Functional Safety Engineer

Ford Motor•Dearborn, MI

12h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Functional Safety Engineer will join Ford Product Development to strengthen Functional Safety capability for base steering and broader vehicle motion systems across vehicle programs. The role applies ISO 26262 principles, methods, and tools to assigned systems from concept through production. Its scope may include steering foundation functions, electric power-assisted steering, steer-by-wire interfaces where applicable, steering controls, braking, propulsion and driveline interactions, vehicle dynamics, motion coordination, electrical/electronic elements, mechanical interfaces, and interactions with driver-assistance features. The engineer partners with cross-functional product development and supplier teams to create complete, traceable Functional Safety work products that support safe and robust system design. The position also contributes to improving Functional Safety methods, templates, training, and model-based engineering practices for reuse across vehicle programs.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Two or more years of experience engineering software-enabled, electrical/electronic, mechanical, systems, controls, or embedded vehicle systems.
Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams in a dynamic product development environment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document technical analysis clearly and concisely.

Nice To Haves

Experience with ISO 26262 and Functional Safety work products for steering, chassis, brakes, powertrain, vehicle motion, controls, or other safety-related automotive systems.
Working knowledge of steering system architecture, electric power-assisted steering, steering controls, braking, propulsion or driveline systems, vehicle motion controls, sensors, actuators, electrical/electronic hardware, embedded software, mechanical interfaces, or vehicle dynamics.
Experience using requirements management, traceability, FMEA/FTA, MBSE, SysML, calibration, test, or engineering analysis tools.
Demonstrated leadership through technical projects, professional experience, internships, research, student organizations, or cross-functional team activities.
Ability to simplify complex technical topics, drive alignment, and influence decisions through data, structured analysis, and clear communication.
Interest in the automotive industry and developing safe, innovative, customer-focused vehicle technologies.

Responsibilities

Lead and support ISO 26262 Functional Safety activities for new and carry-over base steering and assigned vehicle motion systems across applicable vehicle programs.
Develop, maintain, and deliver Functional Safety work products, including item definitions, hazard analysis and risk assessments, safety goals, functional and technical safety concepts, safety requirements, verification evidence, and safety case inputs as applicable.
Analyze steering and vehicle motion functions for loss, unintended, degraded, delayed, or incorrect assist, actuation, coordination, and control behavior, including vehicle-level effects, dependencies, and system interactions.
Partner with steering foundation, vehicle motion controls, brakes, powertrain, software, hardware, electrical/electronic architecture, mechanical, vehicle integration, test, feature, program, and supplier teams to define safety mechanisms and support safe design decisions.
Allocate and trace Functional Safety requirements across vehicle motion features, vehicle, system, subsystem, hardware, software, and supplier interfaces; maintain alignment as architectures, designs, dependencies, or program assumptions change.
Perform or support safety analyses such as FMEA, FTA, dependent failure analysis, interface analysis, and freedom-from-interference assessment, as applicable.
Support confirmation and technical reviews, verification planning, test evidence assessment, anomaly resolution, change impact analysis, and closure of Functional Safety actions.
Apply Ford Functional Safety processes, methods, tools, and training to support consistent execution, milestone-based delivery, and end-to-end traceability.
Use MBSE, SysML, requirements management, and model-based analysis practices where appropriate to improve clarity, reuse, integration, and efficiency.
Communicate safety assumptions, technical conclusions, risks, dependencies, and decisions to relevant technical and program stakeholders.
Continuously improve tools, templates, lessons learned, and methods to make steering and vehicle motion Functional Safety execution more efficient, reusable, and scalable.