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Freelance Functional Safety Engineer Jobs in Riverside, CA

FieldAI

Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Safety

Irvine, CA · On-site

$100K - $230K/yr

As our Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Safety, you'll own and advance the independent safety layer ... Functional safety experience in autonomous vehicles, industrial robots, or aerospace * Experience ...

FieldAI

Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Safety

Irvine, CA

$100K - $230K/yr

As our Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Safety, you'll own and advance the independent safety layer ... Functional safety experience in autonomous vehicles, industrial robots, or aerospace * Experience ...

Hyper Solutions Inc

EHS Engineer

Anaheim, CA · On-site

$100K - $120K/yr

EHS Engineer Hyper Solutions Inc Anaheim, California, United States About this position Description ... Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve safety processes and standards * Monitor and ...

Hyper Careers Page

EHS Engineer

Anaheim, CA · On-site

$100K - $120K/yr

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve safety processes and standards * Monitor and ... Associate's degree in Environmental Engineering, Safety Engineering, Industrial Engineering ...

Green Power Motors

Senior Electrical Engineer

Riverside, CA · On-site

$112K - $146K/yr

Job Type Full-time Description Senior ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Job Category Operations Location ... Knowledge of functional safety standards (ISO 26262) and automotive quality standards. * Excellent ...

Eldorado CA

Validation Engineer III

Riverside, CA · On-site

$110K - $130K/yr

Familiarity with ISO 26262, functional safety, and validation best practices (a plus). * Previous collaboration with international suppliers or engineering teams (a plus). * Experience supporting ...

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All JobsFunctional Safety Engineer JobsFreelance Functional Safety Engineer JobsFreelance Functional Safety Engineer Jobs in Riverside, CA

Freelance Functional Safety Engineer information

See Riverside, CA salary details

$55.8K

$137K

$201.9K

How much do freelance functional safety engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for freelance functional safety engineer in Riverside, CA is $137,032.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $113,200.00 and $153,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a freelance functional safety engineer?

Freelance Functional Safety Engineers are independent professionals who specialize in ensuring that systems and products—such as those used in automotive, industrial, or electronics sectors—meet established safety standards. They assess risks, develop safety requirements, and help clients comply with regulations like ISO 26262 or IEC 61508. Unlike full-time employees, these engineers work on a contract basis, offering flexibility and expertise on specific projects. Their role includes conducting safety analyses, reviewing designs, and supporting safety certification processes. Clients often hire freelance functional safety engineers for their specialized knowledge and ability to address short-term or project-based safety needs.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a freelance functional safety engineer?

To thrive as a Freelance Functional Safety Engineer, you need a robust background in safety engineering, risk assessment, and relevant standards like ISO 26262 or IEC 61508, often supported by an engineering degree and industry certifications. Familiarity with safety analysis tools (e.g., FMEA, FTA), requirements management software, and safety lifecycle management systems is typically required. Excellent communication, project management, and problem-solving skills help you liaise with clients and ensure successful project delivery. These competencies are vital for ensuring compliance, mitigating risks, and delivering high-quality safety solutions in dynamic work environments.

What are some common challenges faced by freelance functional safety engineers, and how can they be addressed?

Freelance functional safety engineers often encounter challenges such as adapting to diverse project requirements, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of evolving safety standards, and effectively communicating with multidisciplinary teams. Since each client or project may operate within different industry frameworks (like IEC 61508 or ISO 26262), staying organized and proactive in learning is crucial. Building a network of industry contacts and joining professional communities can also help freelancers stay informed and supported. Clear communication and documentation skills are essential to ensure alignment with clients and efficient project delivery.

What is the difference between Freelance Functional Safety Engineer vs Freelance Safety Consultant?

AspectFreelance Functional Safety EngineerFreelance Safety Consultant
CertificationsISO 26262, IEC 61508, TÜV certificationsVaries; often includes ISO 45001, ISO 9001, or industry-specific safety standards
Work EnvironmentDesign and assess safety systems in automotive, industrial, or machinery sectorsProvide safety assessments, audits, and compliance advice across various industries
Employer & Industry UsageUsed by automotive, manufacturing, and automation companiesEngaged by multiple industries including manufacturing, healthcare, and construction

While both roles focus on safety, Freelance Functional Safety Engineers specialize in designing and validating safety systems based on specific standards like ISO 26262, primarily in automotive and industrial sectors. Freelance Safety Consultants offer broader safety advisory services across industries, focusing on compliance and risk management. The choice depends on whether you need technical safety system development or general safety consulting.

What are the most commonly searched types of Functional Safety Engineer jobs in Riverside, CA?

The most popular types of Functional Safety Engineer jobs in Riverside, CA are:

What are popular job titles related to Freelance Functional Safety Engineer jobs in Riverside, CA?

For Freelance Functional Safety Engineer jobs in Riverside, CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Freelance Functional Safety Engineer jobs in Riverside, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Freelance Functional Safety Engineer jobs in Riverside, CA are:

What cities near Riverside, CA are hiring for Freelance Functional Safety Engineer jobs?

