Operational Safety Lead - Defense
Applied
Job details
- ONSITE
- FULL_TIME
- Fort Walton Beach
- United States
- Verified 2026-09-29
- Salary: USD 150,000–250,000/yr
- Source: Applied public ASHBY source
Original job description
Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.
We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions
About the roleAs the Operational Safety Lead, you will be creating tools to aid our operational teams in evaluating and mitigating safety risks. You will also be the guiding authority on accepting operational safety risk for all projects. Projects include ground, maritime, and flight tests of crewed and uncrewed platforms for Group 1-5 UAS, including ordinance. Projects also include uncrewed and crewed maritime vehicles and ground vehicles. The COS will oversee, review, and revise as necessary the comprehensive operational safety program for ground, maritime, and flight test operations, including experimental test, demonstration, and corporate flights.
At Applied Intuition, you will:Set company safety requirements
Work with the leaders of each vertical to ensure their standard operating procedures (SOPs) support the company’s safety requirements
Work with project and vertical leads to aid in evaluating risks for each project
Serve as an impartial arbitrator of risk for projects and take direct authority for safety anytime the risk level goes above “Medium”
Stay informed of the latest regulatory guidance and industry best practices pertaining to operational safety
Disseminate new information and ensure company policies and procedures remain in compliance
Provide direct input to operators, test engineers, and aircrew by hosting safety stand-downs and recurrent safety training
Collaborate with testing organizations in developing, updating, and approving individual programs’ Test Risk Analyses Worksheets (TRW)
Be a leader in Test Risk Management through coordination with the Test Engineer of each program and by participating in test plan reviews, test operations, pre- and post-test operational briefings, and test readiness reviews
Collaborate in the development of and amendments to, company's operations and test documentation, including operations manuals, test SOPs, local procedures, etc. This includes procedures involving ground handling of aircraft
Lead periodic reviews of operational safety plans for each vertical and ensure that mitigation procedures are practical, being used, and are modified if required to ensure test team safety
Procure and provide necessary safety training to operators and those evaluating safety risk
7 + years industry experience
Bachelor's Degree
Graduate of a certified test pilot school or at least 10 years of testing experience to include leading test teams
Maintenance, experimental, developmental, or production test experience
Experience handling ordnance
Must be willing to travel up to 25% of the time
This role can be based in one of the following locations: Washington, DC; Mountain View, CA; San Diego, CA; Ann Arbor, MI; or Fort Walton Beach, FL. While preference will be given to candidates local to these areas, applicants from other U.S. locations will also be considered, provided they are willing to travel or potentially relocate for the position.
Must be a U.S. Citizen
Must have an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
For more information about U.S. security clearances: click here.
Nice to have:FAA Part 107 license (or better)
100 hours minimum PIC for Part 107
8 years of aviation, 4 years of aviation safety experience
Experience working with government test teams and navigating government Safety Review Boards
Advanced degrees will be considered as additional experience
Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.
FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request. If you require an accommodation please contact [email protected]. We will work with you!