Functional Safety Manager

FORT Robotics; Oregon; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Stock options

3% 401(k) match

Unlimited PTO

Parental leave

Job summary

FORT Robotics, Inc. is seeking a Senior Functional Safety Manager to own the safety plan, lifecycle gates, and the safety case across industrial automation products. You’ll drive evidence generation and certification activities with a focus on rigorous compliance and risk mitigation.

You will coordinate with the CTO, manage regulatory readiness, and ensure alignment with IEC 61508, ISO 13849, and IEC 62061. Strong collaboration and critical thinking are essential.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in functional safety within regulated domains (industrial, automotive, aerospace, medical)
• Led at least one product through third‑party certification end‑to‑end with substantial safety argument
• Deep fluency in IEC 61508 parts 1‑3 and Annex D
• Knowledge of ISO 13849 and IEC 62061 from suppliers' side
• Ability to review safety analyses critically and challenge gaps
• Influence-oriented role with no direct reports; reports to CTO
• Teamwork and questioning mindset to ensure safety justifications

Responsibilities

• Own safety plan, lifecycle phases, gate criteria, and safety case
• Manage certification body relationships: scope, findings, surveillance
• Maintain regulatory watch (EU Machinery Regulation readiness) and translate into roadmap
• Close loop from field modifications to safety argument
• Author safety manuals and subsystem data packs (PFHD, architectures)
• Coordinate evidence adequacy across lifecycle stages

Skills

Senior safety leadership

Certification lifecycle ownership

IEC 61508 (1-3) fluency

ISO 13849 & IEC 62061 knowledge

Critical analysis of safety studies

Influence without authority

Collaborative mindset

Engineering degree (B.S.+)

Education

B.S. or higher in engineering

Tools

TÜV Rheinland FS Engineer certification

Job description

In today's dynamic worksites, seamless collaboration between people and machines is essential. FORT's platform ensures safe, secure, and dynamic control that surpasses legacy systems and next-generation AI capabilities. While autonomous machines offer significant advantages, they also introduce new safety challenges. FORT addresses these concerns by providing solutions such as the Wireless E-Stop, which allows operators to instantly stop any machine from a safe distance, enhancing safety during emergencies. Additionally, FORT's Safe Remote Control enables operators to manage heavy machinery remotely, reducing the risk of accidents and improving visibility. By ensuring communications integrity across any network, FORT empowers customers to protect their most valuable assets - people, data, and machines, ensuring they remain safe and secure.

What You'll Do

• Own the standards picture across our products and markets IEC 61508, ISO 13849 and IEC 62061, and the sector standards our customers build to (ISO 3691-4, ISO 25119, UL 4600, ISO 21448) deciding at clause level what applies and what evidence satisfies it
• Serve as our named Functional Safety Manager: own the safety plan, the lifecycle phases and their gate criteria, competence records, and the safety case itself
• Hold the gates. You will be accountable at every lifecycle phase for whether our evidence is adequate and independent enough to say when it is not
• Author the safety manuals and subsystem data packs our customers depend on: IEC 61508-2/-3 Annex D content, PFHD and architecture data for ISO 13849 and IEC 62061 integrators, and the assumptions of use that make our capability claims valid
• Own our certification body relationships end-to-end: scope, submission, findings, and surveillance, and represent our safety argument to third-party assessors
• Run the regulatory watch: EU Machinery Regulation readiness ahead of January 2027, standards revisions, and what each one means for our roadmap and for our customers' conformity files
• Close the loop from the field modification impact analysis and safety anomalies from real installations, fed back into the safety argument

What You'll Bring

• 7+ years in functional safety as a practising engineer embedded, systems, hardware, or safety-critical software in industrial, automotive, aerospace, medical, or similar regulated domains
• At least one product taken through third-party certification end-to-end, where you personally owned a substantial part of the safety argument and defended it to an assessor
• Deep fluency in IEC 61508 parts 1-3, including what Annex D actually requires of a safety manual and how systematic capability is argued
• Working knowledge of ISO 13849 and IEC 62061 from the supplier side: what an integrator needs from a certified subsystem, and why
• The judgement to review safety analysis critically: to challenge a diagnostic coverage claim, a failure-rate source, or a fault model with a gap in it. In this role, you accept other people's technical work rather than producing it
• Comfort with influence rather than line authority. This role has no direct reports; its authority comes from the safety plan, the gate, and a direct line to the CTO, deliberately outside the engineering delivery line
• A collaborative, questioning mindset willing to challenge teammates and be challenged in return, because safety depends on it
• B.S. or higher in an engineering discipline, or equivalent experience

Nice to have

• TÜV Rheinland FS Engineer or Exida CFSE/CFSP certification
• Machinery and off-highway experience (AGV and AMR under ISO 3691-4, agricultural machinery under ISO 25119)
• Safety-element-out-of-context or compliant-item work
• EU Machinery Regulation readiness programs
• Autonomy and SOTIF exposure (UL 4600, ISO 21448)
• or time on the other side of an assessment, at a certification body or as a contracted assessor

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary range: $150,000-$200,000, based on experience and location.
• Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance; unlimited PTO; stock options; 3% 401(k) match, paid holidays, and parental leave.

Application window: Applications accepted through the end of December 2026. This date will be updated if the window is extended.

FORT Robotics is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

FORT Robotics uses AI-assisted tools to help our recruiting team review and organize applications. These tools do not make hiring decisions; all decisions are made by FORT employees. To request an accommodation or a review without these tools, contact .