Lead Functional Safety Engineer

Salary Range: 100000 to 200000 (Currency: USD) (Pay period: per-year-salary)

Who are We

Field AI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are building risk-aware, reliable, and field-ready AI systems that address the most complex challenges in robotics, unlocking the full potential of embodied intelligence. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-based architectures, and are charting a new course, with already-globally-deployed solutions delivering real-world results and rapidly improving models through real-field applications.
 
Learn more at https://fieldai.com.

About the Job

At FieldAI, we build autonomous robotic systems that operate in demanding, real-world environments where tight integration between hardware and software is critical. We’re looking for a Lead Functional Safety Engineer to support systems-level design, integration, and validation for our wheeled robotic platforms across both federal and commercial programs.
 
In this role, you will serve as the team’s resident safety expert and primary individual contributor, owning our approach to UGV functional safety. First, you will design and deploy a supervised safety system featuring remote E-Stops and indicator lights to ensure safe personnel interaction. Next, you will lead the transition to a non-line-of-sight autonomous safety architecture. You will architect the system, get hands-on with configuring the PLCs, and ensure seamless control handoffs between the safety hardware, human operators, and the autonomy stack. This is a highly impactful role for a hands-on engineer who can drive our immediate safety milestones and lay the groundwork to build and lead a dedicated safety team as the company scales.

What You'll Get To Do

 
Hands-on Hardware Configuration
Select, integrate, and configure Safety PLCs, safety lidars, and related hardware components
Work closely with the Electrical Engineering team to guide wiring diagrams, harness designs, and physical integration of safety hardware
Directly write, implement, and test ladder logic and safety configurations on the PLCs
 
Autonomy & Human-Machine Interface Integration
Design and implement safe transitions of control, allowing a human operator to seamlessly take over via an E-Stop/RC unit to unstick a robot, and safely transfer control back to the autonomy stack
Ensure all vehicle safety states are clearly communicated to on-site personnel through visual indicators and lighting
Collaborate with the core software team to establish reliable interfaces between hardware safety loops and high-level autonomy software
 
Field Deployment & Testing
Deploy, verify, and validate safety systems directly on physical robots operating in real-world construction environments
Troubleshoot, debug, and optimize system configurations to ensure maximum reliability and uptime in the field.
 
Technical Leadership & Scalability
Serve as the resident functional safety expert, filling critical knowledge gaps and guiding technical strategy for the broader engineering team
Establish scalable safety testing and validation procedures for future vehicle platforms
Act as a foundational team member with the opportunity to hire, mentor, and build out a dedicated safety engineering team in the future
 
Safety Case & Site Certification
Develop and maintain the Safety Case for each platform and mission: define hazards, assess risk per MIL-STD-882E, and build a data-backed argument that residual risk is acceptable
Partner with FLAG engineers to determine which safety performance data to collect and convert it into traceable evidence
Own the site certification process for unsupervised customer handover, including staged gates, readiness metrics, and go, conditional-go, or no-go determinations for each site
Analyze why interventions occur, separating site conditions from product limitations, and assess network coverage and reliability at each site
Define post-handover monitoring and the triggers that return a site to supervised operation

What You Have

BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or a related field with significant relevant industry experience
Deep, hands-on expertise in configuring, programming, and debugging Safety PLCs
Proven experience selecting and integrating hardware safety components such as remote E-Stops, safety relays, and safety lidars
Strong ownership mindset with the ability to operate as a self-directed individual contributor and technical authority
Ability to collaborate effectively with electrical engineers (for wiring/integration) and software engineers (for system handoffs)

The Extras That Set You Apart

Familiarity with relevant safety standards (e.g., ISO 13849, ISO 3691-4, IEC 61508, or ANSI/RIA R15.08)
Prior experience working with robotics, autonomous vehicles, off-road equipment, or heavy machinery
Experience deploying systems in demanding environments like construction, mining, or agriculture
Familiarity with software interfaces (ROS/ROS2, C++) to better understand the handoff between safety systems and the autonomy stack
Previous experience serving as a technical lead or mentoring junior engineers