Operations Safety Lead Strategy & Ops

Front Door Defense; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Intuition, located in Sunnyvale, California, seeks an Operations Safety Lead to build and enforce a unified operational safety compliance framework across all programs. This role oversees procedures, incident taxonomy, compliance obligations, and evidence to regulators and customers.

The position requires leading cross-program efforts, standardizing processes, and driving incident analysis from classification through CAPA.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in operational compliance or safety-related program management.
• 3+ years in safety-critical or regulated environments.
• Experience building and maintaining a unified compliance framework.
• Strong root cause analysis and CAPA capabilities.
• Ability to produce audit-ready records and procedures.
• Experience with DOT/OSHA or similar regulations.

Responsibilities

• Build and run the unified operational safety framework across programs.
• Define SOPs, readiness checklists, and incident taxonomy.
• Own safety ownership map, including responsibilities and gaps.
• Develop safety procedures in partnership with Systems Engineering and Program Management.
• Represent Operations in change control and deployment readiness reviews.
• Manage incident investigations, RCA, CAPA, and verification of effectiveness.
• Drive cross-program safety trends and ensure lessons learned reach all teams.
• Report safety performance to leadership.

Skills

Operational compliance

Safety program ownership

Root cause analysis

Audit documentation

Cross-program coordination

Job description

Operations Safety Lead

Build and enforce a unified operational safety compliance framework across all programs

Location: Sunnyvale, California

Compensation: $150,000 - 200,000 USD / year

About The Role

Operational Safety Compliance And Assurance Manager

Applied Intuition builds and deploys autonomous systems across automotive, trucking, and industrials programs. As we scale, we need one company standard: consistent procedures, consistent records, and evidence we can put in front of any customer or regulator, in any program.

This role owns that standard. You will build and run the operational safety compliance and assurance framework across every program — procedures, incident classification, compliance obligations, and the records that evidence all of it.

This is a cross-program mandate, not a program-embedded one. Individual programs will continue to execute; your job is to make sure they execute against the same standard and can prove it.

Establish a unified operational framework across automotive, trucking, and industrials, including SOPs, readiness checklists, and incident taxonomy.

Own the operational safety ownership map, identifying responsibilities, gaps, and cross-functional dependencies.

Develop and maintain safety-driven operational procedures in partnership with Systems Engineering and Program Management.

Represent Operations in change control and deployment readiness reviews, ensuring execution readiness.

Own the operational compliance framework, including permits, authorizations, customer obligations, audits, and regulatory changes.

Ensure fleet compliance requirements are met and documented, including inspections, maintenance, safety-critical parts, defect containment, and DOT drug/alcohol testing.

Own incident management end to end, from classification and response through RCA, CAPA, and verified effectiveness.

Drive cross-program incident and safety trend analysis, ensuring lessons learned reach all field teams.

Define and maintain operational safety evidence, support safety cases and customer assurances, and report safety performance to leadership.

We're looking for someone who has: 7+ years in operational compliance, transportation safety, program management, or a related field, including 3+ years in a safety-critical or regulated environment.

Proven ownership of compliance programs, including building and maintaining the underlying framework.

Experience standardizing processes across multiple programs, sites, or business units.

Strong experience with root cause analysis and CAPA through verified closure.

Proven ability to build audit-ready documentation and recordkeeping systems.

Excellent written communication, with the ability to create clear operator procedures and concise executive-level summaries.

Nice to have: Experience in autonomous vehicles, trucking, mining, aviation, rail, or another safety-critical, regulated industry.

Experience across multiple operating domains, with the ability to distinguish true regulatory differences from local practices.

Working knowledge of DOT, FMCSA, OSHA, and MSHA requirements, plus familiarity with state AV permitting.

Familiarity with safety case methodologies and standards such as ISO 26262, SOTIF, or UL 4600.

Relevant safety certification (e.g., CSP, OSHA 500/501, or MSHA Part 46/48).

Experience supporting multiple customer programs with differing contractual and safety requirements.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.