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Functional Safety Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

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 ...

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 ...

About the Role Altera is seeking a Functional Safety Architect to lead and oversee the functional safety activities across various semiconductor and IP development projects for Avionics, Space ...

Functional Safety Manager

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$160K - $200K/yr

Plus is looking for a functional safety manager specializing in vehicle embedded control software systems. In this role, you will directly influence how our autonomous system achieves higher levels ...

Functional Safety Manager

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$160K - $200K/yr

Plus is looking for a functional safety manager specializing in vehicle embedded control software systems. In this role, you will directly influence how our autonomous system achieves higher levels ...

Functional Safety Manager

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$160K - $200K/yr

Plus is looking for a functional safety manager specializing in vehicle embedded control software systems. In this role, you will directly influence how our autonomous system achieves higher levels ...

Role Summary As a Hardware Functional Safety Engineer working in the Electric Power Conversion group, you will be responsible for performing functional safety development of internally designed power ...

Role Summary As a Hardware Functional Safety Engineer working in the Electric Power Conversion group, you will be responsible for performing functional safety development of internally designed power ...

Role Summary As a Software Functional Safety Engineer, you will be responsible for performing functional safety and low-level drivers, base and application software safety development for power ...

Role Summary As a Software Functional Safety Engineer, you will be responsible for performing functional safety and low-level drivers, base and application software safety development for power ...

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Showing results 1-20

Functional Safety information

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Functional Safety Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Functional Safety Engineer, you need a solid background in engineering (typically electrical, electronics, or systems), a deep understanding of safety standards like ISO 26262 or IEC 61508, and experience in risk assessment. Familiarity with safety analysis tools (e.g., FMEA, FTA) and certifications such as TÜV Functional Safety Engineer are commonly required. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you collaborate with cross-functional teams and ensure rigorous safety compliance. These competencies are crucial to identify hazards, mitigate risks, and deliver safe, reliable products or systems in regulated industries.

How does a Functional Safety Engineer typically collaborate with cross-functional teams during product development?

Functional Safety Engineers work closely with hardware, software, and systems engineers throughout the product development lifecycle to identify and mitigate potential safety risks. They often facilitate safety assessments, conduct Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and ensure compliance with relevant safety standards such as ISO 26262 or IEC 61508. Effective communication and documentation are crucial, as Functional Safety Engineers must clearly convey safety requirements and findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. This collaborative environment helps ensure that safety is integrated into every stage of development.

What is the difference between Functional Safety vs Safety Engineer?

AspectFunctional SafetySafety Engineer
CertificationsISO 26262, IEC 61508, TUV certificationsOSHA, NEBOSH, CSP certifications
Work EnvironmentAutomotive, industrial automation, machineryConstruction sites, manufacturing plants, industrial facilities
Industry UsageDesigning safety systems, risk assessment, safety lifecycle managementIdentifying hazards, implementing safety protocols, compliance audits

Functional Safety focuses on designing and managing safety systems within products and processes, ensuring they operate safely under all conditions. Safety Engineers typically perform hazard analysis, develop safety procedures, and ensure compliance. While both roles aim to enhance safety, Functional Safety is more technical and system-oriented, whereas Safety Engineers often work on safety policies and risk mitigation strategies.

What is functional safety?

Functional safety refers to the part of a system that ensures it operates correctly and safely in response to its inputs, even when there are faults or failures. It is crucial in industries like automotive, manufacturing, and energy, where malfunctioning systems could lead to hazards. Functional safety involves risk assessment, implementing safety mechanisms, and following standards such as ISO 26262. Professionals in this field work on designing, verifying, and validating safety-related systems to ensure compliance and protect people and equipment.
What are the most commonly searched types of Functional Safety jobs in California? The most popular types of Functional Safety jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Functional Safety jobs? Cities in California with the most Functional Safety job openings:
Infographic showing various Functional Safety job openings in California as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 75% Full Time, 17% Part Time, and 8% Nights. Highlights an 92% In-person, and 8% Remote job distribution.
Functional Safety Risk Manager

Functional Safety Risk Manager

Rivian

Palo Alto, CA • On-site

$167K - $209K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 13 days ago


Rivian rating

7.3

Company rating: 7.3 out of 10

Based on 158 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

20th of 44 rated automakers


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
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.
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