Functional Safety Architect

Velaura AI, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Paid time off

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

Velaura AI, Inc. is seeking a Functional Safety Architect for its Physical AI SoC to own the safety architecture across silicon, firmware, and software.

You will define safety goals, mechanisms, and the safety case, guiding lifecycle from architecture to production. The role requires 10+ years in functional safety with ISO 26262 and IEC 61508 experience, building safety analyses and metrics, and collaborating with design and platform teams to deliver trusted safety solutions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in functional safety or safety-critical hardware engineering.
• Experience taking silicon or embedded platforms through a full safety lifecycle.
• Ability to build and defend a safety case across multi-disciplinary teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the SoC functional safety architecture, safety goals, and fault-handling strategy.
• Lead hazard analysis, risk assessment, DFMEA, FMEDA, FTA, and dependent-failure analyses.
• Define safety mechanisms for compute, AI/NPU, memory, and interconnect.
• Embed safety requirements into RTL, boot flow, and SDK; review implementations.
• Own the safety case and liaise with assessors and customers for certification.
• Establish safety processes, standards, and mentoring across teams.
• Coordinate safety with cybersecurity, reliability, and SOTIF fields.

Skills

Functional safety

ISO 26262 / IEC 61508

FMEA / FMEDA / FTA

HARA and safety analyses

RTL / silicon safety interface

Safety case development

Mentoring engineers

Hardware safety mechanisms

Education

Electrical/Computer Engineering degree

Job description

Role Overview

Velaura is designing the compute silicon that powers robots, autonomous systems, and intelligent machines that operate in the physical world—where a fault in the chip can translate directly into unsafe behavior. As the Functional Safety Architect for our Physical AI System-on-Chip (SoC), you will own the functional safety architecture of our silicon: defining how our chips detect, contain, and respond to faults so that the systems they drive remain safe.
This is a foundational, cross-cutting role spanning silicon, firmware, platform software, and product teams. You will establish Velaura’s functional safety strategy and lifecycle from the earliest architecture phase through tape‑out, qualification, and production, making the case, in hardware and in evidence, that Velaura silicon can be trusted in safety‑critical Physical AI applications.

Responsibilities

• Own the SoC functional safety architecture: define safety goals, safety mechanisms, and the hardware/software fault-handling strategy across Velaura’s Physical AI silicon roadmap.
• Lead safety analyses—hazard analysis and risk assessment, DFMEA, FMEDA, FTA, and dependent-failure/common-cause analysis—and derive the quantitative safety metrics required by the target standard (SPFM, LFM, and PMHF for ISO 26262 ASIL; SFF, diagnostic coverage, HFT, and PFH/PFD for IEC 61508 SIL), including diagnostic-coverage targets for the SoC and its subsystems.
• Define safety mechanisms for compute, AI/NPU, memory, and interconnect including error detection and correction, lockstep, BIST, and safe-state handling, and specify the assumptions of use for the safety element out of context (SEooC).
• Partner with silicon design, firmware, safety, and platform software teams to embed safety requirements into the RTL, boot flow, and SDK, and to review implementations against the safety concept.
• Own the safety case and work products across the safety lifecycle, coordinating with assessors and customers to support certification and audits.
• Establish functional safety processes, standards, and design practices; mentor engineers and raise the safety-engineering bar across the organization.
• Manage the interface between functional safety and adjacent disciplines—cybersecurity, reliability, and SOTIF—so that safety concerns are addressed holistically.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years in functional safety or safety-critical hardware engineering, with significant experience taking silicon or embedded platforms through a full safety lifecycle.
• Deep expertise with functional safety standards across frameworks—ISO 26262 (including part 11 for semiconductors) up to ASIL D and IEC 61508 up to SIL 3—and their application to SoC development, including the architectural constraints, hardware metrics, and systematic-capability requirements each imposes.
• Hands‑on experience leading safety analyses (HARA, FMEA/FMEDA, FTA, DFA) and computing hardware architectural metrics (SPFM, LFM, PMHF).
• Strong command of hardware safety mechanisms—ECC, lockstep, BIST, redundancy, and safe-state design—and of the interface between RTL/silicon design, firmware, and low-level platform software.
• Proven ability to build and defend a safety case and to drive safety requirements across multi-disciplinary teams from architecture through production.
• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of influencing technical direction and mentoring engineers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with functional safety for AI/ML accelerators or NPUs, and with SOTIF (ISO 21448) for autonomous and perception systems.
• Familiarity with robotics, automotive, industrial, or other safety-critical domains, and with adjacent standards such as ISO/SAE 21434 (cybersecurity) or IEC 61508 derivatives.
• Certification such as a recognized Functional Safety Engineer credential, and experience interfacing directly with certification bodies or assessors.
• Prior experience at an early-stage or high-growth semiconductor or hardware company, building safety functions and processes from the ground up.
• Master’s or Ph.D in Electrical/Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

$200,000 - $300,000 a year

Compensation & Benefits

At Velaura, we believe exceptional talent deserves exceptional rewards. Compensation for this role includes a base salary and very competitive equity compensation, allowing team members to share in the company’s long‑term success.
The base pay listed represents a good faith estimate that the Company reasonably expects to pay for this position at the time of hire. Actual compensation will depend on multiple factors, including the candidate's skills, qualifications, relevant experience, and geographic location.
In addition to base salary and equity compensation, Velaura offers a comprehensive benefits package that may include medical, dental, and vision coverage; paid time off; flexible work arrangements; professional development opportunities; and other benefits designed to support the well‑being and growth of our team.
Velaura is committed to pay equity and transparency and regularly benchmarks compensation to ensure we remain competitive in the market.

Why Velaura?

Velaura is building next‑generation compute technology for cloud, edge, and Physical AI. Our solutions will enable robots, autonomous systems, drones, and other intelligent machines to operate efficiently in the physical world.
This is an opportunity to help build foundational technology at a time when the industry is undergoing fundamental change. You will work alongside experienced leaders, architects, engineers, and operators who have delivered industry‑defining products across mobile, cloud, semiconductor, and AI platforms. If you enjoy solving difficult problems, working across disciplines, and helping shape the future of Physical AI, we would love to hear from you.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Accommodations

Velaura is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. We also take affirmative action to offer employment
opportunities to minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans.
Velaura is committed to working with qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities. Applicants who would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or who need special assistance or a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process may contact us at: [email protected] . This contact
information is for accommodation requests only. Evaluation of requests for reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis.
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.