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AeroVect is a Series A autonomous ground-handling company transforming airline and airport operations with autonomous vehicle technology. The Operations Safety Lead will serve as the primary on-site safety authority at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), acting as the point of contact for identifying, surfacing, and resolving operational safety concerns.
You will own the Safety Management System (SMS) implementation at ATL with a primary reporting line to Safety and a dotted-line relationship to Operations. Your core responsibilities include:
**Airside Safety Oversight & Risk Mitigation**
Define quantitative safety thresholds and categorize mitigation risk severity. Review Near-Miss Concepts (NMCs) using data tools (Hex, Jira) and operator feedback to proactively address unmitigated risks. Write and maintain escalation logic for safety drivers during field anomalies. Present weekly risk reporting to the Atlanta Operations team and provide monthly safety bulletins to operators. Ensure strict compliance with airfield rules, airside driving standards, and operational mitigations tied to Deployment Readiness Reviews (DRRs).
**Autonomy Release Gating & Pre-Departure Execution**
Implement and enforce autonomy checklists for vehicle releases, airside incidents, and daily pre-departure checks. Act as an independent safety check on vehicle readiness prior to autonomous deployment. Sit in autonomous vehicles before new feature releases to evaluate performance, human factors, and sign off on operational readiness.
**Field Observability & Driver Governance**
Conduct regular shadow shifts (at least weekly across AM and PM shifts with different drivers) to evaluate real-world operating environments and driver behaviors. Work with the Operations Training team to oversee safety driver training standards and sign off on airside driving certification. Partner with the Training Supervisor on safety driver training, manual updates, and post-release mitigation debriefs. Coordinate with Airport Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) teams when specialized airside training or safety protocols are required. Participate actively in daily shift handoffs and operational planning meetings.
This role demands a safety-first mindset, assertive communication skills, and the ability to stop operations when safety is compromised. You will navigate competing priorities across operations and engineering to align team goals.
**Requirements**
- Demonstrated operational safety background in ramp operations/airfield safety at an airline, airport operator, or operational safety within industrial robotics or automated logistics hubs
- Proven track record of identifying operational hazards on the ground and establishing structured workflows to eliminate or mitigate risks
- Strong, assertive, and articulate communication skills with willingness to escalate safety concerns
- Full-time on-site presence at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Valid U.S. driver's license and clean driving record
- Ability to obtain an ATL airport badge (requires fingerprint-based background check) and an ATL airfield driving permit
- Willingness to undergo internal training and achieve autonomy certification within the first 60 days of employment
**Preferred Qualifications**
- Familiarity with airside safety regulations, ramp safety standards, or ground handling operational procedures
- Prior experience with autonomous functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262), though not required
