Senior Engineering Safety Manager

Motional's Las Vegas office is located less than 10 miles from the Las Vegas strip at 730 E Pilot Road and is home to one of the largest fleets of self-driving vehicles. The city's grid system of roads and being one of America's "smart cities" allows for extensive research and development testing.

Mission Summary:

The Senior Engineering Safety Manager defines, steers, and ensures robust technical safety cases for our autonomous driving systems while working cross-functionally with safety, engineering, legal, and regulatory teams to ensure our technology is fit for purpose. This role requires a deep understanding of functional safety, systems engineering, and the integration of advanced AI-driven perception and control technologies.

The position leverages expertise in safety assurance, functional safety, and regulatory compliance to demonstrate the safety of our autonomous systems. Additionally, the Senior Engineering Safety Manager manages a team of safety engineers that collaborate with cross-functional groups including AI/ML, computer vision, robotics, hardware, and software teams to ensure that our autonomous vehicles meet and exceed safety and regulatory requirements.

What you'll be doing:

• Lead and mentor the Safety Engineering team, fostering a culture of technical excellence and safety-first thinking.
• Define the company's safety engineering strategy, aligning with industry standards, regulatory frameworks, and internal goals.
• Represent safety engineering in executive-level discussions, technical reviews, and customer/regulatory engagements.

Safety Engineering:

• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards where applicable
• Lead safety assessments for AI and computer vision systems, addressing challenges of non-deterministic behavior, perception uncertainty, and machine learning robustness.
• Lead the development of tailored technical safety case elements for our autonomous driving systems.
• Define technical safety case strategies, argument structures, and evidence collection methods to demonstrate the safety and reliability of AV technologies.
• Develop safety argumentation frameworks and assurance casesCollaborate with cross-functional teams-including systems engineering, AI/ML, perception, control, and validation-to integrate safety considerations into system design.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner with AI/ML, perception, robotics, and controls teams to integrate safety considerations into design and testing.
• Collaborate with operations, testing, and deployment teams to ensure safety in real-world trials and fleet operations.
• Work with compliance, legal, and external stakeholders to demonstrate system safety readiness.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement:

• Stay ahead of industry developments in autonomous systems safety, AI safety, and robotics assurance.
• Advocate for novel methods to assure safe behavior of learning-based and adaptive systems.
• Champion tools, processes, and cultural improvements for scalable safety assurance.

What we're looking for:

• 10+ years relevant industry experience in technology development / safety critical systems, and 3+ years of experience in safety engineering for autonomous / robotics system in a leadership role
• Proven track record with safety-critical systems in automotive, aerospace, robotics, or autonomous vehicles.
• Deep knowledge of safety standards such as ISO 26262, ISO21448 SOTIF, ASIL, UL 4600).
• Knowledge of systems / software engineering standards (INCOSE, ISO15288, ASPICE CMMI)
• Strong background in hazard analysis, system reliability, and safety case development.
• Experience working with AI/ML-based perception or decision-making systems.
• Proficiency in safety analysis tools (e.g., Medini Analyze, Ansys, Fault Tree+, FMEA software).
• Familiarity with autonomous vehicle architectures, including perception, planning, and control systems.
• Experience working with real-time embedded systems and software safety.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex safety arguments to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex safety arguments to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience with machine learning safety challenges in autonomous vehicles.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, robotic, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Yes, team leadership

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk, or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand and at times for long periods; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and move up to 50 pounds.

Working Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a team member encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the team member is regularly exposed to the office environment, outside weather conditions, road conditions, and pedestrian traffic. The team member is regularly exposed to mechanical and computer parts. The team member is occasionally exposed to fumes and airborne particles. The noise level in the environment is low to moderate. When traveling, the team member will be exposed to airports, airplanes, hotels and public transportation environments.

This role is hybrid from our Las Vegas or Pittsburgh office. It requires two in-office days each week, ideally Tuesday and Thursday.