Staff Systems Engineer - Operational Readiness and Field Safety

Waabi, founded by AI visionary Raquel Urtasun, is the leader in Physical AI. With a world-class team, we're unlocking the next era of autonomous transportation with technology that's powering commercial autonomous trucks and robotaxis. Waabi is backed by and partners with world leaders in AI, automotive, logistics, and deep tech. With offices in Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas, and Pittsburgh, Waabi is growing quickly and looking for diverse, innovative and collaborative candidates who want to impact the world in a positive way. To learn more visit: www.waabi.ai

At the heart of our mission is an unwavering commitment to safety. We are seeking a practical and decisive systems engineer to bridge the gap between our AI development and trucking operations. You will lead the definition of operational procedures, deep-dive investigations into field events, and inform when and where our autonomy is ready to deploy.

You will...

• Lead Field Safety at Waabi by proactively establishing processes to escalate issues, reacting to any fleet issues in the field and owning Waabi's incident response.
• Define and conduct operational readiness testing for Waabi's autonomous vehicle operations and create the necessary evidence in the readiness framework.
• Work with operations and software teams to define protocols for nominal and off-nominal situations (e.g., severe weather response, sensor degradation, connectivity outages, and trip interruptions).
• Create processes for ongoing field safety monitoring and support the establishment of leading and lagging safety indicators and tooling needed.
• Analyze operational trends and past field events to drive systemic safety enhancements across both development and operations.
• Support the Operations team in developing and executing incident response training and operational preparedness activities.
• Interface with regulatory bodies and contribute to industry standards discussions around AV operational safety validation approaches.

Qualifications:

• Undergrad in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical field; advanced degree preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in safety-critical system development, validation, or operations.
• Strong understanding of systems engineering principles including requirements decomposition, V&V processes, and hazard analysis techniques (HAZOP, FMEA, FTA, STPA, etc.).
• Familiarity with relevant safety standards (ISO 26262, ISO 21448/SOTIF, UL 4600).
• Experience monitoring safety metrics and designing/executing test plans for complex autonomous or robotic systems. Excellent technical communication skills with ability to present complex safety arguments to diverse stakeholders.
• Strong project management skills and ability to coordinate across multiple technical teams.
• Track record of driving high-stakes engineering decisions with incomplete information.

Bonus:

• Direct experience with autonomous vehicle safety validation or deployment.
• Previous work in trucking, logistics, or commercial vehicle operations.
• Experience with operational safety management systems.
• Knowledge of regulatory frameworks for autonomous vehicles (FMVSS, SAE standards, state/provincial regulations).

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