XI
Staff Engineer, Safety Systems
Accepting applicationsxLight Inc. · Palo Alto, CA
Full-Time Mid_senior lithography
Posted
1d ago
Category
Verification
Experience
Mid_senior
Country
United States
Staff Engineer, Safety Systems
Personnel Protection System (PPS) • Oxygen Deficiency Hazard (ODH) Monitoring • Radiation Monitoring System (RMS)
Location: Palo Alto, CA (adjust as needed)
About xLight
xLight is building the world's most powerful laser to revolutionize semiconductor lithography, metrology, and for other critical applications. Our approach harnesses the power of free-electron lasers, building on accelerator technology in use globally at scientific user facilities. Extending this technology, we are developing industrial-grade light sources, engineered for continuous operation, to meet the sophisticated demands of next-generation patterning, metrology, and inspection applications. Join us in this new revolution.
We hire exceptional talent — and exceptional means more than a strong résumé. How we achieve results is just as important as the results themselves, which is why attitude and character matter as much as technical skill. We believe great talent is widely distributed, not confined to a particular school or background. We seek individuals who demonstrate ownership, a spirit of collaboration, technical curiosity, and a genuine willingness to learn and grow — guided by our core values of Respect, Integrity, Creativity, and Engineering Excellence. We don't just hire for what someone can do today. We hire for who they are and who they are becoming.
What We Need — and Why It Matters
We are hiring a Lead Safety Systems Engineer to own the design, deployment, and testing of the facility's personnel- and life-safety systems: the Personnel Protection System (PPS), the Oxygen Deficiency Hazard (ODH) monitoring system, and the Radiation Monitoring System (RMS).
This is an implementation and integration leadership role. The safety requirements — radiation dose limits and monitor siting, ODH classifications and ventilation design, access-control policy — are defined by our radiation physics and mechanical/ventilation groups. You take those requirements as inputs and are accountable for turning them into credible, fail-safe, and verifiable systems, and for carrying each system all the way through commissioning and acceptance.
What You Will Do
Design
System architecture and detailed design for PPS, ODH monitoring, and RMS, including interlock logic, cause-and-effect matrices, access-control zoning, and search-and-secure sequences.
Translation of safety requirements into fail-safe control logic and hardware architecture that meets the target integrity level (SIL per IEC 61508).
Selection and specification of fail-safe controllers, safety-rated I/O, certified sensors and detectors, and hazard/beam-shutoff devices; definition of redundancy, diversity, and fault-tolerance schemes.
Interface design between subsystems — e.g., RMS trips and ODH alarms feeding the PPS and ventilation — and to the broader machine protection and controls environment.
Deployment
Procurement, panel build, and installation coordination across controls, electrical, mechanical, and facilities teams and any outside integrators.
Oversight of sensor and detector installation to the placement defined by the physics and ventilation groups.
Configuration management and change control from first article through the installed base.
Test & commissioning
Test strategy and execution: factory acceptance testing (FAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), integrated end-to-end interlock testing, and validation against the documented safety requirements.
Readiness and acceptance: dry runs, beam-permit / readiness reviews, and the documentation packages required by internal safety committees and the authority having jurisdiction.
The periodic-test and recertification program that keeps these systems credited over their operating life.
Across the lifecycle
Lead CoDR / PDR / FDR design reviews; maintain requirements traceability, failure analysis (FMEA), and a functional safety management plan.
Author operating, maintenance, and test procedures; train operators and technicians.
What We Are Looking For
BS or MS in electrical, controls, systems, or a related engineering discipline (or equivalent experience).
12+ years designing and commissioning safety-critical or functional-safety systems in a high-hazard environment (accelerator or research facility, process industry, or similar).
Hands-on fail-safe PLC design — Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500F with TIA Portal Safety Advanced (or equivalent, e.g., Allen-Bradley GuardLogix).
Working command of the IEC 61508 functional-safety lifecycle: SIL determination, allocation, and verification.
Demonstrated ownership of at least one safety system from design through commissioning and acceptance.
Experience running formal design reviews and producing verification/validation and traceability documentation.
And If You Bring This — Even Better
Accelerator or DOE national-lab experience with PPS or other credited engineered controls (DOE O 420.2, ANSI/HPS N43.1).
Familiarity with radiation monitoring instrumentation (gamma/neutron area monitors) and cryogenic ODH / gas-detection systems.
TÜV Functional Safety Engineer certification (CFSE / FSEng).
Familiarity with IEC 61511 (safety instrumented systems) and machinery-safety standards (IEC 62061 / ISO 13849).
Comfort interfacing with regulators and authorities having jurisdiction.
What You Can Expect from Us
100% Company-funded health insurance for employee
Company funded Life Insurance and disability insurance
401k contribution. 100% up to 3% of compensation, plus 50% match between 3% and 5%. Immediately vested.
Flexible Paid Time-Off, Sick leave and Company Holidays
Company Paid Two-weeks Winter Break
Flexible Hybrid Work Model
Chef prepared Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner at Palo Alto office
Pay transparency
The pay range for this position reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries at commencement of employment and is expected to be between USD 160,000/year-195,000/year. However, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple factors, including role, job-related knowledge, skills, relevant education and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including equity, and a full range of benefits. Details of all benefits will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.
