Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Safety

FieldAI; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

FieldAI’s Irvine team builds safety‑critical autonomous robotics systems for real deployments. You will own the independent safety layer, ensuring robots stay within safe envelopes across varied platforms, with tests in simulation and hardware‑in‑the‑loop.

Expect collaboration across planning, control, and integration teams to ship reliable autonomy. The role requires a strong background in robotics safety, real-time C++, Python tooling, and familiarity with ROS/ROS2 and sensor suites like LiDAR

Qualifications

• Master’s or higher in robotics, CS, EE, or related field or hands-on safety experience.
• 2+ years building safety, monitoring, or fallback systems for robots/autonomy.
• Strong foundation in planning and control with collision checking/trajectory validation.
• Deterministic, real-time, resource-bounded C++ for safety-critical systems.
• Solid Python skills for tooling, analysis, and test automation in Linux.
• Familiarity with mobile-robot safety standards (ISO 13482, 3691-4, 26262).
• Familiarity with ROS/ROS2 and sensors (LiDAR, depth cameras, IMUs).

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the safety layer independent from perception/planning and extend to new platforms.
• Build runtime monitors and collision backstops for commanded motions.
• Enforce safe operating envelopes with speed, zone, terrain, and proximity limits.
• Design fallback behaviors and logic for safe stop or slow down scenarios.
• Build watchdogs and health monitoring across sensors/computing/actuation.
• Lead hazard analyses and safety case development for new platforms.
• Verify safety layer in simulation, HIL testing, and field trials.
• Collaborate with planning/control/locomotion/integration teams to stay inside safety envelope.

Skills

C++ real-time programming

Python for tooling

Robotics safety verification

ROS/ROS2

LiDAR and sensor basics

Planning and control fundamentals

Safety standards familiarity

Education

Master’s degree or higher in Robotics, CS, EE, or related field

Bachelor’s with substantial hands-on experience in safety autonomous systems

Tools

ROS/ROS2

Job description

FieldAI’s Irvine team is where embodied AI meets real robots, real sensors, and real field deployments. Based in the heart of Southern California’s robotics ecosystem, we build risk-aware, reliable, field-ready AI systems that solve the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the full potential of embodied intelligence. If you want your work to ship, get tested on hardware, and improve through real deployments, Irvine is the place. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-only architectures, combining rigorous engineering with learning systems proven in globally deployed solutions that deliver results today and get better every time our robots run in the field.

About the Job

Field AI is building the future of autonomy—from rugged terrain to real-world deployment. We’re on a mission to develop intelligent, adaptable robotic systems that operate beyond simulation and thrive in unpredictable environments. As our Robotics Autonomy Engineer – Safety, you’ll own and advance the independent safety layer that keeps our robots safe around people, equipment, and terrain no matter what the rest of the autonomy stack decides. You’ll be part of a deeply technical team advancing real-world robotic capabilities through cutting‑edge research, simulation tools, and field validation. If building the guarantees that let robots earn trust in the real world excites you, and you want to work where your code hits the ground (literally)—this is your role. This is Field AI.

What You’ll Get To Do

• Own and evolve the safety layer that runs independently of perception, planning, and learned policies, and extend it to new wheeled, legged, and humanoid platforms
• Build runtime monitors and collision avoidance backstops that check every commanded motion against the environment before it reaches the robot
• Enforce speed, zone, terrain, and proximity limits, and define the safe operating envelope for each platform and deployment
• Design fallback and minimal risk behaviors, from graceful slow down to safe stop, and the logic that decides when to trigger them
• Build watchdogs and health monitoring across sensors, compute, communication, and actuation, so the robot always knows when it can trust itself
• Lead hazard analysis and safety case development for new platforms and new deployments
• Verify the safety layer in simulation, hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) testing, and field trials, with coverage that grows with every deployment
• Work with planning, control, locomotion, and integration teams so the nominal stack plans and moves within the safety envelope

What You Have

• Master’s degree or higher in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or a Bachelor’s degree with substantial hands‑on experience on safety related autonomous systems
• 2+ years of experience developing safety, monitoring, or fallback systems for robots or autonomous vehicles
• Strong grounding in classical planning and control, such as collision checking and trajectory validation
• Experience writing deterministic, real time, resource bounded C++ for systems where correctness matters more than features
• Solid Python skills for tooling, analysis, and test automation in Linux‑based environments
• A verification mindset: you think in terms of assumptions, failure modes, coverage, and evidence
• Familiarity with safety standards for mobile robots and autonomous systems (e.g., ISO 13482, ISO 3691‑4, ISO 26262)
• Familiarity with robotics middleware such as ROS/ROS 2, and with robot sensors such as LiDAR, depth cameras, and IMUs

The Extras That Set You Apart

• Functional safety experience in autonomous vehicles, industrial robots, or aerospace
• Experience with runtime assurance architectures that wrap a learned or complex controller
• Experience with formal or set based safety methods applied to real robots
• Experience defining operational design domains and monitoring when a system is outside them
• Experience with redundant sensing, safety rated hardware, or safety rated communication
• Experience taking a robotic product through safety assessment or certification
• Experience with legged or humanoid platforms, where balance and contact make safety envelopes harder to define

$100,000 - $230,000 a year

Our salary range is generous and we consider each individual’s background and experience when determining final compensation. Base pay may vary based on role scope, job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, and the Irvine, California market.

Why Join FieldAI in Irvine?

In Irvine, you will work where the robots are. Our local team builds and tests systems on real hardware with real sensors, then ships them to operate in unstructured, previously unknown environments around the world. We are solving one of robotics’ hardest challenges: reliable deployment outside the lab. Our Field Foundational Models™ raise the bar for perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, with an emphasis on explainability and safety for real‑world use.

You will collaborate with a world‑class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. We bring deep experience from organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, along with a track record of field deployments and strong performance in DARPA challenge segments.

Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution

We are looking for builders who want their work to leave the whiteboard and show up on robots. If you enjoy tackling tough, uncharted questions and working across disciplines, you will find your people here. Our teams span AI, software, robotics engineering, product, field deployment, and technical communication, all focused on shipping systems that perform in the real world.

Our headquarters is in Irvine, and we partner closely with teams there as well as colleagues across the US and around the world. Join us in Southern California and help define what dependable, field‑ready autonomy looks like.

We value diverse perspectives and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We evaluate candidates and employees based on merit, qualifications, and performance, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.