Hardware Safety Engineer

About Forterra

Forterra is a leading provider of autonomous systems for ground-based movement in the working world. Amongst some of the earliest innovators in the field of driverless technology, Forterra is focused on building systems that protect front-line soldiers and enable civilian workers in our industrial base. Forterra is the go-to provider of ground autonomy solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense, which harnesses the technology for asymmetric warfare in critical conditions.

About the role

Forterra is seeking an experienced Hardware Safety Engineer to join our team and drive efforts in the development of autonomous systems in the area of commercial applications. This role is critical in identifying and mitigating potential hazards that may arise from hardware faults and failure in our system, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations.

What you'll do

• Lead the implementation and application of safety-critical hardware standards, ensuring adherence to safety requirements throughout the hardware development lifecycle.
• Prepare comprehensive documentation to support regulatory submissions and customer requirements related to hardware safety.
• Develop and refine safety concepts for hardware systems, including architectural design, safety mechanisms, and verification activities, to ensure robust safety performance.
• Conduct safety analyses such as FMEA (Failure Modes and Effect Analysis), FMEDA (Failure Modes, Effects, and Diagnostic Analysis) and FTA (Fault Tree Analysis) to assess hardware safety metrics, reliability, and failure modes.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop verification and validation plans for safety-critical hardware components.
• Lead or participate in testing activities to ensure safety requirements are met.
• Provide technical guidance, training, and mentorship to hardware engineers and cross-functional teams on safety engineering principles and best practices for hardware development.
• Stay informed about industry trends and advancements in functional safety standards. Implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance hardware safety practices within the organization.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of work experience as a FuSa engineer or related role focused on safety critical hardware
• Specific experience with ISO 26262-5 or a related or similar functional safety standards (e.g., IEC 61508, IEC 62304, MIL-STD-882E)
• Experience with safety analysis techniques such as Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Failure Mode, Effects and Diagnostics Analysis (FMEDA) and Dependent Failure Analysis (DFA).
• Experience calculating and applying the various hardware metrics and their derivations, ex. PMHF, LFM, MPFM etc.
• Knowledge of reviewing and applying supplier Safety Manuals
• Familiar with mathematical and engineering principles and methods used to design electrical and electronic systems.
• Experience with robotics or related electro-mechanical areas, such as sensor interfaces, DC-DC converters, motor drivers, transceivers, embedded microcontrollers, and bus protocols (such as RS232, SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet)
• Strong communication skills and the ability to to communicate complex engineering issues to a diverse team
• Flexible, adaptable mindset, open-minded: we try to solve a problem that has never been solved before. Multiple opinions exist on how to do so but nobody has the absolute truth until it is actually done: you know that and you embrace it, you are open to multiple perspectives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Functional Safety Expert Certification (automotive or other)
• Experience with managing requirements (Jama, Doors, Polarion) and issue tracking (JIRA)
• Direct experience in the design and development of autonomous vehicles or advanced ADAS applications.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field; Master’s degree preferred.

US Salary Range
 $120,000 - $200,000 annually 
 The salary range for this role is an estimate and is based on a wide variety of compensation factors. The salary offered to candidates will vary based on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) relevant work experience, education, specialized training, critical expertise, training, and more. Equity in Forterra is included in most of our full-time, high-demand roles and is therefore considered part of Forterra’s overall compensation package. In addition to base salary and equity, Forterra offers competitive benefits for full-time employees including:

• Premium Healthcare Benefits: Three plan options, including an HSA-eligible plan, with Forterra covering 80% of the plan premium for you and your dependents.  
• Basic Life/AD&D, short and long-term disability insurance, Legal & ID protection plans 100% covered by Forterra, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a winter break in December.
• Competitive paid time off (PTO) offering 20 days accrued per year.
• A minimum of 7 weeks fully paid parental leave for birth/adoption. 
• A $9k annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.
• Fully stocked beverage refrigerators with all the Celsius your little heart desires. 
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, including traditional, Roth 401(k), and after-tax deferral with company match up to 4%.

Your recruiter will be able to share more information about our salary and benefits offering during the hiring process.  
Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in accordance with local, state, and federal laws. Forterrans are unique, talented individuals who are united through a shared passion to deliver autonomous systems that enable national resilience and a robust supply chain. All qualified applications will receive equal consideration for employment. Apply