Cities near Riverside, CA with the most Freelance Functional Safety Engineer job openings:

Freelance Functional Safety Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Freelance Functional Safety Engineer job openings in Riverside, CA as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $137,032 per year, or $65.9 per hour.

Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Safety

Irvine, CA • On-site

FieldAI
201 - 500 employees
Learn more about FieldAIexternal

$100K - $230K/yr

Full-time

Posted 7 days ago

Job description

FieldAI's Irvine team is where embodied AI meets real robots, real sensors, and real field deployments. Based in the heart of Southern California's robotics ecosystem, we build risk-aware, reliable, field-ready AI systems that solve the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the full potential of embodied intelligence. If you want your work to ship, get tested on hardware, and improve through real deployments, Irvine is the place. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-only architectures, combining rigorous engineering with learning systems proven in globally deployed solutions that deliver results today and get better every time our robots run in the field.
About the Job
Field AI is building the future of autonomy-from rugged terrain to real-world deployment. We're on a mission to develop intelligent, adaptable robotic systems that operate beyond simulation and thrive in unpredictable environments. As our Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Safety, you'll own and advance the independent safety layer that keeps our robots safe around people, equipment, and terrain no matter what the rest of the autonomy stack decides. You'll be part of a deeply technical team advancing real-world robotic capabilities through cutting-edge research, simulation tools, and field validation. If building the guarantees that let robots earn trust in the real world excites you, and you want to work where your code hits the ground (literally)-this is your role. This is Field AI.
What You'll Get To Do
  • Own and evolve the safety layer that runs independently of perception, planning, and learned policies, and extend it to new wheeled, legged, and humanoid platforms
  • Build runtime monitors and collision avoidance backstops that check every commanded motion against the environment before it reaches the robot
  • Enforce speed, zone, terrain, and proximity limits, and define the safe operating envelope for each platform and deployment
  • Design fallback and minimal risk behaviors, from graceful slow down to safe stop, and the logic that decides when to trigger them
  • Build watchdogs and health monitoring across sensors, compute, communication, and actuation, so the robot always knows when it can trust itself
  • Lead hazard analysis and safety case development for new platforms and new deployments
  • Verify the safety layer in simulation, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, and field trials, with coverage that grows with every deployment
  • Work with planning, control, locomotion, and integration teams so the nominal stack plans and moves within the safety envelope
What You Have
  • Master's degree or higher in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or a Bachelor's degree with substantial hands-on experience on safety related autonomous systems
  • 2+ years of experience developing safety, monitoring, or fallback systems for robots or autonomous vehicles
  • Strong grounding in classical planning and control, such as collision checking and trajectory validation
  • Experience writing deterministic, real time, resource bounded C++ for systems where correctness matters more than features
  • Solid Python skills for tooling, analysis, and test automation in Linux-based environments
  • A verification mindset: you think in terms of assumptions, failure modes, coverage, and evidence
  • Familiarity with safety standards for mobile robots and autonomous systems (e.g., ISO 13482, ISO 3691-4, ISO 26262)
  • Familiarity with robotics middleware such as ROS/ROS 2, and with robot sensors such as LiDAR, depth cameras, and IMUs
The Extras That Set You Apart
  • Functional safety experience in autonomous vehicles, industrial robots, or aerospace
  • Experience with runtime assurance architectures that wrap a learned or complex controller
  • Experience with formal or set based safety methods applied to real robots
  • Experience defining operational design domains and monitoring when a system is outside them
  • Experience with redundant sensing, safety rated hardware, or safety rated communication
  • Experience taking a robotic product through safety assessment or certification
  • Experience with legged or humanoid platforms, where balance and contact make safety envelopes harder to define
$100,000 - $230,000 a year
Our salary range is generous and we consider each individual's background and experience when determining final compensation. Base pay may vary based on role scope, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and the Irvine, California market.
 
Why Join FieldAI in Irvine?
In Irvine, you will work where the robots are. Our local team builds and tests systems on real hardware with real sensors, then ships them to operate in unstructured, previously unknown environments around the world. We are solving one of robotics' hardest challenges: reliable deployment outside the lab. Our Field Foundational Models raise the bar for perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, with an emphasis on explainability and safety for real-world use.
You will collaborate with a world-class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. We bring deep experience from organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, along with a track record of field deployments and strong performance in DARPA challenge segments.
 
Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution
We are looking for builders who want their work to leave the whiteboard and show up on robots. If you enjoy tackling tough, uncharted questions and working across disciplines, you will find your people here. Our teams span AI, software, robotics engineering, product, field deployment, and technical communication, all focused on shipping systems that perform in the real world.
 
Our headquarters is in Irvine, and we partner closely with teams there as well as colleagues across the US and around the world. Join us in Southern California and help define what dependable, field-ready autonomy looks like.
 
We value diverse perspectives and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We evaluate candidates and employees based on merit, qualifications, and performance, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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