Technical Specialist - Functional Safety Engineer

Yora Sigma; Southfield (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Yora Sigma in Southfield, Michigan is seeking an experienced Technical Specialist – Functional Safety Engineer for a 12‑month contract, onsite only. You will lead FS architecture, requirements, analysis, validation, and supplier interfaces across complex vehicle systems.

The role emphasizes ISO 26262 and SOTIF (ISO 21448) with oversight of safety concepts and processes, including hazard analysis and safety validation for autonomous driving and advanced vehicle subsystems.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in Functional Safety or automotive safety role
• Hands-on SOTIF experience (1+ year)
• Experience leading FS analyses for complex automotive systems or products

Responsibilities

• Lead development of Functional Safety system requirements and functional decomposition.
• Review and approve HARA, FSR, TSR and validation activities.
• Define and develop Functional Safety concepts across system, hardware, and software per ISO 26262.
• Contribute to vehicle architecture decisions from a Functional Safety perspective.
• Lead development of SOTIF requirements for autonomous driving and core vehicle subsystems.
• Review DIAs and FS documentation from suppliers and external partners.
• Develop and improve Functional Safety processes, methods, and tools.
• Oversee program FS readiness, metrics and deliverables.
• Perform and lead hazard analysis and safety concept development.
• Collaborate with systems, hardware, software, design and validation engineers.
• Support FS validation and verification activities.
• Define FS interfaces and responsibilities between internal teams, OEMs, suppliers and partners.

Skills

ISO 26262

SOTIF

Functional Safety

HARA

Requirements development

FS validation

Supplier interface

Autonomous driving

Lead roles

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering / Computer Science / Mechatronics

Tools

Ansys Medini

APIS IQ

Jama

Job description

Location: Southfield, Michigan

Work Arrangement: 100% Onsite

Employment Type: 12-Month Contract, potential extension

Schedule: Monday‑Friday, 40 hours/week with potential overtime

About The Role

We are looking for an experienced Technical Specialist – Functional Safety Engineer to support advanced automotive systems development in Southfield, Michigan.

This is a senior technical position for someone with deep, hands‑on experience in ISO 26262 Functional Safety, ideally gained within an automotive OEM or Tier 1 environment. You will take a leading role in functional safety architecture, requirements, analysis, processes, validation, and supplier interfaces across complex vehicle systems.

The position also includes significant responsibility for SOTIF (ISO 21448) activities related to autonomous driving and advanced vehicle systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead development of Functional Safety system requirements and functional decomposition for automotive systems.
• Review and approve HARA, Functional Safety Requirements (FSR), Technical Safety Requirements (TSR) and validation activities.
• Define and develop Functional Safety Concepts across system, hardware, and software according to ISO 26262.
• Contribute to vehicle architecture decisions from a Functional Safety perspective.
• Lead development of SOTIF requirements for autonomous driving and core vehicle subsystems.
• Review Development Interface Agreements (DIA) and Functional Safety documentation from suppliers and external partners.
• Develop and improve Functional Safety processes, methods, and tools.
• Oversee program Functional Safety readiness, metrics, and deliverables.
• Perform and lead hazard analysis and safety concept development.
• Collaborate closely with systems, hardware, software, design, and validation engineers.
• Support Functional Safety validation and verification activities.
• Define Functional Safety interfaces and responsibilities between internal teams, OEMs, suppliers, and external partners.
• Support technical decision‑making and communicate safety risks and solutions across different levels of the organization.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience as a Functional Safety Engineer or in a closely related automotive safety role.
• Deep knowledge of ISO 26262 and demonstrated experience developing major Functional Safety work products.
• 1+ year of hands‑on SOTIF experience, including analysis and associated work products.
• Experience successfully leading Functional Safety analyses for complex automotive systems or products.
• Strong experience with HARA, safety concepts, requirements development, and validation.
• Experience supporting external or third‑party reviews of Functional Safety work products.
• Strong understanding of Functional Safety responsibilities and interfaces between OEMs and suppliers.
• Experience with Functional Safety tools such as Ansys Medini, APIS IQ, or similar.
• Experience with requirements management tools such as Jama or equivalent.
• Ability to work independently in a fast‑paced engineering environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Mechatronics Engineering, or another relevant engineering discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• ADAS / autonomous driving
• Embedded automotive hardware and/or software development
• Agile engineering environments
• Automotive SPICE (ASPICE)
• CMMI
• Advanced degree in a relevant engineering discipline

Interview Process

Candidates should be available to interview ASAP. The technical assessment process is expected to consist of 1–2 interview rounds.

Why This Opportunity?

This is an opportunity to take a highly influential Functional Safety role within advanced automotive development, working across system, hardware, software, validation, and supplier organizations. You will have direct responsibility for safety concepts and processes that influence the development of complex next‑generation vehicle systems.

We strive to be a bold, value‑driven tech hub dedicated to providing cutting‑edge AI, cloud, and cybersecurity solutions. Our mission is to empower businesses through innovative technology, creative solutions, and long‑term partnerships.