Director of Product Safety

Job Summary

The Director of Product Safety will oversee the safety function for Apptronik's flagship humanoid robot, Apollo. The role involves defining safety standards, driving safety requirements into product and systems engineering, and representing the company in regulatory bodies.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Own the product safety roadmap and prioritize safety requirements.
• Build and lead Apptronik’s product safety team, focusing on growth as Apollo scales.
• Represent Apptronik in relevant standards bodies and regulatory environments, contributing to the shaping of safety frameworks for humanoid robotics.
• Develop and document safety requirements and technical safety concepts, collaborating with design, systems engineering, and verification teams.
• Navigate evolving consumer safety regulations and secure necessary product safety certifications.
• Ensure safety is integrated into the development process and is not just a late-stage concern.
• Create essential safety documentation, including safety plans, risk analyses, compliance reports, and reliability assessments.
• Define Apptronik’s approach to safety for AI and ML-based systems, especially in collaborative environments.

Skills and Requirements

• Deep expertise in systems safety engineering, including HARA, DFMEA, FTA, and safety strategy development for complex electro-mechanical and robotic systems.
• Proven track record of product safety certification in commercial environments, including hands-on experience securing NRTL certifications.
• Solution-oriented individual with strong problem-solving skills, able to guide teams towards practical outcomes.
• Strong working knowledge of relevant safety standards, including R15.06, R15.08, IEC 62061, and IEC 61508, with experience in standards bodies preferred.
• Experience leading and building safety teams, attracting and retaining talented engineers.
• Pragmatic judgment in prioritizing safety efforts and distinguishing between true requirements and compliance-driven ones.
• Experience with safety for AI, ML, or autonomous systems, particularly in human-robot interaction or collaborative environments.
• Familiarity with requirements management tools such as JAMA or similar.
• Effective communication skills, able to represent Apptronik in external settings and clearly convey safety requirements to engineering and product teams.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering required; master’s degree preferred.
• 12 or more years of safety engineering experience on complex electro-mechanical systems or robotics, including a full product safety certification cycle.
• 5 or more years of experience building and managing a safety engineering team.
• TÜV or equivalent functional safety certification preferred.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds occasionally.
• Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen.
• Hearing and speech to communicate effectively.

Pay

The annual salary range is $320,000 - $350,000 base.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.