Staff Systems Engineer - Operational Readiness and Field Safety

At the heart of our mission is an unwavering commitment to safety. We are seeking a practical and decisive systems engineer to bridge the gap between our AI development and trucking operations. You will lead the definition of operational procedures, deep-dive investigations into field events, and inform when and where our autonomy is ready to deploy.

You will...

• Lead Field Safety at Waabi by proactively establishing processes to escalate issues, reacting to any fleet issues in the field and owning Waabi's incident response.
• Define and conduct operational readiness testing for Waabi's autonomous vehicle operations and create the necessary evidence in the readiness framework.
• Work with operations and software teams to define protocols for nominal and off-nominal situations (e.g., severe weather response, sensor degradation, connectivity outages, and trip interruptions).
• Create processes for ongoing field safety monitoring and support the establishment of leading and lagging safety indicators and tooling needed.
• Analyze operational trends and past field events to drive systemic safety enhancements across both development and operations.
• Support the Operations team in developing and executing incident response training and operational preparedness activities.
• Interface with regulatory bodies and contribute to industry standards discussions around AV operational safety validation approaches.

Qualifications:

• Undergrad in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical field; advanced degree preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in safety-critical system development, validation, or operations.
• Strong understanding of systems engineering principles including requirements decomposition, V&V processes, and hazard analysis techniques (HAZOP, FMEA, FTA, STPA, etc.).
• Familiarity with relevant safety standards (ISO 26262, ISO 21448/SOTIF, UL 4600).
• Experience monitoring safety metrics and designing/executing test plans for complex autonomous or robotic systems.
• Excellent technical communication skills with ability to present complex safety arguments to diverse stakeholders.
• Strong project management skills and ability to coordinate across multiple technical teams.
• Track record of driving high-stakes engineering decisions with incomplete information.

Bonus:

• Direct experience with autonomous vehicle safety validation or deployment.
• Previous work in trucking, logistics, or commercial vehicle operations.
• Experience with operational safety management systems.
• Knowledge of regulatory frameworks for autonomous vehicles (FMVSS, SAE standards, state/provincial regulations).