
Hybrid opportunity at
ZooxSenior/Staff Systems Engineer, Powertrain System Safety and Fail Operational
Zoox seeks a Senior or Staff Systems Engineer to focus on Powertrain System Safety and Fail Operational capabilities. The employer is building a custom, ground-up robotaxi…
Career Tools
About This Role
Zoox seeks a Senior or Staff Systems Engineer to focus on Powertrain System Safety and Fail Operational capabilities. The employer is building a custom, ground-up robotaxi fleet and a comprehensive mobility-as-a-service ecosystem for urban environments, operating at the intersection of machine learning, robotics, and design. In this hybrid position, the professional joins the System Design and Mission Assurance division to build the safety case and fail-operational architecture for autonomous driving…
Job Description
Zoox seeks a Senior or Staff Systems Engineer to focus on Powertrain System Safety and Fail Operational capabilities. The employer is building a custom, ground-up robotaxi fleet and a comprehensive mobility-as-a-service ecosystem for urban environments, operating at the intersection of machine learning, robotics, and design. In this hybrid position, the professional joins the System Design and Mission Assurance division to build the safety case and fail-operational architecture for autonomous driving robots before public road deployment.
This role suits an experienced engineer who can collaborate with cross-functional departments including legal, software, autonomy, vehicle engineering, product, operations, and feature teams. The selected candidate will direct safety engineering processes to achieve end-to-end traceability, fulfill system safety targets, and meet product requirements. Key duties involve managing powertrain safety design across high-voltage batteries, on-vehicle load management, charging, and propulsion, alongside architecting fault-tolerant and fail-operational vehicle-level safety concepts.
The position requires delivering essential artifacts such as fault tree analysis, hazard analysis risk assessment, functional safety concepts, safety clearance documentation, quantitative residual risk assessments, and vehicle-level safety requirements. Candidates must drive agreement across multiple internal teams to execute and release these safety requirements. The environment values diverse perspectives and encourages applicants to apply even if they do not meet every listed expectation.
Responsibilities
- Lead powertrain safety and fail-operational design and analysis encompassing propulsion, high-voltage battery systems, charging, and on-vehicle load management
- Architect vehicle-level safety concepts concentrating on fault tolerance and fail-operational behaviors to support autonomy and mission assurance
- Formulate vehicle-level safety concepts covering fault detection and vehicle reactions so powertrain systems maintain mission objectives when faults occur
- Deliver key work-products including hazard analysis risk assessment, fault tree analysis, functional safety concepts, 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
Requirements
- Have at least 4 years of work experience executing hazard analysis risk assessment, authoring and decomposing requirements, managing requirements, and maintaining requirements traceability through development
- Demonstrate a proven track record with electrified powertrains including battery management systems, motor drives or inverters, DC/DC converters, and vehicle torque management
- Possess hands-on experience developing for safety-critical applications in autonomous vehicles, aerospace, or automotive fields across both fail-safe and fail-operational regimes
- Perform first-principles-based analysis and simulation using tools like Python or MATLAB to drive trade-offs between architectural choices, diagnostics, and reactions
- Hold hands-on experience generating work-products for functional safety standards such as ISO 26262, ISO 13849, IEC 61508, DO-178C, DO-254, or equivalent
- Utilize requirements management tools such as Jama, Polarion, or DOORS
- Display strong written and in-person communication skills to influence, drive consensus, and present complex data to diverse audiences including senior executives
Qualifications
- Hold a Bachelor of Science or higher degree in Systems, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace, or Automotive Engineering
- Possess knowledge of embedded development spanning firmware and electrical systems
- Demonstrate experience designing real-time control systems
Core Skills
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the remote work policy for this position?
The posting indicates that this position has a hybrid remote status.
What employment type is this role?
The role is a full-time position.
What is the location of the job?
The specific location is not stated in the job posting.
What salary does Zoox offer for this role?
The job posting does not specify a salary.
How can applicants request application accommodations?
Applicants needing an accommodation can reach out to accommodations@zoox.com or contact their assigned recruiter.
Sample Interview Questions
AI-generated questions tailored to this specific role — a preview of the full practice set.