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Transportation

Program Manager, AV Safety Policy & Programs

RemoteRemoteFull Time$108,000–$135,000 /yrPosted 17 days agoVisa sponsorship available

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Required skills

Safety Policy
Safety Risk Management
Safety Assurance
Safety Promotion
hazard identification
risk assessment
operational risk register
mitigations
safety performance indicators
incident investigations

Nice to have

US AV reporting requirements
robotaxi
ridehail
fleet operations
matrixed environment
partner-dependent environment

Role summary

Lyft is seeking a Program Manager for AV Safety Policy & Programs to lead key aspects of their Autonomous Vehicle Safety Management System. This role involves owning safety policy, risk management, assurance, and promotion. Responsibilities include authoring policy, managing risk assessments, tracking safety indicators, coordinating investigations, running the Safety Review Board, and supporting partner engagement. The ideal candidate will have 4+ years of experience in safety-critical transportation, a strong understanding of SMS principles, hands-on risk assessment and incident follow-up experience, and excellent technical writing skills. Familiarity with AV safety frameworks and fleet operations is a plus. This is a hybrid role based in New York City.

At Lyft, our purpose is to serve and connect. We aim to achieve this by cultivating a work environment where all team members belong and have the opportunity to thrive.

Lyft is building the safety capability for autonomous mobility. As Program Manager, AV Safety Policy & Programs, you'll own key parts of Lyft's AV Safety Management System (SMS) across all four pillars: Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance, and Safety Promotion. You'll also make sure the processes, documentation, and cross-functional machinery behind them work in practice.

This is a high-ownership role that sits at the intersection of safety policy, program design, and cross-functional process support. You'll author policy, run risk and review cadences, turn safety data into decisions, and keep the Safety Review Board (SRB) running. You'll work closely with AV partners, and you can speak credibly about AV safety with technical counterparts, senior leaders, and external partners.

Responsibilities:

Safety Policy: Own Lyft's AV safety policy framework, safety procedures, and partner-facing governance documentation, including version control and periodic review cycles. Maintain governance charters, committee operating rhythms, and escalation protocols.

Safety Risk Management: Run hazard identification and risk assessment for AV operations and new launches. Maintain the operational risk register and track mitigations to closure.

Safety Assurance: Track safety performance indicators and trends, and surface emerging risks. Participate in incident and near-miss investigations and own corrective action (CAPA) tracking, so findings feed back into policy, operations, and partner work plans. Coordinate evidence and remediation for audits and certifications.

Safety Promotion: Drive safety communications, lessons-learned documentation, and training readiness.

Safety Review Board: Run the SRB cadence, including agendas, materials, decision records, and follow-through on action items.

Partner Engagement: Contribute to the standards and assessment frameworks Lyft uses with AV partners, and support partners' safety assurance and risk management activities.

Program Execution: Drive AV safety programs with safety leaders, including partners across EHS, Operations, Engineering, Legal, and others from inception through go-live. This includes safety readiness for new market launches and partner integrations.

Experience:

4+ years supporting or managing safety management programs in a safety-critical transportation industry (AV, aviation, rail, automotive, trucking, or equivalent)

Working knowledge of SMS principles and how they apply to AV operations

Hands-on experience with risk assessment, incident follow-up, and corrective action tracking

Strong technical writing, including policy, procedures, and partner- or regulator-facing materials

Comfort with safety data, including tracking indicators, spotting trends, and presenting findings to technical and senior audiences

Proven ability to run multi-stakeholder programs without direct authority

Bachelor's degree in safety, engineering, policy, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience

Nice to Have

Familiarity with AV safety frameworks (e.g., AVSC best practices) and US AV reporting requirements

Experience supporting robotaxi, ridehail, or fleet operations

Experience operating in a matrixed, partner-dependent environment where safety policy must be implemented through influence rather than direct control

Exposure to multi-market or international safety operations

Benefits:

Great medical, dental, and vision insurance options with additional programs available when enrolled

Mental health benefits

Family building benefits

Child care and pet benefits

401(k) plan with company match to help save for your future

In addition to 12 observed holidays, salaried team members have discretionary paid time off, hourly team members have 15 days paid time off

18 weeks of paid parental leave. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible

Subsidized commuter benefits

Monthly Lyft credits and complimentary Lyft Pink membership

Lyft is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.

Lyft highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. This role will be in-office on a hybrid schedule — Team Members will be expected to work in the office 3 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Lyft considers working in the office at least 3 days per week to be an essential function of this hybrid role. Your recruiter can share more information about the various in-office perks Lyft offers. Additionally, hybrid roles have the flexibility to work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year. #Hybrid

The expected base pay range for this position in the New York City area is $108,000 - $135,000, not inclusive of potential equity offering, bonus or benefits. Salary ranges are dependent on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience and geographic location. Your recruiter can share more information about the salary range specific to your working location and other factors during the hiring process.

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