Staff Functional Safety Engineer

The role

You will own the functional safety strategy for propulsion, dynamics, and chassis features across multiple vehicle programs. You will define safety architecture patterns, lead complex safety analyses, and mentor senior and mid-level engineers.

What you will do

• Own the functional safety architecture across multiple vehicle programs
• Lead complex safety analyses including HARA, FTA, FMEA, and DFA
• Set and defend FTTI/FDTI/FRTI budgets and safe-state definitions
• Define the domain's requirements strategy and quality bar
• Own the safety validation strategy for the domain
• Serve as the technical counterpart to Tier 1 suppliers and external assessors
• Drive cross-domain safety alignment with propulsion, ADAS, E/E architecture, and software platform teams
• Mentor senior and mid-level functional safety engineers
• Establish and evolve team-level methodology
• Own the chassis safety case and traceability evidence through Start of Production sign-off

Required qualifications

• Degree in Electrical/Electronic, Mechatronics, or similar engineering discipline
• 10+ years in the automotive industry (or equivalent) as a systems and/or functional safety engineer
• Demonstrated IC-level safety concept development
• Deep, hands-on ISO 26262 expertise (Parts 3, 4, 6, 9) applied at an OEM or Tier 1
• Track record of concepts that reached production
• Proven experience with vehicle dynamics, propulsion and chassis systems
• Demonstrated technical leadership without direct authority
• Experience defending safety arguments to external assessors, certification bodies, or OEM customers
• Strong V&V grounding: fault injection, HIL, DVP&R development, requirements coverage analysis, CAN/LIN/Ethernet/FlexRay

Nice to have

• experience leveraging AI-assisted tools to accelerate safety analysis while maintaining ISO 26262 rigor and review discipline

Benefits

• competitive base salary
• annual company performance bonus program
• equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
• health coverage
• retirement savings
• time off
• family planning programs

About the company

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology for software-defined vehicles.