Lead, Safety Assurance

Job Summary

May Mobility is seeking a Lead, Safety Assurance to serve as the company's primary authority on autonomous vehicle safety compliance. Reporting to the Legal team and supporting the engineering safety team, this senior subject matter expert role operates independently from the engineering Safety organization to provide an objective, compliance-anchored perspective on May Mobility's safety posture. This person will lead regulatory engagement on safety matters end-to-end—from monitoring emerging federal and state requirements to leading NHTSA correspondence, reviewing SGO incident narratives, and maintaining the compliance documentation that underpins May Mobility's ability to operate and expand.

This role requires someone who combines deep regulatory expertise with firsthand knowledge of how federal safety frameworks apply in practice—and who can translate that knowledge into durable internal processes appropriate in an agile startup environment, credible external submissions, and sound counsel to Safety and Legal leadership.

Essential Responsibilities

NHTSA & SGO Leadership

• Review, quality-assure, and approve SGO incident narratives prior to submission, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and appropriate framing
• Monitor NHTSA and state enforcement trends, proposed rulemakings, safety guidance, and regulatory developments at the state and federal levels; proactively surface implications to Safety and Legal leadership
• Support responses to NHTSA investigations or enforcement actions, coordinating with outside counsel and internal stakeholders as needed

Regulatory Compliance & Gap Analysis

• Monitor federal and state AV regulatory requirements and assess alignment with May Mobility’s internal safety policies, identifying gaps where internal standards fall short of the regulatory floor
• Support development of internal safety benchmarks, including review of the company SMS calibrated against applicable federal standards, including FMVSS, NHTSA frameworks, SAE standards, and other industry best practices
• Participate in enterprise risk management activities with a regulatory consequence lens, assessing whether identified operational risks carry regulatory implications
• Track emerging ADS-related guidance, enforcement trends, and state-level rulemakings; maintain a current regulatory landscape view for leadership

Compliance Documentation & Submissions

• Create and maintain a comprehensive library of compliance documentation, including regulatory context summaries, gap analyses, submission records, and background materials
• Prepare and review safety-relevant regulatory submissions and correspondence, ensuring accuracy of safety content and appropriate routing through Legal prior to submission
• Prepare supporting documentation for regulatory engagements where safety posture is relevant, including materials for meetings with state DOTs, federal agencies, and other stakeholders

Safety Assurance & Cross-Functional Advisory

• Advise on passenger and public safety best practices informed by federal standards, NTSB findings, and industry precedent; support their operationalization within May Mobility’s safety programs
• Provide regulatory compliance perspective to Safety leadership on safety case development, incident response, and operational risk decisions
• Coordinate with outside counsel on regulatory strategy, submission review, and government engagement as needed
• Brief executive and Legal leadership on regulatory developments, compliance status, and recommended response actions

Skills and Abilities

Success in this role typically requires the following competencies:

• Exceptional written communication skills; able to translate complex technical safety content into accurate, defensible regulatory language
• Ability to operate independently and exercise sound judgment across ambiguous, high-stakes situations

Qualifications and Experience

Candidates most successful in this role typically hold the following qualifications or comparable knowledge or experience:

• 7+ years of experience in AV safety regulation, incident management, or safety compliance within NHTSA, a federal agency, or an AV/automotive company
• Deep familiarity with NHTSA’s Standing General Order (SGO) reporting requirements and crash investigation processes
• Hands-on experience with FMVSS, NHTSA exemption frameworks, and SAE ADS taxonomy
• Proven ability to prepare and manage regulatory submissions, safety correspondence, and compliance documentation
• Experience working closely with or alongside legal counsel on regulatory matters and strategy

Preferred 

• Prior experience at NHTSA’s Office of Automation Safety, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance, or equivalent federal safety office
• Background in crash reconstruction, forensic engineering, or ADS safety case evaluation
• Experience briefing senior leadership or executive teams on incident trends and regulatory strategy
• Graduate degree in mechanical engineering, safety engineering, or a related technical field
• Experience working within cross-functional teams to manage safety critical issues

Physical Requirements

• Standard office working conditions which includes but not limited to:
• Prolonged sitting
• Prolonged standing
• Prolonged computer use
• Travel Required?  Minimal: 1%-10%