Project Functional Safety Manager (m/f/d)

About the Role

This role reports to the Manager of Program Enablement within Product Trust Center of Excellence. As a Project Functional Safety Manager, you are responsible for ensuring that Functional Safety requirements are consistently planned, implemented, monitored, and assessed in accordance with ISO 26262 across Automotive programs throughout the entire product lifecycle.

You will lead and coordinate Functional Safety activities at project level, including safety planning, safety concept development, safety analyses, confirmations, and assessments, while closely collaborating with system, hardware, software, and program management teams. Acting as the primary Functional Safety interface to internal stakeholders and customers, you will ensure transparency on safety status, risks, and readiness.

What You Will Do

• Own the Functional Safety governance at project level, ensuring ISO 26262 compliance across the entire product lifecycle safety requirements or analyses.

• Define, maintain, and execute the Functional Safety plan, aligning activities with project timelines, milestones, and customer expectations.

• Coordinate and oversee work products developed by Functional Safety engineers, ensuring completeness, consistency, and timely delivery.

• Act as the primary point of contact for customers, internal stakeholders, and assessors, representing project safety status and decisions.

• Track and monitor deliverables, milestones, and dependencies, proactively identifying risks, delays, and escalation needs.

• Plan and facilitate reviews, confirmations, and assessments, ensuring readiness of inputs and follow-up on findings and actions.

• Manage deviations, assumptions, and open points, coordinating impact analysis and resolution with responsible Engineering functions.

• Provide regular, transparent reporting on status, maturity, and risks to project management and leadership.

What You Need to Be Successful

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Program Management, or related technical disciplines.

• 10+ years of experience in Automotive product development, with 5+ years in Functional Safety–related roles (e.g. Functional Safety Management, Safety Engineering).

• Proven expertise in ISO 26262 (including ASPICE), particularly Functional Safety Management, including project-specific safety management, safety planning, and governance.

• Demonstrated ability to plan, coordinate, and monitor Functional Safety activities across multi-disciplinary teams.

• Solid background working on ASIL projects, preferably in ADAS, Intelligent Cockpit, or complex E/E architectures, including distributed development setups.

• Strong competence in acting as the primary interface to OEM customers, internal leadership, suppliers, and external assessors.

• Proven experience in planning and facilitating reviews, confirmations, audits and assessments, ensuring readiness and closure of findings.

• Ability to identify Functional Safety risks, deviations, and maturity gaps, and to escalate effectively to project management and leadership with clear impact and mitigation proposals.

• Strong capability to align systems, hardware, software, and integration teams, ensuring consistent execution of Functional Safety processes across interfaces and suppliers.

• Experience in transparent reporting of status, KPIs, and readiness, supporting informed decision-making at project and management level.

• Experience with Functional Safety tools and workflows (e.g. requirements management, safety lifecycle tools), supporting efficient project execution; knowledge in using AI tools is a bonus.

Bonus Points if You Have

• Prior experience as a Functional Safety Engineer is preferred to review, challenge, and support engineering outputs.

• Practical understanding of system, hardware, and software safety mechanisms (e.g. monitoring concepts, fault handling, freedom from interference, safety manuals), enabling effective discussions with engineering teams and assessors.

• Direct experience working with OEM customers, understanding RFQ expectations, customer safety processes, and assessment styles.

• TÜV or equivalent Functional Safety Manager / Professional certification, demonstrating formal qualification and industry recognition.

• Familiarity with SOTIF (ISO 21448), Cybersecurity (ISO 21434) enabling better alignment at Product Trust or program level.

What Makes You Eligible

• Willingness to travel up to 20% globally.

• Willingness to work at a HARMAN or customer site if required.

What We Offer

• HARMAN offers a diverse and inclusive work environment that fosters and encourages career development opportunities, professional training and competitive market base compensation

• You will also receive top-notch employee discounts on Harman’s Consumer Audio (JBL, AKG, HARMAN Kardon) and Samsung products

• Flexible work schedule with a culture encouraging work life integration and collaboration in a global friendly working atmosphere and good work-life-balance

• Attractive salary package

• Professional development opportunities through HARMAN University’s business and leadership academies which also includes extensive technical trainings

• Internal talent management leadership acceleration programs

• “Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program

HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.