Staff Functional Safety Engineer (Remote Hybrid)

📋 Description

• • Standard Bots is at the forefront of revolutionizing real-world automation, making sophisticated robotic systems accessible to a wider audience. Our innovative AI-powered platform empowers robots to tackle complex, unprecedented challenges through an intuitive instruction interface, effectively bridging the gap between software automation and physical operations. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Staff Functional Safety Engineer to spearhead all facets of the functional safety lifecycle for our cutting-edge robotic products.
• • This pivotal role will be responsible for establishing and maintaining the Safety Plan and Safety Case, conducting thorough hazard and risk assessments (aligned with ISO 12100), designing robust system safety architectures, and overseeing the entire verification and validation process. You will also manage competency development within the team and lead external certification efforts with bodies such as Intertek. A key aspect of this position involves driving seamless cross-functional collaboration among our hardware, firmware, software, manufacturing, and Quality Assurance teams to ensure the delivery of certifiable, production-ready robots backed by comprehensive and demonstrable safety evidence.
• • The ideal candidate is a proactive and strategic thinker who thrives in the dynamic environment of a fast-paced startup. You will possess the ability to balance a high-level strategic vision with hands-on engineering execution, working closely with diverse engineering disciplines to translate complex regulatory requirements into practical, production-ready safety solutions. This role requires a commitment to being present in-person at our manufacturing and test facility in Glen Cove, NY, as needed, to facilitate critical project milestones and collaborations.
• • Key Responsibilities:
• • Own and manage the Functional Safety Management (FSM) system, including the establishment and continuous maintenance of the FSM plan, safety policy, and overarching strategy. This ensures unwavering compliance with relevant international standards such as ISO 13849, IEC 62061, IEC 61508, IEC 61496, ISO 10218-1, and ISO 12100 throughout the entire product lifecycle, from initial concept to final certification.
• • Lead comprehensive hazard identification and risk assessment processes, employing methodologies like HAZOP, FMEA, and HARA. You will maintain a dynamic HARA that covers all lifecycle phases, including assembly, installation, operation, maintenance, and dismantling, with a specific focus on addressing RO3-relevant hazards such as instability, crushing, and impact.
• • Define, approve, and meticulously document Safety-Related Control System (SRCS) architectures. This includes the precise allocation of safety functions, specification of Category, Hardware Fault Tolerance (HFT), and Safe Failure Fraction (SFF) constraints, and demonstrating the achievement of target Performance Levels (PLr) and Safety Integrity Levels (SILr).
• • Execute rigorous reliability analyses and Failure Modes, Effects, and Diagnostic Analysis (FMEDA). You will perform FMEDA, calculate Mean Time To Dangerous Failure (MTTF_d), Diagnostic Coverage (DC), and Common Cause Failure (CCF) metrics, utilizing specialized tools like SISTEMA or Pascal (or equivalent) to quantitatively verify the achieved safety performance of the system.
• • Manage the end-to-end Verification and Validation (V&V) process. This involves authoring and executing comprehensive V&V plans, including fault-injection testing, integration testing, and final safety validation. You will ensure independent validation, complete traceability, and adequate test coverage for all critical safety functions, such as emergency stops, reduced speed modes, and joint limits.
• • Collaborate closely with the software development teams to ensure adherence to the safety software lifecycle best practices as defined by IEC 61508-3. This includes guiding the application of the V-model, static analysis, module unit testing, and the separation of safety-critical and non-safety-critical functions. You will also coach developers on safe coding practices and verification methodologies.
• • Lead and guide interdisciplinary teams, comprising members from hardware, controls, embedded software, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and QA, to effectively integrate safety requirements into the design, prototyping, and production phases.
• • Interpret and critically evaluate pneumatic, hydraulic, and electrical schematics. You will provide expert advice on safety-critical hardware components, including motor controllers, braking systems, contactors, and redundant encoders, ensuring their suitability and compliance with safety standards.
• • Manage the execution of external certification processes. You will serve as the primary technical liaison with certification bodies (e.g., Intertek), meticulously manage quote scopes, coordinate on-site construction reviews, and ensure the timely delivery of the Technical File and all necessary evidence for third-party audits.
• • Drive functional safety competency and foster a strong safety culture across the organization. This includes building and maintaining the functional safety competency matrix, identifying training needs, and clearly defining responsibilities for all personnel involved in safety lifecycle activities. You will ensure robust FSM governance and maintain independence from design teams to uphold objectivity.
• • Oversee all aspects of documentation and traceability. You will maintain rigorous configuration management for hardware and software, ensure requirements traceability (using tools like DOORS or Jama, or equivalents), and develop comprehensive 'Information for Use' documentation that accurately reflects residual risks and essential installation and maintenance constraints.
• • Facilitate manufacturability and production readiness for safety systems. You will collaborate with manufacturing and supply chain teams on assembly processes, test fixture development, maintenance procedures, post-production monitoring, and production verification for all safety-related components.
• • Manage the safety program budget and schedule, including building and nurturing relationships with external consultants and vendors to ensure project success and resource optimization.
• • This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the safety foundation of a groundbreaking automation company and significantly impact the development of next-generation robotic systems.