Robotics Safety and Compliance Lead

About Welo Data

Welo Data, a Welo Global brand, is the multilingual data and evaluation partner for foundation labs and enterprises deploying GenAI systems globally. They deliver the human judgment, data infrastructure, and evaluation systems that ensure AI models perform reliably across languages, cultures, and real-world contexts, at every stage from training through deployment.  Its global network of 500,000+ vetted experts spans 300+ languages and locales, enabling high-quality multilingual data creation and structured model evaluation across the full spectrum of modern AI applications — from large language models and voice and speech systems to agentic workflows and robotics and embodied AI. This breadth of linguistic, cultural, and domain expertise enables Welo Data to address critical AI development challenges, including safety, bias, inclusivity, and cross-lingual reliability. A unified global operating model, led by specialized program and quality experts and grounded in assessment-driven talent selection, localized rubrics, and continuous calibration, ensures consistent performance across languages, domains, and modalities. Underpinning all of this is NIMO™ (Network Identity Management and Operations), Welo Data's proprietary identity and fraud-prevention framework. Built to maintain data integrity and workforce trust across a global contributor base, NIMO combines advanced verification, continuous monitoring, and structured QA to ensure every dataset is accurate, traceable, and culturally grounded.welodata.ai   

Role Overview:

We're hiring a Robotics Safety & Compliance Lead to own safety, risk, and compliance across our robotics operations — and to lead the function as it scales. This is a builder-leader role: you'll set the standard, establish the frameworks, and grow the program (and eventually the team) that keeps our labs and data collection environments safe, compliant, and audit-ready.

You'll be the senior voice on safety in the room with operations, engineering, and EHS — setting direction rather than waiting for it, and building practical frameworks that support both speed and control.

What You Will Do

• Own safety and compliance end to end across robotics labs and data collection environments.
• Set the safety strategy and roadmap as programs scale across sites, and define what "good" looks like for the function.
• Develop and implement safety standards, SOPs, and risk mitigation frameworks.
• Conduct risk assessments across different lab setups (humanoid, teleoperation, motion capture, etc.).
• Serve as the escalation point and decision-maker on safety risk — including the authority to pause work when conditions require it.
• Lead incident response processes, reporting, and root cause analysis.
• Conduct regular audits and maintain audit readiness across sites.
• Build and lead safety training, onboarding, and a safety champion network across lab teams.
• Influence senior stakeholders and report on safety posture, risk trends, and program maturity to leadership.
• Hire, mentor, and grow safety and compliance support as the program expands.
• Partner with engineering on safe system design — cell layout, e-stops, guarding, interlocks, and operating envelopes.
• Balance operational speed with safety and compliance requirements.

What Good Looks Like

• Clear, practical safety frameworks that teams actually follow.
• A safety culture the is owned by the organization, not one that depends on one person policing it.
• Strong risk awareness without slowing down execution.
• High audit readiness and clean compliance posture.
• Proactive identification and mitigation of safety risks.
• Credibility with engineering — seen as a technical partner, not a gate.
• Strong partnership with operations and engineering teams.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in safety, compliance, or EHS roles (technical or lab environments preferred).
• Demonstrated leadership experience — owning a program, leading cross-functional initiatives, or managing/mentoring others.
• Experience developing and implementing safety programs or frameworks from the ground up.
• Strong understanding of risk assessment and incident management.
• Ability to translate standards into practical, operational processes.
• Clear communication and proven ability to influence senior and technical stakeholders.
• Familiarity with safety standards (e.g., ISO frameworks such as ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066, ANSI/RIA R15.06).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in robotics, manufacturing, industrial, or lab-based environments.
• People management experience, or experience building a function and its first hires.
• Software or technical background as a plus — comfort with ROS, robot control software, teleoperation and motion capture systems, or scripting (e.g. Python) to analyze incident and sensor data.
• Experience building or automating compliance tooling — audit tracking, incident dashboards, or safety checklists integrated into lab workflows.
• Experience supporting high-growth or rapidly scaling operations.
• Background working with cross-functional technical teams.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

• Onsite lab environment (robotics lab, warehouse, or similar setup).
• Must be able to stand for extended periods during audits and inspections.
• Must be able to occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 lbs.
• Fast-paced environment with evolving operational needs.

Why This Role Matters

As robotics programs scale, safety and compliance become critical to sustainable operations. This role leads how we operate responsibly, reduce risk, and build systems that scale without compromising safety.