---
title: 'Operational Safety Lead - Defense at Applied Intuition'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/operational-safety-lead-defense-applied-intuition-sunnyvale-d76ksfsmhjrt'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-08'
---

# Operational Safety Lead - Defense at Applied Intuition

- **Company:** [Applied Intuition](https://feeny.ai/companies/applied-intuition)
- **Location:** Sunnyvale, CA
- **Compensation:** $150k–$250k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-29
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/applied/04d6bb12-c7a2-46c3-a15b-14a953f1de7d

## 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](http://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 role

As 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

We’re looking for someone who has:

- 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 ordinance

Travel Requirements:

- 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.

Security Requirements:

- 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](https://www.dcsa.mil/Personnel-Security/Background-Investigations-for-Applicants/Investigations-Clearance-Process/). 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 careers@applied.co. We will work with you!

## About Applied Intuition

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Applied Intuition builds software and digital infrastructure to bring physical AI — autonomous driving and robotics — to every moving machine on the planet.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series C; $1.5B total funding raised)
- **Headquarters**: Sunnyvale, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2017
- **Founders**: Qasar Younis (CEO) and Peter Ludwig (CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Autonomous driving, robotics, defense technology, simulation and validation software for ADAS/AD systems.
- **Target customers**: B2B — automotive OEMs (18 of top 20 global automakers), trucking, construction, mining, agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Defense and its allies.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “To build physical AI that creates a safer, more prosperous world.”

## Products & Services
- **Tools for Vehicle Intelligence**: Simulation, validation, and data management platforms for ADAS and autonomous vehicle development. SaaS and software tools for engineers building intelligent machines.
- **Vehicle OS**: An operating system for vehicles that manages over-the-air updates, data pipelines, and in-vehicle software, enabling automakers to deploy and maintain software-defined vehicles at scale.
- **Self-Driving Systems / Autonomy Stack**: End-to-end autonomous driving solutions, including perception, planning, and control, designed for cars, trucks, and off-road machinery.
- **NextGen OS & Infrastructure**: Platforms for defense, robotics, and next-generation physical AI applications, including solutions used by the U.S. military.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: ~$15 billion (as of 2024/2025, per LinkedIn profile)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of $1.5 billion; 1,153 employees (+55% YoY); 396 active job postings
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Floodgate, NVIDIA, Databricks; partners include 18 of top 20 global automakers and U.S. defense agencies.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Acquired EpiSci (Feb 2025), Caliber Data Labs, and entities in Germany/UK.
  - Headcount grew 55% YoY; 1,000+ engineers.
  - Office expansion to 12 countries (US, UK, Germany, Sweden, South Korea, Japan, India, etc.).
  - Active hiring — job postings up 117.6% YoY.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Deep domain expertise**: Founded by YC alum/former GM engineer (Qasar Younis) and ex-Google Maps/Android Automotive engineer (Peter Ludwig).
- **Talent density**: 1,000+ engineers, 40+ ex-CTOs, and 30+ former founders on staff — a unique concentration of senior, founder-level talent.
- **Breadth of industry coverage**: Serves automotive, defense, trucking, mining, agriculture, and construction — rare diversification in physical AI.
- **Trusted by government and top OEMs**: U.S. military and 18 of top 20 global automakers rely on their stack, creating high switching costs and deep moats.
- **End-to-end platform**: Covers simulation, validation, OS, and full autonomy stack — not just a point solution.

## Strategic Focus
- **Expansion into defense**: Heavy investment in defense AI, including acquisitions and dedicated government offices in Washington D.C., San Diego, and Ft. Walton Beach.
- **Scaling physical AI beyond automotive**: Driving autonomy into mining, agriculture, construction, drones, and satellites.
- **Growing global footprint**: Opening offices in Europe and Asia to serve local OEM and defense clients.
- **Deepening the research lab**: Building a world-class AI research team focused on real-world intelligence.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: “1,000 engineers, 40 ex-CTOs, and 30 former founders” — a high-agency, high-trust environment where engineers take ownership of hard problems from day one.
- **Impact**: Work on technology that goes from sports cars to fighter jets to mining trucks — real-world physical AI that saves lives and reshapes industries.
- **Benefits**:
  - 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
  - 50% 401(k) matching
  - Up to 12 weeks fully paid parental leave
  - Learning stipend for education and training
  - Fitness and wellness stipend
  - 25 free Lyra coaching/therapy sessions per year
  - Catered lunches and expensed dinners, snacks, and drinks at offices
  - Alumni network for long-term professional connections
- **Work model**: Office-first culture with global hubs (12 offices across US, Europe, and Asia). Not fully remote — roles are generally tied to a specific office location.

## Sources
1. [appliedintuition.com — About](https://www.appliedintuition.com/about)
2. [appliedintuition.com — Homepage](https://www.appliedintuition.com/)
3. [linkedin.com — Applied Intuition Company Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/applied-intuition-inc)
4. [appliedintuition.com — Careers](https://www.appliedintuition.com/careers)
5. [appliedintuition.com — Jobs](https://www.appliedintuition.com/jobs)

## Other roles at Applied Intuition

- [Technical Program Manager, Defense OS](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-defense-os-applied-intuition-sunnyvale-9bnc63pbf5qe) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Network and Security Engineer, Defense](https://feeny.ai/job/network-and-security-engineer-defense-applied-intuition-sunnyvale-nrjf7nmpp25m) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Full-Stack Engineer, C2 Command & Control](https://feeny.ai/job/full-stack-engineer-c2-command-control-applied-intuition-sunnyvale-p5c35qknx672) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Robotics Integration Engineer, Tech Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-integration-engineer-tech-lead-applied-intuition-sunnyvale-hgjjxk2a4qxc) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Software Engineer, C++ (Onboard Platform)](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-c-onboard-platform-applied-intuition-sunnyvale-p489bx55ft2a) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Autonomy Integration Engineer (Drone Stack)](https://feeny.ai/job/autonomy-integration-engineer-drone-stack-applied-intuition-sunnyvale-tan8xdrrvasy) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Autonomy Integration Engineer - Drone Stack](https://feeny.ai/job/autonomy-integration-engineer-drone-stack-applied-intuition-freeport-7fzbq9hxsp5t) — Freeport, FL
- [Software Engineering Manager (Defense/PhysicalAI)](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineering-manager-defense-physicalai-applied-intuition-washington-bfs8784c9g0k) — Washington, DC
- [Product Manager - Data Engine](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-data-engine-applied-intuition-sunnyvale-wbg3ysdbymb5) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Senior Software Engineer - Frontend Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-frontend-platform-applied-intuition-sunnyvale-fqhx4vndyafr) — Sunnyvale, CA