Head of Maritime Certification & Regulatory Strategy (IC)

Orca AI is building the future of maritime navigation. With systems on 1,200+ vessels and recognition from ABS, Lloyd’s Register, and ClassNK, we are moving from theory to global scale.

As a hands-on Individual Contributor, you will own the end-to-end certification lifecycle. You aren't just managing a process; you are the primary architect of our safety cases, the lead author of our technical submissions, and the direct interface with Class surveyors and engineers.

Impact: Hand-build the regulatory engine that powers the world’s leading autonomous navigation platform.

What You’ll Own (The "Hands-On" Core)

• End-to-End Submissions: Directly author and manage technical dossiers for Product Design Assessments (PDA), Type Approvals, and Technology Qualifications (DNV, ABS, LR, etc.).
• Technical Risk Execution: Facilitate and document FMEA, HAZID, and HAZOP workshops. You will turn raw engineering data into structured safety arguments.
• Regulatory Engineering: Work deep within the product cycle to map SOLAS, COLREG, and IACS UR E27 requirements into specific JIRA tickets and design specs.
• Evidence Strategy: Hands-on collection and analysis of sea-trial data and human-factors metrics to build "equivalent safety" cases for AI-driven systems.
• Audit & Lifecycle Ownership: Maintain the "Live" certification state of our fleet. You will ensure every software release stays within the "Certified" envelope.
• Strategic Advocacy: Represent Orca AI at the IMO and in MASS (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships) working groups to influence future global standards.

Why This Role Matters

You are the bridge between "Black Box" AI and "Rule-Based" Maritime Law. By joining as a hands-on lead, you will personally define the safety standards that will govern the next generation of autonomous shipping.

Requirements

• The "Player-Architect": 8+ years of experience. You have personally led multiple bridge/navigation systems through the full Type Approval or PDA lifecycle.
• Technical Fluency: You can read a system architecture diagram as easily as a SOLAS regulation. You understand how AI models, sensors, and data-flow impact maritime safety.
• Risk Expert: Deep, practical experience conducting Safety Cases and Risk Assessments for safety-critical maritime hardware or software.
• The Navigator: You know the specific surveyors and technical leads at the major Class societies and understand how to "unstick" a complex approval process.
• Solo Driver: You thrive as an IC. You are comfortable building your own documentation repositories, tracking your own deadlines, and driving results without a large support staff.