and advanced tooling to parse dense regulatory updates, draft technical documentation, and streamline hazard analysis—acting as a massive force multiplier for your own output.
• Lead the Certification Vanguard: Own and drive the end-to-end certification processes for complex autonomous systems across hardware, software, and cybersecurity.
• The Voice of Trust: Act as the definitive safety authority for our Tier-1 OEM partners and customers. You will translate our rigorous safety architecture into customer confidence and business value.
• EHS Leadership: Safety starts at home. You will oversee our internal Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) programs, ensuring our field engineers, deployment teams, and lab staff have the right training, protocols, and protection to do their best work.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits. Health, Dental, Vision, and a 401k matching program, to boot!
• Flexible working schedule. Be productive when you work best.
• Show & Tell. We love to learn from one another, and see the cool stuff everyone is working on!
• Meals are covered. Lunch is provided every day, and dinner for those evenings that run long.
• Stacks of snacks. Donuts are a main food group, and the snack shelf is always stocked with a wide variety of items.
• Great teammates. One of the best parts of working here!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree