# Senior/Staff Systems Engineer, Powertrain System Safety and Fail Operational

**Company:** [Zoox](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/zoox)
**Location:** Foster City, CA
**Role:** Embedded Engineering
**Salary:** $185k – $291k/yr
**Experience:** 4+ years
**Skills:** Iso 26262, Hara, Fta, Battery Management Systems, Motor Drives, Dc/Dc Converters, MATLAB, Python, Jama, Doors
**Posted:** 2026-01-29

> Designs and analyzes powertrain safety and fail-operational systems for autonomous vehicles, leading hazard analysis, requirements, and safety concepts. Requires 4+ years experience in electrified powertrains and functional safety standards like ISO 26262.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Lead powertrain safety and fail-operational design and analysis covering high-voltage battery systems, charging, propulsion, and on-vehicle load management.
- Architect vehicle-level safety concepts, focusing on fault tolerance and fail-operational behaviors for autonomy and mission assurance.
- Develop vehicle-level safety concepts for fault detection and reactions to achieve mission objectives under faults.
- Own delivery of key work-products including HARA, FTA, functional safety concept, vehicle-level safety requirements, safety clearance artifacts, and quantitative residual risk assessments.
- Drive consensus across product, feature, operations, vehicle engineering, software, autonomy, and legal teams to implement and release safety requirements.

## Qualifications
- B.S. or higher in Automotive, Aerospace, Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical, Mechanical, or Systems Engineering.
- Proven track record with electrified powertrains (battery management systems, motor drives/inverters, DC/DC converters, vehicle torque management).
- Hands-on experience in safety-critical applications in autonomous vehicles, automotive, or aerospace (fail-safe and fail-operational).
- 4+ years experience with HARA, authoring requirements, decomposition, traceability.
- Experience with first-principles analysis, simulation (Matlab, Python), driving architectural trade-offs.
- Hands-on experience with functional safety standards: ISO 26262, ISO 13849, IEC 61508, DO-178C, DO-254.
- Experience with requirements tools: Jama, Doors, Polarion.
- Strong communication skills for influencing consensus and presenting to executives.

## Bonus Qualifications
- Knowledge of embedded development (firmware, electrical).
- Experience designing real-time control systems.

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