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Functional Safety Automotive Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Qualifications * 10+ years of experience in the automotive industry, with a background in functional safety. * Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering ...

Qualifications * 10+ years of experience in the automotive industry, with a background in functional safety. * Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering ...

Qualifications * 10+ years of experience in the automotive industry, with a background in functional safety. * Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering ...

Take your next step and support us as a FUNCTIONAL SAFETY ENGINEER. DESCRIPTION * Work with team ... Extensive experience working with Automotive EE architectures (both Domain, Distributed) from ...

Take your next step and support us as a FUNCTIONAL SAFETY ENGINEER. DESCRIPTION * Work with team ... Extensive experience working with Automotive EE architectures (both Domain, Distributed) from ...

Functional Safety Manager

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$160K - $200K/yr

Understanding of automotive software development process * Extensive knowledge of ISO-26262 Automotive Functional Safety. * Experience conducting safety reviews and analysis (HARA, FTA, FMEA, FMEDA ...

Track Record: 3+ years in functional safety engineering for safety-related systems at system, software, and hardware level -- ideally in robotics, industrial automation, or automotive. Hands-on ...

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Lead the development of functional safety system requirements and functional decomposition for automotive systems. * Review and approve HARA, Functional Safety Requirements, Technical Safety ...

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As the Functional Safety Architect for our Physical AI System-on-Chip (SoC), you will own the ... Familiarity with robotics, automotive, industrial, or other safety-critical domains, and with ...

Functional Safety Manager

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$160K - $200K/yr

Understanding of automotive software development process * Extensive knowledge of ISO-26262 Automotive Functional Safety. * Experience conducting safety reviews and analysis (HARA, FTA, FMEA, FMEDA ...

Functional Safety Manager

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$160K - $200K/yr

Understanding of automotive software development process * Extensive knowledge of ISO-26262 Automotive Functional Safety. * Experience conducting safety reviews and analysis (HARA, FTA, FMEA, FMEDA ...

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Functional Safety Automotive information

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$32

$58

How much do functional safety automotive jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 11, 2026, the average hourly pay for functional safety automotive in the United States is $32.38, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $25.48 and $39.18 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a functional safety automotive engineer?

A Functional Safety Engineer in the automotive industry is responsible for ensuring that automotive systems and components operate safely, even in the presence of faults or failures. They work according to standards like ISO 26262, which sets requirements for the entire safety lifecycle of automotive electrical and electronic systems. Their tasks include risk assessment, hazard analysis, developing safety concepts, and verifying that safety goals are met throughout development and production. This role is crucial for preventing accidents caused by system failures in vehicles, especially with the rise of advanced driver assistance and autonomous systems.

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

To thrive as a Functional Safety Automotive Engineer, you need a solid background in electrical engineering, embedded systems, and safety standards such as ISO 26262, often supported by a relevant engineering degree. Familiarity with safety analysis tools (like FMEA, FTA), requirements management systems, and certification in functional safety are typically required. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help in identifying potential hazards and collaborating across multidisciplinary teams. These skills are crucial to ensuring the development of safe, reliable automotive systems that comply with industry regulations and protect end users.

What are some common challenges faced by functional safety automotive engineers when working with cross-functional teams?

Functional Safety Automotive engineers often collaborate with hardware, software, and systems teams to ensure vehicle safety standards, such as ISO 26262, are met. A common challenge is aligning safety requirements across different departments, as each team may have varying priorities and technical languages. Effective communication and documentation are crucial to resolve ambiguities and ensure all teams are working toward the same safety goals. Proactively addressing misunderstandings and facilitating regular cross-team meetings can help keep projects on track and compliant with safety regulations.

What is the difference between Functional Safety Automotive vs Functional Safety Engineer?

AspectFunctional Safety AutomotiveFunctional Safety Engineer
CertificationsISO 26262, ISTQBISO 26262, ISTQB
Work EnvironmentAutomotive industry, vehicle developmentVarious industries including automotive, industrial, aerospace
Employer & Industry UsageAutomotive manufacturers, suppliersEngineering firms, automotive companies, industrial sectors
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding automotive safety rolesUnderstanding safety engineering roles in automotive

Functional Safety Automotive professionals focus specifically on safety standards and systems within the automotive industry, ensuring vehicle safety compliance. Functional Safety Engineers may work across multiple industries but share core safety principles. The key difference lies in the industry focus, with the automotive role emphasizing vehicle-specific safety standards like ISO 26262.

More about Functional Safety Automotive jobs

What job categories do people searching Functional Safety Automotive jobs look for?

The top searched job categories for Functional Safety Automotive jobs are:

Infographic showing various Functional Safety Automotive job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 2% As Needed, 76% Full Time, 20% Part Time, 1% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 97% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $67,344 per year, or $32.4 per hour.

