Functional Safety Manager

Zobility; Southfield (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Zobility is seeking a highly organized Functional Safety Manager to lead ISO 26262 processes across vehicle programs in Michigan. The role requires driving risk mitigation, coordinating cross-functional teams including Systems, Software, Hardware, Validation, Quality, and supplier partners, and ensuring on-time delivery of safety deliverables.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's in engineering and 5+ years in automotive product development with strong program management, supplier management,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of automotive product development experience.
• 5+ years of Functional Safety Program Management experience.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 26262 and the functional safety lifecycle.
• Experience leading complete vehicle programs or major vehicle platform programs.
• Experience working with OEM and/or Tier 1 automotive suppliers.
• Experience managing suppliers and cross-functional engineering stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the Vehicle Functional Safety Plan.
• Lead functional safety governance activities and ensure compliance with ISO 26262 processes.
• Track safety deliverables and milestones across the vehicle program.
• Coordinate activities across Systems Engineering, Software, Hardware, Validation, Quality, Program Management, Regulatory, and Supplier teams.
• Support development and review of Item Definitions, HARA, Safety Goals, FSC, TSC, Safety Cases, Safety Validation Reports, FMEA, FMEDA, DFA, and FTA analyses.
• Identify safety risks and drive mitigation plans.
• Participate in safety assessments, audits, confirmation reviews, and readiness reviews.
• Manage supplier functional safety activities, deliverables, and DIAs.
• Partner with Verification & Validation teams to ensure safety requirements are tested and validated.
• Coordinate safety argument reviews and support vehicle safety case closure and release recommendations.

Skills

Functional safety knowledge

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

ISO 26262

Supplier management

Safety assessments & reviews

Analytical and communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related engineering discipline

Tools

Jira

Job description

This role requires a highly organized and proactive leader who can identify risks early, influence cross-functional teams, and drive execution across engineering disciplines and supplier partners. The ideal candidate combines strong technical functional safety knowledge with program management expertise and hands-on experience in automotive product development.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the Vehicle Functional Safety Plan.
• Lead functional safety governance activities and ensure compliance with ISO 26262 processes.
• Track safety deliverables and milestones across the vehicle program.
• Coordinate activities across Systems Engineering, Software, Hardware, Validation, Quality, Program Management, Regulatory, and *Supplier teams.
• Support development and review of:
  • Item Definitions
  • HARA
  • Safety Goals
  • Functional Safety Concepts (FSC)
  • Technical Safety Concepts (TSC)
  • Safety Cases
  • Safety Validation Reports
  • FMEA, FMEDA, DFA, and FTA analyses
• Identify safety risks and drive mitigation plans.
• Participate in safety assessments, audits, confirmation reviews, and readiness reviews.
• Manage supplier functional safety activities, deliverables, and Development Interface Agreements (DIAs).
• Partner with Verification & Validation teams to ensure safety requirements are effectively tested and validated.
• Coordinate safety argument reviews and support vehicle safety case closure and release recommendations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of automotive product development experience.
• 5+ years of Functional Safety Program Management experience.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 26262 and the functional safety lifecycle.
• Experience leading complete vehicle programs or major vehicle platform programs.
• Experience working with OEM and/or Tier 1 automotive suppliers.
• Experience managing suppliers and cross-functional engineering stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to anticipate issues, drive solutions, and lead complex initiatives with minimal oversight.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience owning vehicle-level functional safety activities from concept through production.
• Hands-on experience supporting safety verification, validation, testing, and safety release activities.
• Experience reviewing and managing HARA, FSC, TSC, Safety Cases, and associated safety work products.
• Experience supporting EV, ADAS, or other advanced vehicle technologies.
• Familiarity with Jira and related project management/change management tools.

What Makes a Strong Candidate?

• Functional Safety Management experience within an OEM or Tier 1 supplier environment.
• Experience supporting vehicle programs from early development through production.
• Proven ability to provide both leadership and hands‑on support when needed.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to identify gaps, weaknesses, and potential risks early.
• Demonstrated success driving execution across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Comfortable asking questions, seeking clarification, and proactively addressing issues before they become program risks.