Safety Coordinator / Lab Lead

At Scale, we believe that the next frontier of artificial intelligence is embodied. The Physical AI team is focused on building general AI that can reason and act in the physical world. By leveraging Scale’s massive, industry-leading data infrastructure, we are partnering with frontier labs to build Foundation Models for Physical AI that will redefine the future of automation. To support our rapid hardware-software iteration cycles and ensure a world-class R&D environment, we are looking for a Safety Coordinator / Lab Lead to anchor our physical testing operations. Role Overview As the Safety Coordinator / Lab Lead , you will play a mission-critical role in scaling our physical testing infrastructure safely and efficiently. This is a high-impact position where your highest-priority responsibility will be owning the end-to-end execution of safety audits and incident documentation . Operating at the intersection of cutting-edge AI foundation models and complex robotics hardware, you will ensure our researchers, engineers, and autonomous systems interact in a secure, compliant, and highly organized environment. Core Responsibilities Priority Focus: Safety Audits & Incident Documentation Rigorous Safety Audits: Design, schedule, and execute routine safety audits across all physical testing environments, robot cells, and hardware workspaces to ensure continuous compliance with internal benchmarks and industrial safety standards. Incident & Near-Miss Documentation: Own the end-to-end incident management pipeline. Act as the primary point of contact for documenting, archiving, and analyzing any lab incidents, mechanical anomalies, or near-misses. Root-Cause Analysis (RCA): Lead structured post-incident investigations to identify systematic risks, authoring comprehensive RCA reports and implementing Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA). Data-Driven Risk Mitigation: Treat safety data as a core operational asset—tracking safety metrics and audit trends to proactively surface and mitigate physical, electrical, and battery-related hazards. Cross-functional standardization & accountability: Build the tools/processes and associated documentation to drive standardization regarding safe work practices across all multiple facilities. Build mechanisms to hold all employees and partners to a high bar for safety in any Robotics facility. Lab Leadership & Operational Excellence Daily Lab Operations: Manage the layout, organization, and upkeep of our physical testing arenas and motion-capture volumes using 5S or equivalent workplace organization methodologies. Hardware & Asset Management: Oversee the inventory, calibration, and maintenance of specialized robotics hardware, compute nodes, and safety gear (PPE). Cross-Functional Coordination: Collaborate closely with hardware and software engineering teams to smoothly manage workspace allocation for concurrent foundation model testing tracks. Safety Culture & Onboarding Onboarding & Compliance: Develop, update, and deliver mandatory safety onboarding modules for all incoming engineers, researchers, and partners. Culture Champion: Cultivate a proactive, "safety-first" culture that matches the velocity of Scale's rapid AI development without compromising on physical guardrails. Qualifications & Experience Requirements Experience: 3+ years of experience in lab management, safety coordination, or technical operations within a high-velocity robotics, aerospace, automotive, or autonomous vehicle R&D environment. Safety Protocols: Demonstrated experience building out structured audit workflows and detailed incident documentation pipelines (familiarity with OSHA standards or ISO robotics safety standards is highly valued). Technical Comfort: Ability to seamlessly navigate an environment featuring complex physical hardware, multi-modal sensors, and advanced compute rigs. Communication & Drive: Exceptional written communication skills for documentation, with the assertive communication style required to e…