Principal Functional Safety Engineer

Slate Auto•Troy, MI

About The Position

The Vehicle Engineering group at Slate is looking for a technically rigorous, collaborative, and safety-obsessed Principal Functional Safety Engineer to join our growing team. This role is the technical authority for functional safety across our advanced vehicle platforms—covering E/E architecture, ADAS/AD, powertrain, chassis, body controls, and connected features. You will lead safety-by-design initiatives from concept through SOP and field lifecycle, ensuring compliance with ISO 26262 and alignment with SOTIF (ISO 21448), ASPICE, and adjacent standards.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.
10+ years of experience in automotive functional safety with a track record of delivering ISO 26262-compliant systems to production.
Expert-level knowledge of ISO 26262 (Parts 1–12), including HARA, Safety Goal derivation, TSC/HSR/SSR, and Safety Case development.
Hands-on experience with DFMEA/PFMEA, FMEDA, quantitative metrics (SPFM/LFM), failure modes and diagnostic strategies, and reliability data interpretation (FIT).
Proven leadership of cross-functional teams and suppliers; ability to influence at the director/VP level and mentor senior engineers.
Strong systems engineering background (requirements management, architecture, interfaces, traceability tools such as DOORS/Jama/Polarion).
Proficiency with verification & validation methods: MiL/SiL/HiL, fault injection, test coverage analysis, and scenario-based V&V for ADAS/AD.
Excellent communication skills (technical and executive-ready) and the ability to defend decisions with evidence-based reasoning.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or Ph.D. in engineering or applied sciences.
Certifications: FS Engineer (TÜV), ISO 26262 Functional Safety Professional, ASPICE Provisional/Competent Assessor.
Experience with AUTOSAR (Classic/Adaptive), safety partitioning, and real-time OS safety concepts.
Prior work on SOTIF (ISO 21448) for perception systems, ML/AI safety assurance, and scenario-based testing frameworks.
Knowledge of ISO 21434 (Cybersecurity) and safety–security co-engineering practices; familiarity with IEC 61508.
Experience in semiconductor safety (PMIC, MCU, SoC safety islands), ASIL decomposition, SEooC integration, and tool/software qualification.
Background in ADAS/AD sensing (camera, radar, lidar, ultrasonic), sensor fusion, functional performance bounds, and redundancy strategies.
Familiarity with manufacturing quality systems (APQP, PPAP), warranty analytics, and field reliability monitoring.

Responsibilities

Serve as the enterprise FuSa technical authority, defining the safety strategy for vehicle programs and establishing frameworks, policies, templates, and best practices for ISO 26262 across the V-model.
Own the Functional Safety Management Plan and safety governance cadence (reviews, audits, safety gates), including escalation paths and executive reporting.
Drive safety culture: mentor engineers, run communities of practice, and embed safety goals into roadmaps, KPIs, and program charters.
Lead end-to-end Hazard Analysis & Risk Assessment (HARA) to derive Safety Goals, ASIL targets, and technical safety concepts for systems (e.g., ADAS, braking, steering, propulsion, battery management).
Architect and review system, hardware, and software safety mechanisms (fault detection, diagnostics, monitoring, graceful degradation, FTTI, fail-safe/fail-operational strategies).
Author and maintain Safety Cases (goal-based, GSN or equivalent), ensuring clear evidence links across requirements, design, implementation, verification, and validation.
Direct DFMEA/PFMEA, FMEDA, and quantitative safety analyses (FIT rates, SPFM/LFM), and ensure robust independence/SEooC where applicable.
Align safety requirements with E/E architecture (AUTOSAR Classic/Adaptive, middleware, communication stacks, safety partitioning).
Champion SOTIF activities for perception/decision systems and complex functions (sensor fusion, ML-based ADAS), including scenario-based testing and performance bounds.
Guide fault injection, safety verification & validation (HiL/SiL/MiL, proving ground tests, over-the-air updates), ensuring coverage sufficiency and traceability.
Collaborate with Systems, Software, Hardware, Test, Manufacturing, Quality, Reliability, Cybersecurity (ISO 21434), and Regulatory teams to ensure integrated safety.
Evaluate and approve supplier Safety Plans, Safety Manuals, and SEooC deliverables; drive APQP and PPAP alignment for safety-critical components.
Interface with standards bodies, assessors, and regulatory stakeholders; support audits and certifications when required.
Ensure safety compliance through SOP and in-service operations (field monitoring, incident analysis, change control, OTA updates, service procedures).
Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for safety incidents and pre-SOP findings (8D, problem-solving methodologies).
Continuously improve processes based on lessons learned, metrics, and benchmarking; contribute to technology roadmaps for safety features and diagnostics.