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Functional Safety Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Kodiak

Functional Safety Engineer, Hardware

Mountain View, CA · On-site

$130K - $190K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

We are looking for a Functional Safety Hardware Engineer to join us and drive the development and management of our autonomous vehicle safety cases as we bring the Kodiak Autonomy System to market.

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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 are popular job titles related to Functional Safety jobs in California?

For Functional Safety jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

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

The top searched job categories for 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:

Functional Safety jobs near you
Infographic showing various Functional Safety job openings in California as of August 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.

Staff Functional Safety Engineer

Humble Robotics

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 27 days ago

Job description

About Humble Robotics
Working at Humble Robotics means taking on the biggest change in ground transportation in decades. We’re building an autonomous, zero-emissions hauler that dramatically lowers the cost of freight with groundbreaking vision-based AI, designed for today’s global logistics network. 
 
We’re a fast-moving, close-knit team of AV industry veterans and innovative thinkers. We don’t believe culture can be engineered – but when it falls into place, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
 
Progress has never felt so present.
 
Position Overview
This role owns the functional/system safety engineering foundation end-to-end: hazard analysis, safety requirements, safety case/evidence, and the verification strategy across simulation and vehicle testing. You’ll work directly with autonomy, vehicle platform, embedded/compute, simulation, and test to ensure safety is designed in and proven with traceable evidence—without building a heavyweight process.
Key Responsibilities
  • Own the safety lifecycle for the AV program: safety plan, safety case structure, evidence strategy, and readiness gates.
  • Lead safety analyses across the stack (e.g., HARA, FMEA, FTA and other system-level hazard analysis approaches as appropriate) and maintain the hazard log.
  • Define safety goals, safety concepts (functional/technical or system safety equivalents), and safety requirements for HW/SW/ops with clear verification methods.
  • Drive safety-critical architecture and design decisions: fault handling, monitoring/diagnostics, degraded modes, minimal-risk behaviors, and interface assumptions.
  • Build the verification strategy linking hazards and safety goals to simulation coverage, SIL/HIL where applicable, and on-road/track testing.
  • Ensure traceability from requirements to tests to results, and produce clear safety evidence packages for internal reviews and external partners.
  • Establish lightweight operating mechanisms: safety reviews, change impact assessment, safety issue triage, and release/readiness decision documentation.
  • Guide teams on practical application of relevant standards and best practices (e.g., ISO 26262 where applicable, ISO 21448/SOTIF, UL 4600).
Minimum Qualifications
  • 8+ years building safety-critical systems (automotive, robotics, aerospace, industrial, medical), including 5+ years in functional safety and/or system safety.
  • Strong track record owning safety artifacts through major milestones: hazard analyses, safety requirements, verification strategies, and safety evidence.
  • Systems engineering strength: crisp, testable requirements; interface management; traceability; risk-based decision-making.
  • Technical breadth across AV-relevant domains (vehicle interfaces/actuation, embedded/compute, autonomy behaviors, operational constraints).
  • Comfort working hands-on with data and engineering tooling (e.g., Python/SQL) to create and interpret readiness signals.
  • Clear communicator who can lead cross-functional technical reviews and drive alignment.
  • Eligible to work in the United States
Preferred Qualifications
  • Direct L3/L4 autonomy experience (driverless pilot or commercial launch).
  • Practical experience applying ISO 26262, ISO 21448 (SOTIF), and/or UL 4600 to complex systems.
  • Experience with fault-tolerant/fail-operational strategies and minimal-risk maneuvers for automated driving.
  • Experience with HIL/SIL and simulation scenario coverage design tied to safety claims.
  • Experience working with partners, auditors, or regulators on safety evidence.
Compensation
Salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including qualifications, skills, experience, and location. We also offer competitive equity compensation and benefits.

As part of the interview process, we may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to compare your qualifications and experience to the job description. A human reviews all AI output and makes a final hiring decision. Humble Robotics does not rely on the output to make any employment decisions. Some applicants may have a legal right to opt-out of the use of AI as part of our interview process. Contact legal@humblerobotics.ai to exercise this right or if you have further questions on the use of AI tools in our hiring process. 

Humble Robotics is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status or any other characteristics protected by law. Humble Robotics will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with local ordinances.

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.