Senior Functional Safety Engineer

Dexterity, Inc.; Redwood City (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Dexterity, Inc. is looking for a Functional Safety Engineer in Redwood City, CA, to lead safety design and verification for robotic systems. The role involves collaboration with teams on safety analyses and defining safety requirements.

The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in functional safety within robotics or automation sectors and will balance innovative engineering with design principles. Join Dexterity and contribute to advancing intelligent robotics.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant experience in functional safety in robotics, automation, or related fields.
• Knowledge of ANSI/RIA, ISO standards, and CE directives.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on safety analyses and define functional safety requirements.
• Design safety architectures for robotic systems.
• Create safety documentation and validation plans.

Skills

Functional safety expertise

Regulatory compliance knowledge

Programming experience

Independent project ownership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or related engineering field

Tools

PLCs

Microcontrollers

Structured Text

Job description

About Dexterity

At Dexterity, we believe robots can positively transform the world. Our breakthrough technology frees people to do the creative, inspiring, problem‑solving jobs that humans do best by enabling robots to handle repetitive and physically difficult work. We’re starting with warehouse automation, where the need for smarter, more resilient supply chains impacts millions of lives and businesses around the world.

Dexterity’s full‑stack robotics systems pick, move, pack, and collaborate with human‑like skill, awareness, and learning capabilities. Our systems are software‑driven, hardware‑agnostic, and have already picked over 15 million goods in production.

We’re customer‑obsessed. Every decision is driven by one question – how can we empower our customers with robots to do more than they thought possible?

Dexterity is one of the fastest‑growing companies in robotics, backed by world‑class investors such as Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Obvious Ventures. We’re a diverse, multidisciplinary team with a culture built on passion, trust, and dedication. Join us and help make intelligent robots a reality!

About the Role

As a Functional Safety Engineer, you will lead functional safety design and verification initiatives of robotic systems and support regulatory compliance for North America, European, and Japanese markets. The ideal candidate will have an in‑depth understanding of applicable industry standards and will balance an innovative engineering mindset with established design and safety principles in a new and emerging industry. You will play a key role in Dexterity’s scale and global expansion by designing and implementing safe and compliant solutions.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Hardware, System, and Software teams on safety analyses, including risk assessment, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), fault tree analysis (FTA), and SIL determination.
• Define functional safety requirements for robotic systems, subsystems, and components, specifying safety functions, performance criteria, and SIL based on risk assessment.
• Design safety architectures for robotic systems, including hardware and software safety features, redundancy mechanisms, fault detection, and fault tolerance strategies to achieve required safety goals.
• Support the implementation of functional safety engineering solutions, including component selection and programming.
• Create safety documentation, including necessary documentation for compliance, safety policies, and safety checklists.
• Define and execute safety validation and verification plans to ensure compliance with safety standards and requirements.
• Offer subject‑matter expertise regarding industry standards and regulations.
• Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and tools for training, troubleshooting, and maintaining functional safety systems in customers' sites at scale.
• Stay up to date with the latest safety and compliance trends, regulations, and technologies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or related engineering field.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in functional safety in the robotics, automation, manufacturing, aerospace, or automotive industries.
• Knowledge of relevant domestic and international standards such as ANSI/RIA R15.06, ANSI/RIA R15.08, ISO 10218, ISO 12100, ISO 13849, NFPA79, UL 1740, UL3100, IEC 60204, IEC 61496, IEC 61508, and IEC 62061.
• Familiarity with CE directives such as the Machinery Regulation and EMC Directive. Professional certification in functional safety or compliance (e.g., CFSE, CMSE, CECE) is highly preferred.
• Experience with programming languages such as Structured Text, Ladder Logic, Function Block Diagrams, etc.
• Experience with electronics systems, including PLCs, microcontrollers, and/or mixed‑signal designs.
• Familiarity with industrial communication protocols and their utilization for safety‑rated communication, such as PROFINET, Ethernet/IP, EtherCAT/FSoE, MODBUS, etc.
• Familiarity with functional safety components and leading and emerging market vendors.
• Proven ability to work independently and take ownership of projects, as well as collaborate effectively in a team environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including communicating technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders and upper management.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Additional Information

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

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.

Base pay is one element of our Total Rewards package which may also include comprehensive benefits and equity, etc., depending on eligibility. The annual base pay range for this position is from $125,000 to $150,000. The actual pay offered will be determined on factors such as years of relevant experience, skills, education, etc. Decisions will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis.