Functional Safety Engineer, Energy Storage

System Safety; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 153,000 - 249,000; Full time

Job summary

Redwood Materials is seeking a Functional Safety Engineer to lead safety compliance for energy storage systems. You will ensure alignment with UL 1998, UL 991, and UL 5500 and drive certification with NRTLs.

You will collaborate with engineering and product teams to embed safety requirements into development cycles, develop hazard analyses, and advance safe deployment of ESS technologies.

A passion for sustainability and strong communication with diverse stakeholders are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• Hands-on experience with embedded software in safety-critical or regulated environments.
• Experience with microcontroller-based systems, low-level software/firmware.
• proficiency in C for real-time embedded systems.
• Strong background in UL 1998, UL 991, UL 5500.
• Familiarity with IEC 61508, IEC/UL 60730, ISO 26262, or ISO 13849 (preferred).
• Experience with Energy Storage Systems, power electronics, or safety-critical systems.
• Ability to apply hazard analysis, safety cases, and V&V planning.
• Experience managing compliance with third-party testing/certification bodies.

Responsibilities

• Lead compliance activities for ESS functional safety with a focus on UL 1998, UL 991, and UL 5500.
• Develop FMEAs, hazard analyses, safety cases, and test strategies.
• Coordinate with certification bodies to establish and manage compliance programs.
• Translate safety standards into actionable requirements for cross-functional teams.
• Coordinate hazard mitigation and validation strategies; support testing/verification.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and product design to streamline safety processes.

Skills

Embedded software

RT embedded systems

UL 1998

UL 991

UL 5500

IEC 61508

ISO 26262

Energy Storage

Safety certifications

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering / Systems Engineering

Job description

About Redwood Materials

Redwood Materials was founded in 2017 by JB Straubel, co-founder and former CTO of Tesla, on a simple but radical idea: the critical minerals powering the energy transition already exist. They just need to come back. Today Redwood is the largest lithium-ion battery recycler in North America — recovering, refining, and redeploying critical minerals from end-of-life batteries back into the supply chain. On the energy side, Redwood has deployed the largest second-life battery project in the world, delivering power to AI data centers in months rather than years using proprietary energy architecture engineered entirely in-house. The company is profitable, the market it operates in is projected to grow 20 to 50 times over the next decade, and Redwood is the only company with the supply chain, the technology, and the operational scale to lead it.

Functional Safety Engineer, Energy Storage

Redwood Materials is pioneering a sustainable circular economy for lithium-ion batteries by transforming recycled materials into critical inputs for energy storage and next-generation battery technologies. We are seeking a motivated and experienced Functional Safety Engineer to join our team and play a key role in ensuring compliance with functional safety standards and advancing the safe deployment of new energy storage system (ESS) technologies.

Responsibilities will include:

• Functional Safety & Compliance: Lead compliance activities for ESS functional safety with a focus on UL 1998 (Software in Programmable Components), UL 991 (Tests for Safety-Related Controls Employing Solid-State Devices), and UL 5500 (Remote Software Updates). Support certification efforts and align product development with functional safety requirements
• Standards Application & Development: Apply safety principles and methodologies to ESS hardware and software. Facilitate and lead the development of FMEA’s, hazard analyses, safety cases, and test strategies. Represent Redwood in standards development activities to help shape emerging requirements for ESS functional safety
• Certification Management: Work with certification bodies (NRTLs) to establish and manage compliance programs for new technologies, ensuring timely approvals to support product introduction milestones. Partner closely with engineering and product teams to integrate safety requirements into development cycles
• Team Support & Alignment: Translate complex safety standards into actionable requirements for cross-functional teams. Provide technical guidance on functional safety practices and address feedback to align product designs with compliance needs
• Risk Management: Develop, document, and execute hazard mitigation and validation strategies. Support testing and verification activities to ensure system safety performance. Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to resolve compliance and safety issues proactively
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and product design teams to streamline compliance and safety processes for ESS. Maintain strong relationships with certification bodies and industry partners to stay ahead of evolving safety requirements

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field
• Hands-on experience in embedded software development, ideally within safety-critical or regulated environments
• Preferred experience developing or working directly with microcontroller-based systems, including low-level software or firmware
• Proficiency in Cfor real-time embedded systems
• Strong background in UL 1998, UL 991, and UL 5500
• Familiarity with international functional safety standards such as IEC 61508, IEC/UL 60730, ISO 26262, or ISO 13849 (preferred)
• Experience working with Energy Storage Systems, power electronics, or safety-critical systems
• Demonstrated ability to apply functional safety methodologies (e.g., hazard analysis, safety cases, V&V planning)
• Experience managing compliance or certification processes with third-party testing/certification bodies
• Strong organizational skills, with high attention to detail
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical requirements to diverse stakeholders
• A passion for sustainability and making the world a better place!

In accordance with California pay transparency laws, the salary range for this position is listed below. Actual compensation may vary based on a variety of factors, including experience, education, and skills.

California Pay Range: $153,000—$248,500 USD

The position is full-time. Compensation will be commensurate with experience.

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