[Hiring] Principal System & AI Safety Engineer @Edge Case Research

Role Description

Help reinvent how the world assures autonomous and AI-enabled systems.

This is not a conventional compliance role. We are looking for a system safety thought leader and entrepreneurial builder who wants to solve problems that no single engagement or engineering team could address alone.

You will apply Guardian AI to complex customer programs, identify repeatable problems, invent better methods, and work directly with our product team to turn expert knowledge into scalable capabilities. You will help define the emerging discipline of AI-assisted safety engineering while influencing the product, company, and broader field.

This role is ideal for someone who combines deep technical credibility with entrepreneurial energy: someone who sees an unsolved problem and wants to build the method, workflow, and product that solves it.

What You'll Own

• Solve high-consequence safety problems
• Lead system safety work for autonomous and complex systems
• Pioneer AI-assisted safety engineering
• Determine where AI improves engineering performance and where expert judgment must remain decisive
• Set the technical bar
• Establish validation practices customers can trust in safety-critical environments
• Turn expertise into product
• Shape safety architectures and requirements
• Advance digital safety cases
• Help move the field forward
• Elevate the team

What Success Looks Like

• Customers solve safety problems that previously seemed too complex, expensive, or time-consuming
• Recurring engineering challenges become reusable Guardian AI workflows and product capabilities
• AI-assisted workflows improve speed and insight without weakening rigor, traceability, or human accountability
• Edge Case becomes increasingly recognized as a leader in next-generation system safety

Qualifications

• A strong record of accomplishment in system safety through high-consequence programs, influential research, technical leadership, or a combination of these
• Expertise in methods such as PHA, FHA, SHA, FTA, FMECA, STPA, HARA, or related approaches
• Experience with frameworks such as MIL-STD-882E, JSSSEH, ISO 26262, ISO 21448/SOTIF, ARP4761, or DO-178C
• Experience developing safety requirements, plans, cases, assessment reports, or comparable assurance artifacts
• Ability to move between detailed analysis, system architecture, customer strategy, and product design
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• A builder's mindset: initiative, curiosity, comfort with ambiguity, and a desire to create repeatable solutions
• Enthusiasm for AI and automation, paired with sound judgment about their limitations
• U.S. work authorization. Employment sponsorship is not available

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD preferred in system safety, systems engineering, robotics, controls, computer science, AI/ML, human factors, or a related field. Exceptional equivalent experience is welcomed
• Recognized contributions through research, publications, patents, standards, conference presentations, or industry leadership
• Experience with autonomous systems, ML safety, AI assurance, behavioral safety, or adaptive systems
• Startup, product, advanced research, or zero-to-one development experience
• Familiarity with digital engineering, MBSE, Cameo, or digital safety cases
• Experience working directly with software product and engineering teams
• CSP, CFSE, CFSP, or a related certification

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays
• Washington state applicants only: Full-time employees accrue at least 13 hours per month of Paid Time Off (PTO) to be used for incidental absences and other reasons; and receive at least 96 hours for holidays

Pay Rate

The annual base salary range for this position is $200,000 - $215,000. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Edge Case considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.

Company Description

At Edge Case, our mission is to enable the safe deployment of frontier technologies and sophisticated systems. Edge Case exists to solve one of technology's most consequential problems: deploying autonomous, AI-enabled, and complex systems without compromising safety.

Our team includes recognized leaders in autonomous-system safety. Across defense, aerospace, automotive, energy, and other high-consequence industries, we help organizations move frontier technologies from promising prototypes to trusted real-world systems.

Guardian AI is our AI-assisted safety intelligence platform. It combines modern software with expert judgment to help teams identify hazards earlier, develop stronger safety arguments, and maintain decision-ready safety evidence.