Sensing and Perception System Safety Engineer

Zoox; Foster City (CA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 267,000; Full time

Job summary

Zoox is seeking a System Safety Engineer to perform safety analyses across sensing and perception systems for our autonomous mobility platform. You will collaborate with hardware, software, operations, and data science teams to define safety requirements and ensure fail-operational, reliable sensing capabilities.

Responsibilities include leading cross-functional projects, leveraging ISO 26262 and ISO 21448 standards, and driving data-driven safety validation.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Electrical/Electronics, Computer, Mechanical, CS, Robotics, Mechatronics, or related field.
• 3+ years' experience in safety or systems engineering for high-integrity systems (Automotive/Robotics).
• Experience communicating complex technical concepts to diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Define safety requirements for sensing and perception subsystems.
• Lead cross-functional projects across Software, Hardware, Operations, Data Science, and V&V teams.
• Design safety mechanisms leveraging ISO 26262 and ISO 21448 standards.
• Collaborate with teams to guide next-generation sensing architectures and sensor selection.
• Analyze field and simulation data to identify root causes and next steps.
• Leverage AI/LLM tools to accelerate analysis and automate repetitive processes.

Skills

System Safety

Sensing & Perception

Cross-functional collaboration

Safety analyses

Education

BS or MS in a related field

Tools

Polarion

DOORS

Jama

Job description

Zoox is on an ambitious journey to develop a full-stack autonomous mobility solution for cities and deploy such a robotaxi solution safely and reliably. 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. We are seeking a System Safety Engineer to perform safety analyses of complex hardware and software systems, specifically Sensing and Perception Systems. You will work across hardware and software domains to develop comprehensive system safety requirements and metrics that ensure safe, fail operational and reliable sensing capabilities for our autonomous vehicle platform.

In this role, you will:

• Define safety requirements for sensing (e.g. camera, lidar, radar) and perception (sensor fusion, ML models) subsystems
• Lead cross-functional technical projects across Software, Hardware, Operations, Data Science, V&V teams to ensure we have the appropriate data and solutions to support our safety arguments
• Collaborate with perception, hardware, software, firmware and other systems engineering teams to design safety mechanisms by leveraging ISO 26262 (e.g HARAs, Functional Safety Concepts, etc.) and SOTIF (ISO 21448) standards
• Work with partner teams to develop safe, fail operational, and cost-optimized, next-generation sensing architectures and guide the selection of next-generation sensors
• Analyze field and simulation data to root cause issues, identify next steps or validate assumptions
• Leverage AI/LLM tools to accelerate analysis and automate repetitive processes, improving team efficiency

Qualifications

• BS or MS in a related technical field, such as Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, Mechatronics, etc.
• Experience as a Design or Systems Engineer for complex or mission-critical systems with high levels of fail-operational redundancy especially in domain of sensing and perception
• 3+ years of hands- on systems, safety, or related engineering experience with a focus on analysis of safety critical high-integrity systems in Automotive, ADAS, Autonomous vehicles, Aerospace or Robotics industries
• Effective communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with sensing hardware, physics, limitations and tradeoffs especially in safety-critical applications and fail operational systems
• Experience in the application of ISO 26262 (Functional Safety) and ISO 21448 (SOTIF) to L2+ ADAS and autonomous vehicles; Experience with hazard analysis, functional decomposition, validation, and verification
• Experience with Python and/or Databricks for data mining, analysis and visualization
• Strong analytical skills in performance metrics definition and system-level trade-off analysis
• Understanding of modern perception stack, ML/AI systems and their requirements, and integration challenges
• Experience using requirements management tools such as Polarion (preferred), DOORS or Jama

$170,000 - $267,000 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.

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Accommodations

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

A 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.