# Senior Systems Engineer, Fail Operational Safety Strategy

**Company:** [Zoox](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/zoox)
**Location:** Foster City, CA
**Role:** Other
**Salary:** $185k – $291k/yr
**Experience:** 8+ years
**Skills:** Systems Engineering, Requirements Management, System Architecture, Fault Detection, Fault Isolation, Fault Recovery, Redundancy, Failover, Graceful Degradation, Iso 26262, Iso 21448, Polarion, Doors, Databricks, BigQuery
**Posted:** 2026-07-15

> Define and own fail-operational safety strategies and roadmaps for new ODDs in autonomous vehicles. Requires 8+ years experience in systems engineering, fault tolerance techniques, and cross-functional collaboration in complex robotics environments.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- 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.

## Requirements
- B.S. or higher degree in Systems Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- 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.

## Nice-to-Haves
- 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.

## Similar roles

- [New Energy Tech and Sustainability Lead](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/3c700711-2efb-4ff1-a59a-8d8f072b95a2) - OpenAI - Remote - $185k – $285k/yr
- [Lead, IT Audit](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/aa67b0ab-4149-4732-97b6-c348fd9ae418) - Notion - San Francisco, CA - $185k – $220k/yr
- [Executive Underwriter](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/802f30f3-b619-4385-bf19-f2aa1386cfa8) - Shepherd - New York, NY - $185k – $228k/yr
- [Senior Cost Engineer](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/dfe47566-edfa-4b88-adf2-8423f91063b2) - Zoox - Foster City, CA - $187k – $225k/yr
- [Senior Compliance Manager](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/57c2a5d8-dc04-464c-bdb2-57dcd2cd3ee0) - Harvey - Remote - $188k – $281k/yr

**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/3337b956-7c1a-4055-9599-7e0ba916d050
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/3337b956-7c1a-4055-9599-7e0ba916d050