We're seeking a Director of Safety who will define and lead the safety vision, strategy, and execution for our automated mobility service. This role is responsible for developing, and implementing a comprehensive Safety Management System (SMS) that integrates technical, operational, and organizational safety principles, and methodologies into every aspect of our company, ensuring safe, responsible deployment, and operations of Verne Service.

The role requires a proactive, human-centered approach to risk, and hazard management, leveraging methodologies from high-reliability, and safety-critical industries to infuse safety deeply to development, engineering, operations, and fleet management activities. The Director of Safety will ensure that our systems - and consequently, our service - meet the highest safety and regulatory standards while leading efforts to foster a strong safety culture.

Who are we?

At Verne, we're building an ecosystem to progress our society through a journey of curiosity and innovation. Named in honor of Jules Verne "the man who invented the future,". We are the first European solution for autonomous journeys. We adopt an integrated approach, including vehicle design, infrastructure development, and the full digital experience.

As a growing startup, we thrive on curiosity, innovation, and bold ideas. If you’re ready to make your mark in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, this could be the role for you.

What will you do?

As a Director of Safety, you will be based primarily on-site, and will closely collaborate with cross-functional teams including software engineers and quality assurance specialists, while reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer. Your responsibilities will include:

Safety strategy, and leadership

• Develop and lead the company-wide safety management system.
• Establish and enforce safety policies, best practices, and operational guidelines.
• Foster a safety-first culture by integrating safety into all engineering and operational decisions.
• Ensure safety is considered at every stage of product and service development, and operations, throughout the lifecycle.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, and operations teams to align and achieve safety goals.
• Practice hands-on approach by prioritizing safety matters in a given context

Risk assessment, and safety assurance

• Identify and mitigate potential hazards across vehicle operations and infrastructure.
• Conduct structured safety assessments, hazard analysis, and risk evaluations.
• Oversee scenario-based safety evaluations for system behavior under diverse conditions.
• Develop and refine failure response strategies to minimize impact and ensure system resilience.
• Lead post-incident analysis, root cause investigations, and continuous safety improvements.

Validation

• Define safety validation methods, combining simulation, controlled testing, and real-world data.
• Oversee structured safety scenarios to evaluate system performance, and edge cases.
• Ensure traceability, and justification of safety claims through structured safety cases.
• Guide the development of safety metrics, and performance benchmarks.
• Implement monitoring strategies to validate system safety at scale.

Operational, and fleet Safety

• Establish and oversee fleet safety monitoring and intervention strategies.
• Define operational protocols for vehicle disengagements, remote monitoring, and emergency handling.
• Ensure safety considerations extend to infrastructure, human-machine interactions, and service reliability.
• Collaborate with fleet management teams to enforce proactive safety measures in deployments.
• Maintain oversight of real-time incident detection and response procedures.

Regulatory, and Compliance Oversight

• Ensure adherence to evolving safety regulations, industry standards, and best practices.
• Engage with regulatory agencies and industry bodies to shape safety policies.
• Oversee the creation and maintenance of safety documentation and safety cases.
• Represent the company in regulatory discussions, public safety forums, and cross-industry collaborations.
• Monitor changes in safety requirements and integrate them into internal processes.

What do you need to succeed?

• Background safety leadership within automated vehicles, aviation, rail, or other safety-critical, high-reliability industries.
• Proven experience in building and leading safety programs within an organization.
• Strong understanding of functional safety in complex systems (e.g., ISO 26262 for automotive safety).
• Experience in hazard analysis, and risk assessment (e.g., FMEA, FTA, HARA, ISO risk management).
• Ability to develop and manage safety cases for system validation (e.g., PAS 1881, GSN).
• Experience in structured validation using simulation, controlled testing, and real-world trials.
• Familiarity with safety of the intended functionality (e.g., ISO 21448 – SOTIF).
• Ability to define and oversee scenario-based safety testing.
• Understanding of traceability in safety assurance to prove system behavior.
• Knowledge of fleet safety monitoring and intervention strategies.
• Experience in safety protocols for vehicle disengagements, emergency handling, and remote monitoring.
• Familiarity with incident reporting and investigation frameworks.
• Ability to ensure safe interaction between automated vehicles, and human operators
• Knowledge of failure response strategies and resilience engineering for automated systems.
• Strong understanding of safety regulations for automated driving (e.g., UNECE R157, EU 2022/1426, NHTSA AV Guidelines).
• Ability to develop safety documentation that meets regulatory approval standards.
• Familiarity with automotive and mobility cybersecurity considerations (e.g., ISO 21434; ISO 24089).
• Understanding of occupational health, and safety principles relevant to operational environments (e.g., ISO 45001).
• Experience engaging with regulators, industry bodies, and institutions.
• Ability to promote a safety-first culture through training, awareness, and accountability.
• Experience in cross-functional collaboration with business, engineering, operations, and policy teams.
• Strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills.

What’s in it for you?

Joining Verne means becoming part of a team shaping the future of autonomous mobility. Here’s what we offer:

• The chance to collaborate with experts from 20+ industries.
• Ownership of your projects, with the freedom to innovate and take initiative.
• A culture of transparency, feedback, and open communication.
• Comprehensive financial and wellbeing support designed to meet diverse needs.
• The excitement of working in a fast-growing startup where your ideas truly matter.

How can you apply?

If this role and our mission resonate with you, hit the Apply button! We typically review applications within 3-4 business days, but since we want to give each one the attention it deserves, please allow a little extra time if needed. Once we've had a chance to fully evaluate your submission, we’ll reach out with details about the next steps.

If shortlisted, here’s what to expect:

1. An initial HR interview focused on culture fit.
2. A technical interview.
3. A final interview with C-level.

Not sure if this role is the right fit?

We’re always looking for creators who challenge the status quo and aren’t afraid to take the lead. If that’s you, explore our story - we might have other opportunities that spark your interest.

Verne (Project 3 Mobility) is a company comprised of people with different qualities and backgrounds, because we believe our differences make us stronger. That is why we evaluate qualified applicants fairly and equally, without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, familial status, and other legally protected characteristics. All applications will be considered in accordance with the regulations of personal data protection.