Functional Safety Engineer – Infotainment Systems

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 116,300 - 145,400; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual performance bonus

Eligibility for equity

Health and wellness benefits

Job summary

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is seeking a Functional Safety Engineer in Palo Alto, CA. This role focuses on ensuring the safety of infotainment and connected vehicle systems. Responsibilities include conducting safety analyses, developing safety mechanisms, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. Qualifications include a degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering and 2–3 years of experience in the automotive industry, specifically within functional safety. The compensation range is $116.3K – $145.4K, along with a performance bonus and equity options.

Qualifications

• 2–3 years of experience in the automotive industry at an OEM or Tier 1 supplier.
• Exposure to Infotainment, telematics, or connected vehicle platforms.
• Hands-on experience with circuit debugging and network analysis.

Responsibilities

• Ensure functional safety in the design and validation of Infotainment features.
• Conduct safety analyses including DFMEA and FTA.
• Develop safety mechanisms and test cases for validation.

Skills

Functional safety guidance

Electrical fault diagnosis

Experience with ADAS systems

Understanding of ISO 26262

Knowledge of AI and machine learning in automotive safety

Education

Degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering or related discipline

Tools

LabCar

HiL environments

Requirements management toolchain

Job description

About Us

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software‑defined vehicles around the world. The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone.

Role Summary

This role is embedded in the Functional Safety Engineering team with a specific focus on the infotainment and connected vehicle domain, covering displays, HMI, telematics, and software‑hardware interactions unique to these systems. The engineer ensures that failures within infotainment – whether from connectivity issues, display faults, or software bugs – don’t cascade into safety‑critical vehicle functions or create driver distraction hazards. The role involves safety analysis, requirements development, and hands‑on validation using LabCar and HiL environments. It collaborates closely with HMI, Connectivity, and Platform teams, and sits at an interesting intersection with ADAS where driver assistance and infotainment features share interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Primarily responsible for ensuring functional safety in the design, development, and validation of Infotainment and connected vehicle features, with a strong focus on electrical and electronic system integrity and software‑hardware interactions across the full vehicle development lifecycle.
• Contribute to feature requirements and provide functional safety guidance on feature definition, including the identification of hazards arising from electrical malfunctions, display and HMI faults, and software/hardware interactions within Infotainment systems.
• Perform vehicle‑level HARA and generate safety goals; conduct safety analyses including DFMEA, FTA, and FMEDA; and develop safety requirements using the company’s requirements management toolchain.
• Develop safety mechanisms such as redundancy architectures, hardware diagnostics, system health monitors, and fail‑safe designs, ensuring that Infotainment system failures do not propagate into safety‑critical vehicle functions or driver distraction hazards.
• Develop test cases to verify and validate safety mechanisms on LabCar and Vehicle test assets, incorporating HiL environments, and deliver thorough data analysis and reporting.
• Represent the functional safety team across internal and external development activities, collaborating closely with Diagnostics, Platform, HMI, Connectivity, and Electrical Systems teams to achieve system safety objectives.

Qualifications

• Degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, Mechatronics, or a closely related discipline.
• 2–3 years of experience within the automotive industry at an OEM or Tier 1 supplier, working within functional safety or systems engineering, ideally with exposure to Infotainment, telematics, or connected vehicle platforms.
• Experience in ADAS systems is a strong advantage, particularly where Infotainment and driver assistance features share HMI or data interfaces, and where SOTIF considerations intersect with functional safety requirements.
• Hands‑on experience with electronic hardware fault diagnosis, including circuit debugging and CAN/LIN/Automotive‑Ethernet network analysis, with a practical understanding of electrical failure modes from system to component level.
• Familiarity with AI and machine‑learning concepts as applied to automotive safety.
• Proven knowledge of ISO 26262 with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to present technical information clearly to senior management and external stakeholders.

Total Rewards

Base salary, eligibility for an annual performance bonus, and eligibility for equity. In addition, the benefits package supports health and wellness. Compensation Range: $116.3K – $145.4K.

Equal Opportunity

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer. 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, physical or mental disability, marital or domestic partner status, age, military or veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. The company ensures compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status. Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities.