Lead Functional Safety Engineer

Posted Yesterday
Be an Early Applicant
Redwood City, CA, USA
In-Office
186K-232K Annually
Expert/Leader
Logistics • Robotics
The Role
Lead functional safety engineering for industrial robots, autonomous mobile systems, and motion-control architectures. Own the complete safety lifecycle, including hazard analysis, safety requirements, architecture, implementation, verification, validation, certification, and QMS integration. Develop safety plans, assess machinery risks, design safety functions and interfaces, analyze failures, and support PLC and embedded implementation. Ensure compliance with international machinery and robotics standards while advising engineering teams, certification bodies, and customers.
Summary Generated by Built In
About Dexterity

Dexterity is the enterprise Physical AI company building intelligent robots for complex industrial work.

Dexterity's Mech systems combine the Foresight World Model, robotics, and a Physical AI platform to perform demanding logistics workflows - including trailer loading, trailer unloading, and airport baggage handling - at the speed, reliability, and safety levels required for high-volume operations. Dexterity's Foresight World Model powers real-time perception, planning, and execution across physical environments with the interpretability required for industrial deployment. Dexterity is headquartered in Redwood City, California.

Dexterity is backed by world-class investors such as Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Obvious Ventures. We are a diverse and multidisciplinary team with a culture built on passion, trust, and dedication.

About the Role

Lead functional safety engineering for industrial robots, autonomous mobile systems, and motion-control and drivetrain architectures. Own the full safety lifecycle — from hazard and risk analysis through requirements, architecture, implementation, verification, and validation — to support compliant deployment in North American, European, and Japanese markets.

Responsibilities
  • Own the functional safety lifecycle for industrial robots, autonomous mobile systems, and drivetrains—from risk assessment and safety requirements through architecture, implementation, verification, and validation.

  • Establish safety processes and governance, including the Functional Safety Management Plan, integration with the Quality Management System, documentation, reviews, approvals, and audits.

  • Define and validate safety architectures, including safe states, PLr/SIL targets, protective functions, and interfaces across controllers, drives, brakes, sensors, and safety-rated networks.

  • Perform system and component safety analyses, including FMEA/FMEDA, fault tree analysis, and mechanical failure analysis; translate findings into traceable requirements and design evidence.

  • Lead safety verification and validation, using quantitative reliability analysis, fault injection, and testing of stopping performance, fault detection, and safe-state behavior.

  • Guide implementation and global compliance, partnering with engineering teams, certification bodies, and external assessors to meet applicable standards and market requirements.

  • Support safe deployment and customer operations through technical guidance, operating procedures, training, and troubleshooting.

Regulatory requirements

  • Machinery risk and functional safety: ISO 12100, ISO 13849-1/-2, IEC 62061, and IEC 61508.

  • Electrical and protective systems: IEC 60204-1, NFPA 79, and IEC 61496.

  • Industrial and mobile robot safety: ISO 10218-1/-2, ANSI/RIA R15.06 and R15.08, ISO 3691-4, ANSI/ITSDF B56.5, UL 1740, and UL 3100, as applicable.

  • Market compliance: Applicable EU machinery and EMC requirements and North American certification requirements.

Qualifications Required
  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or a related engineering discipline.

  • 10+ years of functional safety experience in robotics, automation, autonomous systems, or other safety-critical industries.

  • Proven ownership of the full safety lifecycle, from risk assessment and PLr/SIL determination through implementation, verification, and validation.

  • Hands-on experience with motion controls, safety PLCs, sensors, brakes, safety-rated networks, and PLC or embedded programming.

  • Ability to assess robotic and drivetrain hazards, define fault detection and safe-state behavior, and quantitatively demonstrate required PL/SIL performance.

  • Functional safety certification (TÜV, CFSE, CFSP, or CMSE) preferred.

What Makes You Successful
  • Strong ownership and communication skills, with the ability to explain safety decisions to technical and non-technical audiences.

  • Ability to create clear compliance documentation, safety procedures, and customer guidance.

  • Willingness to travel domestically and internationally to customer site as needed to support safety assessments, validation, deployment, and troubleshooting.

Skills Required

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
  • 10+ years of functional safety experience in robotics, autonomous systems, industrial automation, automotive, aerospace, or other safety-critical machinery domains
  • Hands-on experience with servo drives, inverters, motor controls, encoders, brakes, safety PLCs, safety I/O, and safety-rated networks
  • Experience owning the complete safety lifecycle from hazard and risk analysis through safety requirements, PLr/SIL determination, architecture, implementation, verification, and validation
  • Ability to evaluate manipulator and mobile-platform or drivetrain hazards, including stopping distance, stored energy, braking, unintended motion, and loss of control
  • Experience with Structured Text, Ladder Logic, and/or Function Block Diagram, PLCs, microcontrollers, and safety-related embedded systems
  • Functional safety certification such as TÜV Functional Safety Engineer, CFSE, CFSP, or CMSE
  • Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required
Am I A Good Fit?
beta
Get Personalized Job Insights.
Our AI-powered fit analysis compares your resume with a job listing so you know if your skills & experience align.

The Company
HQ: Palo Alto, CA
211 Employees
Year Founded: 2017

What We Do

We deliver full-stack robot dexterity solutions for logistics, warehousing, and supply chain operations. Our robots pick, move, pack, and collaborate with human-like skill in existing infrastructure to solve the toughest problems in material handling.

Similar Jobs

Tempus AI Logo Tempus AI

Director, Data Solutions

Artificial Intelligence • Big Data • Healthtech • Machine Learning • Analytics • Biotech • Generative AI
Hybrid
4 Locations
3775 Employees

CoreWeave Logo CoreWeave

Recruiting Coordination Manager

Cloud • Information Technology • Machine Learning
In-Office
5 Locations
1450 Employees
127K-168K Annually

Micron Technology Logo Micron Technology

GEL Site Lead

Artificial Intelligence • Hardware • Information Technology • Machine Learning
In-Office
San Jose, CA, USA
45000 Employees
139K-236K Annually

Micron Technology Logo Micron Technology

Signal Integrity Engineer - DRAM Product Architecture for AI Systems

Artificial Intelligence • Hardware • Information Technology • Machine Learning
In-Office
3 Locations
45000 Employees
177K-387K Annually

Similar Companies Hiring

LTX Thumbnail
Robotics • Conversational AI • Generative AI
Jerusalem, Israel
200 Employees
Revel Thumbnail
Aerospace • Hardware • Robotics • Software
Marina Del Rey, California
70 Employees
Unusual Machines, Inc. Thumbnail
Hardware • Robotics
Orlando, FL
300 Employees

Sign up now Access later

Create Free Account

Please log in or sign up to report this job.

Create Free Account