Vehicle Operational Safety Specialist

Job Details

• Location: San Jose CA or Ann Arbor, MI
• Work Setting: Hybrid
• Hire Type: Contract
• Pay: Hourly
• Pay Type: W2/C2C
• Pay Range (USD): $45-50/hr
• Travel Percentage: N/A
• Allow Staffing Firms & Recruiters to Apply on Behalf of a Candidate: Yes
• Ability or Willingness to Provide Sponsorship: No

• Location: San Jose CA or Ann Arbor, MI
• Shift: Monday - Friday – 9AM – 5PM

We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive individual to join our Global Operational Safety and Regulatory team as a Contingent Worker.

• The primary responsibility of this role is to support the safe, compliant, and risk-informed execution of vehicle operations through operational safety oversight, safety case reviews, and mission constraint evaluation.
• This role works closely with operations, engineering, quality, and safety teams to assess operational readiness, identify hazards, and support data-driven, risk-based decision-making for vehicle deployment and testing activities.

Further Description of Roles and Responsibilities

• Conduct vehicle operations safety patrols, inspections, and operational assessments to identify unsafe conditions, process gaps, and operational risks.
• Review and support safety release cases, operational safety cases, and supporting evidence to evaluate operational readiness and risk acceptance decisions.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, and safety stakeholders to ensure operational assumptions, constraints, and mitigations are adequately documented and maintained.
• Track, investigate, and follow up on audit findings, safety concerns, incidents, and corrective actions to ensure timely resolution and continuous improvement.
• Assist in developing, reviewing, and improving operational processes and procedures.

Skillset Requirements

• Hazard identification and risk assessment: Experience recognizing operational risks, evaluating their severity and likelihood, and recommending appropriate mitigations and controls.
• Safety case and release-readiness review: Ability to review safety release cases, operational safety cases, risk-acceptance documentation, and supporting evidence to determine whether operations are ready to proceed safely.
• Corrective action follow-up: Strong organizational skills to track findings, action owners, due dates, evidence of completion, and closure of safety-related issues.
• Process and procedure development: Ability to write, review, and improve operational procedures, work instructions, checklists, controls, and safety documentation.
• Technical documentation: Strong written communication skills for creating clear inspection reports, audit findings, safety assessments, risk registers, and evidence packages with careful attention to detail.
• Continuous improvement mindset: Ability to use audit results, incident trends, and lessons learned to improve procedures, reduce risk, and strengthen operational readiness.

Required Education

• A degree in Engineering, Safety, Operations, Quality, or a related technical field would likely be relevant.

Required Work Experience

• Vehicle operations safety — inspections, safety patrols, and operational assessments.
• Hazard identification & risk assessment — identifying risks, evaluating severity/likelihood, and recommending mitigations.
• Safety case / release-readiness reviews — reviewing safety cases, risk-acceptance documentation, and supporting evidence.
• Corrective action & audit tracking — tracking findings, incidents, action owners, deadlines, and closure.
• Process & procedure development — creating/reviewing procedures, work instructions, checklists, and controls.
• Technical documentation — writing inspection reports, audit findings, safety assessments, risk registers, and evidence packages.
• Cross-functional collaboration — working with operations, engineering, quality, and safety teams.
• Continuous improvement — using audit/incident findings and lessons learned to improve operational safety.

Applied Skills

• Vehicle Safety & Validation
• Hazard/Risk Assessment
• Defect & Incident Tracking
• Safety Documentation
• Audit & Compliance
• Corrective Actions
• Process Improvement
• Technical Testing & Reporting