Environmental Health and Safety (AI)

TL;DR

Environmental Health and Safety (AI): Designing and managing a comprehensive safety architecture for a high-throughput materials science lab with an accent on process hazard analysis, regulatory permitting, and autonomous lab safety. Focus on building life safety systems for hazardous chemistries and collaborating with ML engineers to integrate EHS reasoning into AI models.

Location: On-site in Menlo Park (preference for candidates in Menlo Park or San Francisco)

Compensation: $200,000–$250,000

Company

An AI and physical sciences company building state-of-the-art models to accelerate breakthroughs across materials, energy, and beyond.

What you will do

• Own and manage all permitting processes with local, state, and federal agencies, including Fire Department, CUPA, and BAAQMD.
• Design and review life safety systems, including gas detection, fire suppression, and emissions abatement for hazardous chemistries.
• Conduct and document HAZOPs, PHA/FMEA, and risk assessments for high-pressure furnace operations and thin-film deposition platforms.
• Collaborate with ML/AI engineers to train an LLM to reason through process hazards and safety constraints during autonomous execution.
• Develop SOPs, incident response protocols, and formalize the JHA framework.
• Hire and lead the EHS team to sustain and scale safety operations as the lab footprint grows.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in EHS, process safety, or chemical operations in labs or manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated familiarity with hazardous materials permitting systems: CERS, Accela, and AQMD/BAAQMD.
• Hands-on experience conducting HAZOPs or FMEAs and designing functional safety systems.
• Fluency in industry-relevant codes: OSHA, Cal/OSHA, NFPA, EPA, RCRA, and DOT.
• Ability to work on-site in Menlo Park in a fast-paced, high-complexity lab environment.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Nice to have

• Experience designing EHS systems for autonomous or semi-autonomous lab environments.
• Background in coordinating permitting and safety design for new laboratory facility construction.
• Familiarity with AI or ML tools applied to risk assessment or safety documentation.
• Active participation in technical committees contributing to OSHA, NFPA, or IEC standards.

Culture & Benefits

• Visa sponsorship is provided with full legal support.
• Opportunity to be the first dedicated EHS hire and build the safety architecture from the ground up.
• High-impact role at the intersection of frontier AI and physical science.
• Fast-paced environment with a team driven by genuine ownership and scientific discovery.