Staff Functional Safety Engineer

Team: Hardware Team

Location: San Francisco

Commitment: Full-time

Workplace Type: onsite

Key Responsibilities

• Own the safety lifecycle for the AV program: safety plan, safety case structure, evidence strategy, and readiness gates.
• Lead safety analyses across the stack (e.g., HARA, FMEA, FTA and other system-level hazard analysis approaches as appropriate) and maintain the hazard log.
• Define safety goals, safety concepts (functional/technical or system safety equivalents), and safety requirements for HW/SW/ops with clear verification methods.
• Drive safety-critical architecture and design decisions: fault handling, monitoring/diagnostics, degraded modes, minimal-risk behaviors, and interface assumptions.
• Build the verification strategy linking hazards and safety goals to simulation coverage, SIL/HIL where applicable, and on-road/track testing.
• Ensure traceability from requirements to tests to results, and produce clear safety evidence packages for internal reviews and external partners.
• Establish lightweight operating mechanisms: safety reviews, change impact assessment, safety issue triage, and release/readiness decision documentation.
• Guide teams on practical application of relevant standards and best practices (e.g., ISO 26262 where applicable, ISO 21448/SOTIF, UL 4600).

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years building safety-critical systems (automotive, robotics, aerospace, industrial, medical), including 5+ years in functional safety and/or system safety.
• Strong track record owning safety artifacts through major milestones: hazard analyses, safety requirements, verification strategies, and safety evidence.
• Systems engineering strength: crisp, testable requirements; interface management; traceability; risk-based decision-making.
• Technical breadth across AV-relevant domains (vehicle interfaces/actuation, embedded/compute, autonomy behaviors, operational constraints).
• Comfort working hands-on with data and engineering tooling (e.g., Python/SQL) to create and interpret readiness signals.
• Clear communicator who can lead cross-functional technical reviews and drive alignment.
• Eligible to work in the United States

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct L3/L4 autonomy experience (driverless pilot or commercial launch).
• Practical experience applying ISO 26262, ISO 21448 (SOTIF), and/or UL 4600 to complex systems.
• Experience with fault-tolerant/fail-operational strategies and minimal-risk maneuvers for automated driving.
• Experience with HIL/SIL and simulation scenario coverage design tied to safety claims.
• Experience working with partners, auditors, or regulators on safety evidence.

Compensation

Salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including qualifications, skills, experience, and location. We also offer competitive equity compensation and benefits.

As part of the interview process, we may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to compare your qualifications and experience to the job description. A human reviews all AI output and makes a final hiring decision. Humble Robotics does not rely on the output to make any employment decisions. Some applicants may have a legal right to opt-out of the use of AI as part of our interview process. Contact [email protected] to exercise this right or if you have further questions on the use of AI tools in our hiring process. 

Humble Robotics is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status or any other characteristics protected by law. Humble Robotics will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with local ordinances.