Functional Safety Risk Manager

Palo Alto, CA • On-site

Rivian
Automobile Dealers • 10K+ employees

$167K - $209K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 28 days ago


Rivian rating

7.3

Company rating: 7.3 out of 10

Based on 160 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz


Job description

About Rivian
Rivian is on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever. This goes for the emissions-free Electric Adventure Vehicles we build, and the curious, courageous souls we seek to attract.
As a company, we constantly challenge what's possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations.
Role Summary
Leads the vehicle- and system-level functional safety risk management across safety-critical functions, ensuring safety goals, HARA outputs, requirements, interface assumptions, audits, and validation evidence are aligned for a coherent program view. This role consolidates safety status across domains, facilitates governance forums and risk reviews, coordinates supplier safety assessments, and builds the frameworks, reporting structures, and cross-functional mechanisms needed to scale consistent functional safety decision-making across Rivian programs and partners
Responsibilities
  • Define and run a functional safety risk management framework at vehicle and system level: maintain an integrated FuSa risk register, track risk ratings versus Rivian safety targets, and drive mitigation and escalation routines with program and domain leadership.
  • Consolidate functional safety status reporting across domains (requirements, analyses, tests, audits, findings) into a single view for program reviews, providing a clear narrative on risk posture, gaps, and recovery plans.
  • Plan and coordinate supplier functional safety audits and assessments: define scope and objectives, align cross functional participants, manage the audit calendar, track findings and corrective actions, and ensure outcomes are reflected in risk registers and safety cases.
  • Maintain and continuously improve processes, templates, and dashboards(focus here) for functional safety integration (e.g., requirement and traceability patterns, risk registers, validation coverage views, audit trackers) to scale safety integration and risk management across programs and suppliers.
  • Establish and facilitate governance forums (e.g., safety boards, risk reviews, change control) that provide collective voice for all functional safety stakeholders at Rivian, ensure consistent decision making, and document risk acceptance and waivers.
  • Represent Rivian's functional safety organization to suppliers, coordinating safety goals, requirements, safety concepts, and interface assumptions; ensuring robust Development Interface Agreements; and integrating supplier plans and risks into Rivian program plans.
  • Own the milestones, tracking, and reporting of the decomposition of HARA outputs and safety goals into clear functional and technical safety requirements, interface specifications, and acceptance criteria, ensuring that ownership and ASIL allocation are understood across systems, hardware, and software teams.
  • Report on the end to end traceability from hazards and safety goals through functional and technical safety requirements, software safety requirements, test cases, and evidence, using Rivian's requirements management tools.

Qualifications
  • 10+ years of experience in the automotive industry, with a background in functional safety.
  • Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering field.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently and reliably in a fast-paced environment.
  • Strong curiosity and technical depth to understand the product and how safety and regulatory requirements apply to it.
  • Experience with formal requirements management and traceability tools.
  • Strong interpersonal and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across Rivian and with external suppliers and vendors.

Pay Disclosure
The salary range for this role is $167,400 - $209,300 for Palo Alto, California based applicants. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, shift, and organizational needs.
The successful candidate may be eligible for annual performance bonus and equity awards.
We offer a comprehensive package of benefits for full-time and part-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26, including but not limited to paid vacation, paid sick leave, and a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits including life, medical, dental, vision, short-term disability insurance, and long-term disability insurance to eligible employees. You may also have the opportunity to participate in Rivian's 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program if you meet certain eligibility requirements. Full-time employee coverage is effective on their first day of employment. Part-time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment. More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com.
You can apply for this role through careers.rivian.com (or through internal-careers-rivian.icims.com if you are a current employee). There is no fixed deadline for this application; applications are accepted on an ongoing basis until the role is filled or the opening is no longer needed.
Equal Opportunity
Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Rivian is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at candidateaccommodations@rivian.com.
Candidate Data Privacy and Technology
Rivian may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes ("Candidate Personal Data"). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.
Rivian may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian affiliates; and (iii) Rivian's service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.
Rivian may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.
How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process: To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Rivian uses iCIMS Talent Cloud Artificial Intelligence (TCAI) and AI-enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role.
AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate.
Participation in AI profile matching is entirely voluntary. If you prefer that your profile not be used in this process, you can opt out at any time. Opting out means your profile will be excluded from automated matching and will not be surfaced for additional roles through this system. Your current application remains active and will not be affected in any way.
Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.

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About Rivian

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Rivian is a pioneering automotive industry player headquartered in Irvine, California. Established in 2009, the company has made notable advancements in developing sustainable transportation solutions. It is widely recognized for its electric adventure vehicles: the R1T pickup and the R1S SUV. Rivian is dedicated to creating a positive shift in societal mobility and emphasizes sustainability, innovation, and adventure as part of its core values. Their mission is to keep the world adventurous forever - a testament to their commitment in transitioning the world to sustainable transportation. Rivian's achievements are numerous, with one of the most notable being securing a significant multi-billion dollar investment from Amazon for the production of electric delivery vans.

Industry

Automobile dealers

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Irvine, CA, US

Year founded

2009