Senior Systems Engineer, Fail Operational Safety Strategy

Zoox; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 291,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Zoox RSUs

Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights

Health insurance

Sign-on bonus

Job summary

Zoox is building the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem to bring this technology to market. The SDMA team defines the safety case and fail-operational design for robotaxi deployments, enabling safe operation before public road use.

You will pioneer safety strategies for new operating environments, design fault handling, and partner across software, hardware, and operations to ensure holistic safety.

Qualifications

• BS or higher in Systems Engineering, Robotics, CS, or EE with 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Strong systems engineering background with requirements management and system architecture development.
• Deep understanding of fault detection, isolation and recovery with redundancy and failover strategies.
• Strong analytical skills in quantitative analysis, modeling, and performance metrics.
• Excellent technical communication and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the fail operational safety strategy and roadmap for expanding into new ODDs.
• Design and maintain fault response strategies to keep the vehicle safe during malfunctions.
• Build a framework for assessing fault handling effectiveness with key resilience metrics.
• Partner with software, hardware, and operations to ensure a holistic safety approach.
• Leverage AI/LLM tools to accelerate analysis and automate repetitive tasks.

Skills

Systems engineering

Requirements management

Fault tolerance design

Analytical modeling

Technical communication

Education

B.S. in Systems Engineering, Robotics, CS or EE

Advanced degree (M.S./Ph.D.) in a relevant field

Tools

Polarion

DOORS

Databricks

BigQuery

Looker

Grafana

Job description

Zoox is on an ambitious journey to develop a full-stack autonomous mobility solution for cities and safely deploy such a robotaxi solution. The System Design and Mission Assurance (SDMA) team plays a foundational role in the company's success, responsible for constructing the safety case and fail‑operational design for our autonomous driving robots before public road deployment. You will be part of an organization with strong leadership and a transparent, respectful culture that enables you to reach your full potential.

In this role, you will focus on pioneering safety strategies for novel environments.

• Define and own the fail operational safety strategy and roadmap for expanding into new operating environments and Operational Design Domains (ODDs). Ensure all new ODD elements have tailored solutions that meet safety and reliability requirements.
• Design and maintain fault response strategies that keep the vehicle safe and operational during malfunctions, including decision‑making logic that selects the appropriate action based on the nature and severity of the fault in the context of the entire ODD.
• Build a framework for assessing the effectiveness of fault handling and recovery in new ODDs, defining key metrics for system resilience and safety while using data analysis and automation to drive continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with software, hardware engineering teams, and operations to ensure a holistic approach to system safety and fault tolerance, translating complex technical concepts for diverse audiences.
• Leverage the latest AI and LLM tools to accelerate the analysis work and automate processes to reduce repetitive manual work.

Qualifications

• B.S. or higher degree in Systems Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, with 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Strong systems engineering background with experience in requirements management and system architecture development.
• Deep understanding of fault detection, isolation, and recovery techniques, including redundancy, failover, and graceful degradation strategies.
• Strong analytical skills in quantitative analysis and modeling, performance metrics definition, and system‑level trade‑off analysis.
• Excellent technical communication and documentation abilities, with demonstrated success working with cross‑functional teams in complex technical environments.

Bonus Qualifications

• Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in a relevant field.
• Experience with autonomous vehicle development or similar complex robotics systems.
• Familiarity with requirements management tools (e.g., Polarion, DOORS) and experience with system safety analysis and requirements validation.
• Experience with data analysis tools (Databricks, BigQuery, Looker, Grafana).
• Familiarity with ISO 26262, ISO 21448, and other industry safety standards.

Compensation

$185,000 - $291,000 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.

About Zoox

Zoox is developing the first ground‑up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility‑as‑a‑service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast‑moving and highly execution‑oriented team.

Accommodations

If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to [e-mail] or your assigned recruiter.

Final Note

You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.