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Salary: USD 170,000 - 190,000 / annual
AIM Intelligent Machines builds autonomous heavy equipment—robots that operate on jobsites worldwide, replacing decades of manual, error-prone work with intelligent machines. The company fuses software, hardware, robotics, and mission-critical infrastructure into ruggedized, safety-critical systems. Safety is foundational to everything AIM builds, especially as systems operate in complex, unpredictable environments where software and hardware decisions have direct physical consequences.
You will define AIM's functional safety strategy for autonomous heavy equipment platforms. This is a senior technical leadership role focused on establishing safety practices, not compliance documentation. Your responsibilities include:
**Define Functional Safety Strategy**: Develop and drive the safety strategy for AIM's autonomous platforms. Evaluate applicable safety standards (ISO 26262, IEC 61508) and determine how established frameworks inform AIM's approach. Identify gaps in existing processes and establish practical engineering requirements. Define safety objectives, acceptance criteria, and verification expectations.
**Design Safety-Critical Systems**: Collaborate with firmware, electrical, robotics, and systems engineering teams to develop safety requirements and mechanisms. Conduct hazard analyses, risk assessments, and failure mode evaluations. Translate safety requirements into hardware and software design constraints. Review system architectures and identify potential safety risks before deployment.
**Build and Validate the Safety Case**: Define verification and validation requirements for safety-critical functionality. Develop or guide test strategies demonstrating safety requirements are satisfied. Establish traceability between hazards, safety requirements, implementation, and verification evidence. Support safety assessments and certification activities.
**Drive Safety Through Product Development**: Participate in engineering design reviews and evaluate safety implications of technical decisions. Investigate safety-related defects and incidents. Work with teams to identify root causes and implement corrective actions. Evaluate release readiness and escalate or block deployments when critical safety requirements are not satisfied.
**Establish Engineering Safety Practices**: Help establish scalable safety engineering processes as AIM expands hardware platforms and deployments. Improve safety documentation, verification practices, and engineering review processes. Mentor engineers on functional safety principles and practical risk mitigation. Promote a culture where safety is integrated into engineering decisions from the beginning.
You'll have the opportunity to define the safety foundation for autonomous heavy machinery operating in the real world, with high-impact ownership of safety strategy across next-generation platforms. You'll collaborate with engineers across firmware, robotics, electrical, systems, and field operations, and have travel opportunities to real-world jobsites across the U.S. and globally.
**Requirements**: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Robotics, Systems Engineering, or equivalent practical experience. 5+ years of professional experience in embedded systems, functional safety, or safety-critical product development, including demonstrated senior-level technical ownership. Direct experience contributing to the development and release of a safety-critical product involving both hardware and software. Hands-on experience applying functional safety standards such as ISO 26262, IEC 61508, or comparable industry standards. Experience performing hazard analysis, risk assessments, and failure mode analysis. Experience defining safety requirements and developing verification strategies for safety-critical systems. Strong understanding of embedded hardware and software interactions. Demonstrated ability to make independent engineering decisions and work across multidisciplinary teams.
**Preferred Qualifications**: Experience developing safety-critical systems for autonomous vehicles, robotics, aerospace, or heavy equipment. Experience establishing safety processes or strategies for new products or emerging technologies. Familiarity with safety cases, certification processes, and safety evidence management. Experience with safety mechanisms involving sensors, actuators, controllers, or machine interfaces. Experience working in environments with evolving requirements and limited established standards. Experience supporting safety-critical products through field deployment and operation.
