Principal Engineer - Physical AI

Principal Engineer, Physical AI serves as the Global Subject Matter Expert for AI-enabled physical products and cyber-physical systems, enabling UL Solutions to develop standards, certification, assurance, testing, advisory, and training services for emerging Physical AI technologies. This role provides technical leadership for AI assurance embodied in robotics, humanoids, consumer and professional service robots, autonomous systems, drones, smart mobility, medical and laboratory systems, edge AI, embodied AI agents, and connected intelligent products. The position contributes significantly to UL Solutions' AI standards and services portfolio by transforming emerging technologies, regulations, and market needs into scalable safety and trustworthiness solutions.

• Develop standards, certification and verification programs, assessment methodologies, test requirements, and technical criteria for AI-enabled physical products. Translate emerging regulations and industry needs into practical, testable, and auditable requirements.
• Define and apply methods to evaluate system behavior in real-world and foreseeable-use scenarios, including intended use and misuse, operational design domain, perception and sensing limits, decision-making, navigation and task execution, human interaction, supervision and override, fail-safe and safe-state behavior, minimum-risk conditions, robustness, reliability, and lifecycle changes. Identify failure modes and assess whether technical and operational countermeasures reduce risk, collaborating with R&D and Innovation.
• Develop and launch customer-facing offerings such as Physical AI readiness assessments, robotics and autonomy evaluations, embodied AI assessments, advisory engagements, training programs, and certification pathways. Partner with business leaders, product managers, operations, sales, marketing, and customers to convert market needs into scalable solutions and measurable portfolio growth.
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to strategic customers, regulators, standards organizations, and industry forums. Represent UL Solutions through technical committees, publications, conferences, and regulatory engagement.
• Build consistent global delivery capability through evaluator competency frameworks, training, technical guidance, test procedures, and operational transfer mechanisms.

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline.
• 15+ years of technical experience in robotics, autonomous systems, embedded systems, cyber-physical systems, product safety, functional safety, controls, AI-enabled products, or related engineering domains, including 5+ years of direct experience with AI-enabled physical systems, robotics, autonomy, or machine-learning-enabled products.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience developing, integrating, evaluating, testing, or validating AI-enabled physical systems, autonomous technologies, robotics, or cyber-physical systems operating in real-world environments.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Physical AI technologies, failure modes, hazards, risks, and evaluation methodologies, including perception and classification errors, sensor-fusion failures, unsafe autonomous behaviors, human-machine interaction hazards, operational design domain exceedance, automation boundary violations, cybersecurity-induced behaviors, model degradation, environmental variability, fail-safe behavior, safe-state operation, minimum-risk conditions, and assessment of risk-mitigation controls.
• Familiarity with applicable robotics, machinery, product safety, functional safety, cybersecurity, and AI governance standards or regulatory frameworks.
• Strong technical writing, presentation, and stakeholder engagement capabilities, with the ability to communicate complex system risks and evidence expectations to technical, business, regulatory, and customer audiences.

Preferred Experience

• Advanced degree in robotics, computer science, controls, systems engineering, AI/ML, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience with one or more Physical AI application areas, such as humanoid or service robots, collaborative or industrial robots, autonomous mobile robots, drones, smart mobility, AI-enabled medical or laboratory systems, intelligent appliances, smart buildings, or other connected products.
• Demonstrated ability to translate technical hazards, risk assessments, regulatory expectations, or standards requirements into practical evaluation criteria, testing approaches, risk controls, assurance frameworks, certification programs, and customer-facing solutions.
• Experience with scenario-based, evidence-based, simulation-based, or virtual validation methods, including edge-case testing, foreseeable-misuse testing, robustness and reliability evaluation, software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, digital twins, virtual commissioning, test automation, and post-deployment monitoring.
• Experience participating in standards committees, regulatory forums, industry consortia, technical publications, or customer-facing thought leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to influence customers, regulators, standards bodies, engineering teams, operations, and cross-functional business leaders.

What we offer

• Total Rewards: We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. The estimated salary range for this position is $155,000-$175,000 and is based on multiple factors, including job-related knowledge/skills, experience, geographical location, as well as other factors. This position is eligible for annual bonus compensation with a target payout of 20% of the base salary. This position also provides health benefits such as medical, dental and vision; wellness benefits such as mental and financial health; and retirement savings (401K) commensurate with the standard rewards offered in each individual location or country. We also provide full-time employees with paid time off including vacation (15 days), holiday including floating holidays (12 days) and sick time off (72 hours).