Systems Safety Engineer
Systems Safety Engineers at autonomous vehicle and robotics companies conduct comprehensive hazard analyses, risk assessments, and functional safety evaluations to ensure AI-driven systems operate safely in real-world environments. They lead cross-functional efforts to define safety requirements, develop mitigation strategies, and verify that implemented controls effectively reduce risk across hardware, software, and operational domains. What distinguishes this role is its focus on safety-critical AI systems where failures can directly impact human safety, requiring deep engagement with international standards like ISO 26262 and continuous validation against field data. These engineers typically embed within dedicated safety teams, working alongside product, engineering, and regulatory stakeholders to navigate novel safety challenges in emerging autonomous technologies.
Skills
What companies are looking for in this role.
Conducting hazard analysis and risk assessment across system, subsystem, and component levels
Developing and managing safety requirements with full traceability throughout product lifecycle
Leading cross-functional safety analyses to identify hazards, assess risks, and propose mitigations
Performing design and readiness reviews to ensure safety mitigations and requirements are properly addressed
Planning and executing safety validation testing including fault condition analysis and performance verification
Applying functional safety standards and industry best practices to ensure regulatory compliance
Developing comprehensive verification and validation strategies for mission-critical systems
Monitoring and evaluating the continued effectiveness of implemented safety mitigations in operational environments
Managing end-to-end risk management programs including issue intake, escalation, and retirement
Architecting on-board safety solutions for complex autonomous and robotic systems
Developing quantitative safety metrics and performance targets for autonomous system validation
Optimizing test coverage and defining test scenarios for safety-critical autonomous behaviors
Establishing safety frameworks and assessment methodologies for AI-driven autonomous systems
Conducting fault injection and automated test coverage analysis for safety validation
Defining human performance benchmarks for comparative safety assessments in autonomous systems
Developing simulation environments and test automation for safety-critical system validation
Collaborating with regulatory authorities and policy teams on safety standards and compliance
Leading cross-functional teams to align safety priorities and drive design decisions
Communicating complex safety concepts and risk assessments to executive leadership and stakeholders
Promoting and championing a robust safety culture and continuous improvement mindset
Navigating ambiguous problems and uncharted territory in emerging safety domains
Maintaining rigorous documentation and traceability of safety artifacts and readiness decisions
Technology
The tools and technologies that define this role.
Open Jobs
13 open Systems Safety Engineer jobs across 5 companies.
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