Vehicle Safety - Occupant Protection Engineer

Zoox; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 151,000 - 204,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Health insurance

Stock Appreciation Rights

Job summary

Zoox is seeking a Vehicle Safety Engineer to own load cases end-to-end, translate VTS safety targets into measurable metrics, and drive restraint system development through vehicle integration. You will work with CAE, module systems, suppliers, and test labs to ensure robust safety performance across the vehicle stack.

Role requires 5+ years automotive testing, knowledge of FMVSS, and experience with Hyperworks.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Engineering with passion for electric, autonomous mobility.
• 5+ years of automotive development and testing experience.
• Knowledge of FMVSS regulations and consumer safety protocols.
• Experience in virtual and physical safety testing, including Hyperworks/MetaPost.
• Ability to build and script templates for data integrity checks and reporting.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Experience in 3D design and PLM tools such as CATIA 3DX or CATIA V5.

Responsibilities

• Own assigned load cases end-to-end: translate vehicle technical specification (VTS) safety targets into testable metrics, and drive restraint system development through the vehicle integration process to meet them
• Develop virtual and physical DVPs and track execution against plan
• Analyze test results, feedback analysis to engineering teams, and report out at project gateways
• Support system-level and full-vehicle test activities, including defining test requests, test matrix, instrumentation and test targets with the support of the validation team
• Identify and document performance issues; generate and track Jira tickets to closure
• Drive CAE-to-physical test correlation for your load cases

Skills

Strong communication

Organizational skills

Python scripting

Data integrity checks

Education

Engineering degree (BS/MS)

Tools

CATIA 3DX

CATIA V5

Hyperworks/MetaPost

Jira

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 Vehicle 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 developing occupant protection system performance and you will be involved all the way through the complete vehicle development process from conception to part, system and full vehicle crash testing. You will be working closely with our internal and external safety experts, CAE and module system teams, with our suppliers as well as internal and external test laboratories. Working at Zoox offers you the chance to manifest your technical creativity, utilize your excellent organizational and communication skills and make a big difference in the final product.

In This Role, You Will

• Own assigned load cases end-to-end: translate vehicle technical specification (VTS) safety targets into testable metrics, and drive restraint system development through the vehicle integration process to meet them
• Develop virtual and physical DVPs and track execution against plan
• Analyze test results, feedback analysis to engineering teams, and report out at project gateways
• Support system-level and full-vehicle test activities, including defining test requests, test matrix, instrumentation and test targets with the support of the validation team
• Identify and document performance issues; generate and track Jira tickets to closure
• Drive CAE-to-physical test correlation for your load cases

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Engineering with passion for electric, autonomous mobility
• 5+ years of experience within automotive development and testing, preferable safety testing
• Sound knowledge of FMVSS regulations and consumer safety protocols
• Experience in virtual and physical safety testing, including analysis in Hyperworks/MetaPost
• Ability to build and script templates for first-pass data integrity checks, results analysis, and reporting
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Experience in 3D design and PLM tools, CATIA 3DX or CATIA V5 preferred

Bonus Qualifications

• Project management experience
• Experience with Jira
• DFMEA and SFMEA knowledge; experience with requirements management tools (Polarion or equiv.)
• Knowledge of Python
• Experience with LS-Dyna

$151,000 - $204,000 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.