Safety Test and Validation Engineer

Zoox; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 199,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Stock options

RSUs

Life insurance

Job summary

Zoox in Foster City, CA is seeking a Safety Engineer to join the Safety Engineering team and lead planning and execution of component and system tests through full-vehicle crash testing. You will develop clear protocols and work with robotics, control, and vehicle engineers to ensure safety standards are met.

Responsibilities include coordinating with internal teams and external facilities across US and EU, analyzing test data, reporting results to engineering, and logging safety issues in Jira.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering.
• 5+ years of automotive development and testing experience.
• Detailed knowledge of FMVSS and other safety protocols.
• Hands-on experience in passive safety test planning, vehicle setup and execution.
• Strong organizational and communication skills with focus on hardware planning and timing.

Responsibilities

• Plan and track safety test activities and vehicle hardware requirements.
• Develop detailed crash test requests with integration teams.
• Interface with external facilities for US/EU test delivery.
• Ensure component, sub-system, sled, and full-vehicle testing is executed to plan.
• Coordinate test vehicle preparation, teardown, and rebuild.
• Conduct post-test data analysis and review results for data integrity.
• Report test results in detail and communicate observations to engineering teams.
• Log and track safety performance issues in Jira.

Skills

Test planning

Hardware collaboration

Data analysis

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CATIA 3DX

CATIA V5

Polarion

CANALYZER

Python

Data acquisition

Job description

At Zoox we have set the goal to provide our customers with the highest level of safety while using our fully autonomous vehicles. As a member of the Zoox Safety Engineering team you will work with a team of world-class engineers with diverse backgrounds such as robotics, control, and vehicle engineering. You will be responsible for planning and execution of component and system tests all the way through to complete vehicle crash testing. Working closely with our internal team and external laboratories you will develop clear and precise protocols and perform tests according to them. Working at Zoox offers you the chance to manifest your creativity, utilize your excellent organizational and communication skills and make a big difference in the final product.

In This Role, You Will

• Plan and track safety test activities and vehicle hardware requirements
• Develop detailed crash test requests, collaborating with integration teams on test and instrumentation needs
• Technical interface to external facilities, including on-site support for test delivery in US and EU
• Ensure component, sub-system, sled, and full-vehicle testing is executed to plan
• Coordinate test vehicle preparation, teardown, and rebuild
• Conduct post-test data analysis and review results with the test lab to confirm data integrity
• Report test results in detail and communicate observations to engineering teams
• Log and track safety performance issues in Jira

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering with a passion for electric, autonomous mobility
• 5+ years of experience in automotive development and testing
• Detailed knowledge of FMVSS, and other legal and consumer safety protocols
• Hands on experience in passive safety test planning, test vehicle setup and test execution
• Strong organizational and communication skills with a focus on hardware planning, timing plans and process definition
• Experience with 3D design and PLM tools, CATIA 3DX or CATIA V5 preferred

Bonus Qualifications

• CAN network experience, including data interrogation with CANALYZER
• Familiarity with test sensors (accelerometers, load cells, strain gauges) and data acquisition equipment
• Experience in defining and implementing operational workflows in a testing environment
• Knowledge of requirements management tools (Polarion or equivalent)
• Skilled in building scripts/templates for data integrity checks and results analysis (MetaPost, Hypergraph, Python, or similar)
• DFMEA knowledge

$146,000 - $199,000 a year

Base Salary Range

There are three major components to compensation for this position: salary, Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. A sign-on bonus may be offered as part of the compensation package. The listed range applies only to the base salary. Compensation will vary based on geographic location and level. Leveling, as well as positioning within a level, is determined by a range of factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate's relevant years of experience, domain knowledge, and interview performance. The salary range listed in this posting is representative of the range of levels Zoox is considering for this position.

Zoox also offers a comprehensive package of benefits, including paid time off (e.g. sick leave, vacation, bereavement), unpaid time off, Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights, Amazon RSUs, health insurance, long-term care insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, and life insurance.

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.