Shipyard Human Factors & Systems Engineer

We are looking for a Shipyard Human Factors & Systems Engineer to architect how people move through, interact with, and experience complex physical and operational systems. This role sits at the intersection of design, operations, engineering, and behavioural science.

Responsibilities:

• Design end-to-end human flow systems across physical environments (facilities, venues, campuses, events, transportation nodes, etc.)
• Architect queuing strategies (physical and digital) that optimise both actual and perceived wait times
• Identify and eliminate bottlenecks across movement, decision points, and service interactions
• Translate behavioural insights into practical, buildable system designs
• Partner with engineering, operations, facilities, and product teams to integrate human flow into system architecture
• Use data, observation, and simulation to model capacity, throughput, and edge cases
• Define principles for wayfinding, signage, pacing, and spatial cues
• Stress-test systems for peak load, abnormal conditions, and failure modes
• Document designs clearly so they can be executed, operated, and scaled
• Continuously iterate based on real-world performance and user behaviour

What Success Looks Like:

• People move through complex environments with minimal confusion or friction
• Systems handle peak demand gracefully without heroics or last-minute workarounds
• Operations teams trust and rely on your designs
• Leaders can make decisions using your models and recommendations
• Users rarely notice your work , except that “it just works”

Who You Are:

• You think in systems, not artifacts
• You are deeply curious about how people actually behave, not how plans assume they will
• You’re comfortable balancing empathy with constraints like safety, cost, and throughput
• You can move between strategy and details without losing coherence
• You communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical partners
• You’re opinionated, but evidence-driven

Qualifications:

• We care more about how you think than where you come from. Relevant backgrounds include:
• Human Factors Engineering
• Industrial / Systems Engineering
• Experience Design (physical environments)
• Operations Research
• Architecture or Urban Planning (with operational exposure)
• Theme parks, airports, transit systems, large venues, manufacturing, or high-scale operations

Typical qualifications:

• 7+ years designing or operating complex human-centered systems
• Experience with capacity modeling, service design, or pedestrian flow
• Familiarity with simulation tools or data-driven decision-making
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority

Bonus Points:

• Experience designing systems under extreme peak loads
• Familiarity with crowd modeling or queuing theory
• Background in environments where safety is mission-critical
• Ability to prototype or test concepts quickly in the field
• A portfolio of systems you’ve designed that still work years later

Additional Information:

• Benefits: Medical Insurance, Dental and Vision Insurance, Time Off, Parental Leave, Competitive Salary, Retirement Plan, Stock Options, Life and Disability Insurance, Pet Insurance
• Saronic CCPA Notice for Candidates and California Employees: This role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require “U.S. Person” status.