WHO WE ARE LOOKING FORThe Vehicle Engineering group at Slate is looking for a technically rigorous, collaborative, and safety-obsessed Principal Functional Safety Engineer to join our growing team. This role is the technical authority for functional safety across our advanced vehicle platforms-covering E/E architecture, ADAS/AD, powertrain, chassis, body controls, and connected features. You will lead safety-by-design initiatives from concept through SOP and field lifecycle, ensuring compliance with ISO 26262 and alignment with SOTIF (ISO 21448), ASPICE, and adjacent standards.
WHAT YOU GET TO DOStrategy & Governance- Serve as the enterprise FuSa technical authority, defining the safety strategy for vehicle programs and establishing frameworks, policies, templates, and best practices for ISO 26262 across the V-model.
- Own the Functional Safety Management Plan and safety governance cadence (reviews, audits, safety gates), including escalation paths and executive reporting.
- Drive safety culture: mentor engineers, run communities of practice, and embed safety goals into roadmaps, KPIs, and program charters.
Program & Technical Leadership- Lead end-to-end Hazard Analysis & Risk Assessment (HARA) to derive Safety Goals, ASIL targets, and technical safety concepts for systems (e.g., ADAS, braking, steering, propulsion, battery management).
- Architect and review system, hardware, and software safety mechanisms (fault detection, diagnostics, monitoring, graceful degradation, FTTI, fail-safe/fail-operational strategies).
- Author and maintain Safety Cases (goal-based, GSN or equivalent), ensuring clear evidence links across requirements, design, implementation, verification, and validation.
- Direct DFMEA/PFMEA, FMEDA, and quantitative safety analyses (FIT rates, SPFM/LFM), and ensure robust independence/SEooC where applicable.
- Align safety requirements with E/E architecture (AUTOSAR Classic/Adaptive, middleware, communication stacks, safety partitioning).
- Champion SOTIF activities for perception/decision systems and complex functions (sensor fusion, ML-based ADAS), including scenario-based testing and performance bounds.
- Guide fault injection, safety verification & validation (HiL/SiL/MiL, proving ground tests, over-the-air updates), ensuring coverage sufficiency and traceability.
Cross-Functional & Supplier Engagement- Collaborate with Systems, Software, Hardware, Test, Manufacturing, Quality, Reliability, Cybersecurity (ISO 21434), and Regulatory teams to ensure integrated safety.
- Evaluate and approve supplier Safety Plans, Safety Manuals, and SEooC deliverables; drive APQP and PPAP alignment for safety-critical components.
- Interface with standards bodies, assessors, and regulatory stakeholders; support audits and certifications when required.
Lifecycle & Continuous Improvement- Ensure safety compliance through SOP and in-service operations (field monitoring, incident analysis, change control, OTA updates, service procedures).
- Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for safety incidents and pre-SOP findings (8D, problem-solving methodologies).
- Continuously improve processes based on lessons learned, metrics, and benchmarking; contribute to technology roadmaps for safety features and diagnostics.
WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TEAMRequired- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.
- 10+ years of experience in automotive functional safety with a track record of delivering ISO 26262-compliant systems to production.
- Expert-level knowledge of ISO 26262 (Parts 1-12), including HARA, Safety Goal derivation, TSC/HSR/SSR, and Safety Case development.
- Hands-on experience with DFMEA/PFMEA, FMEDA, quantitative metrics (SPFM/LFM), failure modes and diagnostic strategies, and reliability data interpretation (FIT).
- Proven leadership of cross-functional teams and suppliers; ability to influence at the director/VP level and mentor senior engineers.
- Strong systems engineering background (requirements management, architecture, interfaces, traceability tools such as DOORS/Jama/Polarion).
- Proficiency with verification & validation methods: MiL/SiL/HiL, fault injection, test coverage analysis, and scenario-based V&V for ADAS/AD.
- Excellent communication skills (technical and executive-ready) and the ability to defend decisions with evidence-based reasoning.
Preferred- Master's or Ph.D. in engineering or applied sciences.
- Certifications: FS Engineer (TÜV), ISO 26262 Functional Safety Professional, ASPICE Provisional/Competent Assessor.
- Experience with AUTOSAR (Classic/Adaptive), safety partitioning, and real-time OS safety concepts.
- Prior work on SOTIF (ISO 21448) for perception systems, ML/AI safety assurance, and scenario-based testing frameworks.
- Knowledge of ISO 21434 (Cybersecurity) and safety-security co-engineering practices; familiarity with IEC 61508.
- Experience in semiconductor safety (PMIC, MCU, SoC safety islands), ASIL decomposition, SEooC integration, and tool/software qualification.
- Background in ADAS/AD sensing (camera, radar, lidar, ultrasonic), sensor fusion, functional performance bounds, and redundancy strategies.
- Familiarity with manufacturing quality systems (APQP, PPAP), warranty analytics, and field reliability monitoring.
