Safety Lead

Location: Mountain View, CA

About Rune:

Every solar and wind power plant is a latent data center. Rune connects wasted power to the compute that needs it. Solar plants generate electricity the grid can't take: clipped by inverters, curtailed by operators, gone before it ever reaches a meter. Meanwhile, AI needs more power than new construction can deliver in time.

Rune deploys hardware, software, and financial solutions to put this power to work. We build modular micro data centers that install directly at solar sites, bypassing the traditional grid entirely and turning stranded power into compute. We're backed by Spark Capital, Union Square Ventures, and Lowercarbon Capital.

The Role:

As Environmental Health & Safety Lead at Rune, you will own safety across all of our operations, from the Mountain View assembly floor to commissioning at various sites across the world. You are our first dedicated safety hire, and will have the opportunity to build this program from scratch as the company scales around it.

Key Responsibilities:

Build and own Rune's EH&S program from the ground up, including a Cal/OSHA-compliant Injury and Illness Prevention Program, written safety policies, and training spanning in-house assembly and multi-state field deployments.
Develop and apply Job Hazard Analyses and pre-task planning so risk controls are identified before work begins, and coach teams in the moment on hazard recognition and safe practices.
Develop site-specific safety plans for RELIC deployments. This includes truck unloading and site traffic control, telehandler and forklift operations, four-person team lifts and lifting-table server transfers, hammer drilling and anchoring, and heat illness prevention for outdoor work in high-heat climates.
Own electrical safety across both AC and DC RELIC configurations, including lockout/tagout, NFPA 70E-aligned energized work practices, qualified person designations, and safe procedures for panel, converter, and inverter terminations, RELIC energization, and server power-up during commissioning.
Establish shop-floor safety for RELIC assembly, covering crate handling and forklift/lift-table operations, hand and power tool work, drilling and metal fabrication, battery skid assembly and lithium-ion battery storage and handling, refrigerant line fabrication and charging, rooftop equipment installation, and chemical/SDS management for paints, adhesives, epoxies, and refrigerants.
Participate in design, manufacturability, and work-instruction reviews with engineering so that hazards are engineered out at the right stage and help bake safety steps directly into assembly work instructions as they're formalized.
Manage contractor and multi-employer worksite safety: prequalify subcontractors, align with landlord and site-host requirements, lead pre-task briefings and toolbox talks, and verify contractor training and insurance documentation.
Deliver and track required training: new-hire safety orientation, forklift/telehandler operator certification, LOTO, electrical safe work practices, battery and refrigerant handling, heat illness prevention, and first aid/CPR for technicians, field crews, and contractors.
Manage environmental compliance, including hazardous and universal waste (with proper classification and disposal of lithium-ion batteries), refrigerant handling, spill prevention, and packaging and debris management at deployment sites.

Ideal Qualifications:

8+ years of experience in EH&S, field safety, construction safety, industrial safety, or manufacturing safety, ideally spanning both a fixed facility and active field sites.
Demonstrated ability to build trust and work effectively with technicians, engineers, and crews at all levels, with a hands-on, field-present approach.
Experience supporting safe execution in several of the following: LOTO, energized electrical work, lifting and rigging, powered industrial truck operations, work at height, chemical handling, shop fabrication, field or construction work, and contractor safety.
Working knowledge of federal OSHA general industry and construction standards and Cal/OSHA requirements (including IIPP and Heat Illness Prevention), with the ability to manage compliance across multiple states.
Proven ability to lead incident investigations, drive corrective and preventive actions, and maintain OSHA recordkeeping.
Ability to translate regulatory and technical requirements into clear, practical guidance, and comfort operating in a fast-changing environment where procedures are still being written and safety practices are built alongside the work.

What We Offer: Competitive base and strategic ownership in what we believe will be one of the largest infrastructure build-outs of the decade.

Rune is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Rune

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Environment Health Safety Lead