EEO Statement
xLight Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is clear: there shall be no discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, or sexual orientation. We are an inclusive organization and actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential. We welcome all applications from a wide range of candidates. Selection for roles will be based on individual merit alone.
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Personnel Protection System (PPS) • Oxygen Deficiency Hazard (ODH) Monitoring • Radiation Monitoring System (RMS)
Location: Palo Alto, CA (adjust as needed)
About xLight
xLight is building the world's most powerful laser to revolutionize semiconductor lithography, metrology, and for other critical applications. Our approach harnesses the power of free-electron lasers, building on accelerator technology in use globally at scientific user facilities. Extending this technology, we are developing industrial-grade light sources, engineered for continuous operation, to meet the sophisticated demands of next-generation patterning, metrology, and inspection applications. Join us in this new revolution.
We hire exceptional talent — and exceptional means more than a strong résumé. How we achieve results is just as important as the results themselves, which is why attitude and character matter as much as technical skill. We believe great talent is widely distributed, not confined to a particular school or background. We seek individuals who demonstrate ownership, a spirit of collaboration, technical curiosity, and a genuine willingness to learn and grow — guided by our core values of Respect, Integrity, Creativity, and Engineering Excellence. We don't just hire for what someone can do today. We hire for who they are and who they are becoming.
What We Need — and Why It Matters
We are hiring a Lead Safety Systems Engineer to own the design, deployment, and testing of the facility's personnel- and life-safety systems: the Personnel Protection System (PPS), the Oxygen Deficiency Hazard (ODH) monitoring system, and the Radiation Monitoring System (RMS).
This is an implementation and integration leadership role. The safety requirements — radiation dose limits and monitor siting, ODH classifications and ventilation design, access-control policy — are defined by our radiation physics and mechanical/ventilation groups. You take those requirements as inputs and are accountable for turning them into credible, fail-safe, and verifiable systems, and for carrying each system all the way through commissioning and acceptance.
What You Will Do
Design
System architecture and detailed design for PPS, ODH monitoring, and RMS, including interlock logic, cause-and-effect matrices, access-control zoning, and search-and-secure sequences.
Translation of safety requirements into fail-safe control logic and hardware architecture that meets the target integrity level (SIL per IEC 61508).
Selection and specification of fail-safe controllers, safety-rated I/O, certified sensors and detectors, and hazard/beam-shutoff devices; definition of redundancy, diversity, and fault-tolerance schemes.
Interface design between subsystems — e.g., RMS trips and ODH alarms feeding the PPS and ventilation — and to the broader machine protection and controls environment.
Deployment
Procurement, panel build, and installation coordination across controls, electrical, mechanical, and facilities teams and any outside integrators.
Oversight of sensor and detector installation to the placement defined by the physics and ventilation groups.
Configuration management and change control from first article through the installed base.
Test & commissioning
Test strategy and execution: factory acceptance testing (FAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), integrated end-to-end interlock testing, and validation against the documented safety requirements.
Readiness and acceptance: dry runs, beam-permit / readiness reviews, and the documentation packages required by internal safety committees and the authority having jurisdiction.
The periodic-test and recertification program that keeps these systems credited over their operating life.
Across the lifecycle
Lead CoDR / PDR / FDR design reviews; maintain requirements traceability, failure analysis (FMEA), and a functional safety management plan.
Author operating, maintenance, and test procedures; train operators and technicians.
What We Are Looking For
BS or MS in electrical, controls, systems, or a related engineering discipline (or equivalent experience).
12+ years designing and commissioning safety-critical or functional-safety systems in a high-hazard environment (accelerator or research facility, process industry, or similar).
Hands-on fail-safe PLC design — Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500F with TIA Portal Safety Advanced (or equivalent, e.g., Allen-Bradley GuardLogix).
Working command of the IEC 61508 functional-safety lifecycle: SIL determination, allocation, and verification.
Demonstrated ownership of at least one safety system from design through commissioning and acceptance.
Experience running formal design reviews and producing verification/validation and traceability documentation.
And If You Bring This — Even Better
Accelerator or DOE national-lab experience with PPS or other credited engineered controls (DOE O 420.2, ANSI/HPS N43.1).
Familiarity with radiation monitoring instrumentation (gamma/neutron area monitors) and cryogenic ODH / gas-detection systems.
TÜV Functional Safety Engineer certification (CFSE / FSEng).
Familiarity with IEC 61511 (safety instrumented systems) and machinery-safety standards (IEC 62061 / ISO 13849).
Comfort interfacing with regulators and authorities having jurisdiction.
What You Can Expect from Us
100% Company-funded health insurance for employee
Company funded Life Insurance and disability insurance
401k contribution. 100% up to 3% of compensation, plus 50% match between 3% and 5%. Immediately vested.
Flexible Paid Time-Off, Sick leave and Company Holidays
Company Paid Two-weeks Winter Break
Flexible Hybrid Work Model
Chef prepared Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner at Palo Alto office
Pay transparency
The pay range for this position reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries at commencement of employment and is expected to be between USD 160,000/year-195,000/year. However, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple factors, including role, job-related knowledge, skills, relevant education and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including equity, and a full range of benefits. Details of all benefits will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.
EEO Statement
xLight Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is clear: there shall be no discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, or sexual orientation. We are an inclusive organization and actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential. We welcome all applications from a wide range of candidates. Selection for roles will be based on individual merit alone.
Show more Show less