Principal Systems Engineer, Safety and Fail-operational - Zoox

Job Title: Principal Systems Engineer, Safety and Fail-operational
Job Location: Foster City, CA
Job Listing URL: https://jobs.lever.co/zoox/408784a4-36c2-4d4c-ad50-d2952e2e64cc
Job Description: Zoox is on an ambitious journey to develop a full-stack autonomous mobility solution for cities and safely deploy such a robotaxi solution. The System Design and Mission Assurance (SDMA) team plays a foundational role in the company's success, responsible for constructing the safety case and fail-operational design for our autonomous driving robots before public road deployment.

We are looking for a Principal Systems Engineer to lead the design and assurance efforts for overall safety and fail-operational initiatives. In this highly visible position, you will lead technical programs with cross-functional teams, defining, developing, and continuously refining the methodology for measuring and optimizing safety and fail-operational metrics. You will serve as a trusted technical partner for the Senior Director of System Design and Mission Assurance, at times representing the Senior Director in leadership meetings.

You will be part of an organization with strong leadership and a transparent, respectful culture that enables you to reach your full potential. This highly visible position offers opportunities for career growth through demonstrated achievement.
In this role you will:
Define and refine the strategy and architecture for the Systems Engineering efforts that guide Zoox’s approach to safety and fail-operational initiatives
Lead and oversee the definition, development, and evolution of safety and fail-operational metrics that measure the robotaxi’s ability to safely complete customers’ journeys
Review and approve mission assurance clearance documents
Communicate complex metric concepts, data analyses, and actionable insights to diverse stakeholders and executives
Coach and mentor SDMA systems engineers, fostering their career growth and strengthening SDMA’s technical bench
Qualifications:
M.S. or higher degree in an Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in systems engineering, data analysis, performance tracking, or risk quantification for complex systems.
Demonstrated experience in defining, implementing, and managing quantitative metrics and data-driven approaches for the design and development of complex software or hardware systems
Proficiency in statistics and probability
Hands-on experience working with complex software systems, preferably in robotics, autonomous driving, or aerospace.
Collaborative team player with good written and in-person communication skills, capable of influencing, driving consensus, and presenting complex data to varied audiences including senior executives.
Bonus Qualifications:
Ph.D. in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
Systems engineering experience with large complex safety-critical systems
Metrics development experience
Experience in automotive industry
Experience with autonomous driving or robotics
Familiarity with industry safety standards such as ISO 26262, ISO 21448, MIL-STD-882, etc.