Principal Functional Safety Engineer

ABOUT SLATE

At Slate were building safe reliable vehicles that people can afford personalize and loveand doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate because people should have control over how their trucks look feel and represent them.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The Vehicle Engineering group at Slate is looking for a technically rigorous collaborative and safety-obsessed Principal Functional Safety Engineer to join our growing team. This role is the technical authority for functional safety across our advanced vehicle platformscovering E/E architecture ADAS/AD powertrain chassis body controls and connected features. You will lead safety-by-design initiatives from concept through SOP and field lifecycle ensuring compliance with ISO 26262 and alignment with SOTIF (ISO 21448) ASPICE and adjacent standards.

Strategy & Governance

• Serve as the enterprise FuSa technical authority defining the safety strategy for vehicle programs and establishing frameworks policies templates and best practices for ISO 26262 across the V-model.

• Own the Functional Safety Management Plan and safety governance cadence (reviews audits safety gates) including escalation paths and executive reporting.

• Drive safety culture: mentor engineers run communities of practice and embed safety goals into roadmaps KPIs and program charters.

Program & Technical Leadership

• Lead end-to-end Hazard Analysis & Risk Assessment (HARA) to derive Safety Goals ASIL targets and technical safety concepts for systems (e.g. ADAS braking steering propulsion battery management).

• Architect and review system hardware and software safety mechanisms (fault detection diagnostics monitoring graceful degradation FTTI fail-safe/fail-operational strategies).

• Author and maintain Safety Cases (goal-based GSN or equivalent) ensuring clear evidence links across requirements design implementation verification and validation.

• Direct DFMEA/PFMEA FMEDA and quantitative safety analyses (FIT rates SPFM/LFM) and ensure robust independence/SEooC where applicable.

• Align safety requirements with E/E architecture (AUTOSAR Classic/Adaptive middleware communication stacks safety partitioning).

• Champion SOTIF activities for perception/decision systems and complex functions (sensor fusion ML-based ADAS) including scenario-based testing and performance bounds.

• Guide fault injection safety verification & validation (HiL/SiL/MiL proving ground tests over-the-air updates) ensuring coverage sufficiency and traceability.

Cross-Functional & Supplier Engagement

• Collaborate with Systems Software Hardware Test Manufacturing Quality Reliability Cybersecurity (ISO 21434) and Regulatory teams to ensure integrated safety.

• Evaluate and approve supplier Safety Plans Safety Manuals and SEooC deliverables; drive APQP and PPAP alignment for safety-critical components.

• Interface with standards bodies assessors and regulatory stakeholders; support audits and certifications when required.

Lifecycle & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure safety compliance through SOP and in-service operations (field monitoring incident analysis change control OTA updates service procedures).

• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for safety incidents and pre-SOP findings (8D problem-solving methodologies).

• Continuously improve processes based on lessons learned metrics and benchmarking; contribute to technology roadmaps for safety features and diagnostics.

Required

• Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering Mechanical Engineering Systems Engineering or related field.

• 10 years of experience in automotive functional safety with a track record of delivering ISO 26262-compliant systems to production.

• Expert-level knowledge of ISO 26262 (Parts 112) including HARA Safety Goal derivation TSC/HSR/SSR and Safety Case development.

• Hands-on experience with DFMEA/PFMEA FMEDA quantitative metrics (SPFM/LFM) failure modes and diagnostic strategies and reliability data interpretation (FIT).

• Proven leadership of cross-functional teams and suppliers; ability to influence at the director/VP level and mentor senior engineers.

• Strong systems engineering background (requirements management architecture interfaces traceability tools such as DOORS/Jama/Polarion).

• Proficiency with verification & validation methods: MiL/SiL/HiL fault injection test coverage analysis and scenario-based V&V for ADAS/AD.

• Excellent communication skills (technical and executive-ready) and the ability to defend decisions with evidence-based reasoning.

Preferred

• Masters or Ph.D. in engineering or applied sciences.

• Certifications: FS Engineer (TÜV) ISO 26262 Functional Safety Professional ASPICE Provisional/Competent Assessor.

• Experience with AUTOSAR (Classic/Adaptive) safety partitioning and real-time OS safety concepts.

• Prior work on SOTIF (ISO 21448) for perception systems ML/AI safety assurance and scenario-based testing frameworks.

• Knowledge of ISO 21434 (Cybersecurity) and safetysecurity co-engineering practices; familiarity with IEC 61508.

• Experience in semiconductor safety (PMIC MCU SoC safety islands) ASIL decomposition SEooC integration and tool/software qualification.

• Background in ADAS/AD sensing (camera radar lidar ultrasonic) sensor fusion functional performance bounds and redundancy strategies.

• Familiarity with manufacturing quality systems (APQP PPAP) warranty analytics and field reliability monitoring.

WHY JOIN TEAM SLATE

At Slate were fueled by grit determination and attention to detail. The start-up spirit of ingenuity and resourcefulness move our business forward. Team Slate fosters a culture of excellence innovation and mutual respect and is motivated by shared principles.

• Safety First

• Delight Customers

• One Team

• Relentless Improvement

• Fast Frugal and Scrappy

• Respectful Collaboration

• Positive Legacy

WE WANT TO WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT REFLECT THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE OPERATE.

Slate is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race color religion gender gender identity or expression sexual orientation national origin genetics disability age veteran status marital status parental status cultural background organizational level work styles tenure and life experiences. Or for any other reason.

Slate is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability you may contact us at