Functional Safety Engineer, Software

About the role

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology.

In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

We are looking for a Functional Safety Software Engineer to join us and drive the development and management of our autonomous vehicle safety cases as we bring the Kodiak Autonomy System to market. We first published our Safety Report in 2019 and have based our development on systems engineering, the ISO26262 process and SOTIF principles.

In this role, you will

• Facilitate bringing the software safety work products across the finish line, following the Safety Plan, reviewing inputs, assisting software teams in understanding the expectations and packaging the information for Independent Assessment.
• Participate in specification of software safety requirements.
• Review software safety architectural design as part of development
• Review software safety unit design and implementation
• Develop and/or review test plans, test procedures, verification reports at the software unit and software integration levels, given software safety requirements input on design from the software teams. Support system level testing from a software safety perspective
• Perform software safety analyses (e.g. dependent failure analysis) to comply with ISO 26262.
• Support Hardware-Software Interface development and derive safety measures.
• Collaborate with Kodiak internal and external stakeholders to review and assess work products for compliance with ISO 26262

What you'll bring

• Bachelor's degree or higher in software, electrical, mechanical or other related engineering and/or a Bachelor's degree with professional experience in a high tech environment
• Experience with functional safety assessment, preferably at the vehicle component level, and have applied ISO26262 standard to guide the safety case
• Good communication skills with a collaborative approach
• Proactive problem solvers with hands-on experience
• Comfortable preparing safety argumentation
• Ability to structure project tasks and drive evidence development among teams
• Experience with Part 4, 6, 8 and 9 of ISO 26262. Special emphasis on implementation of Part 6 for vehicles
• Experience with system and software level verification and validation of vehicles
• Knowledge of software configuration management and software quality assurance
• Knowledge of C++ and Matlab is not required but is a plus

What we offer

• Competitive compensation package including equity and biannual bonuses
• Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Anthem, and Guardian (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
• Flexible PTO and generous parental leave policies
• Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA
• Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging
• Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
• Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health
• Fidelity 401(k)
• Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
• Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)

• The pay range listed below reflects the base salary in our SF/Silicon Valley location, across several internal levels.
• Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors including: work location, experience, relevant training, education, skill level and performance during interview.
• Total compensation at Kodiak includes base pay, equity, bonus and a competitive benefits package

California Pay Range $130,000—$190,000 USD

In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility for such positions may hinge on verification of a candidate's residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status.

Should the position require, and Kodiak determines that a candidate's residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate an export license, bar the candidate from the position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak's sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate's application.

If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.

• We use a third-party AI tool (Endorsed) to assist in the initial screening of applications.
• As part of the evaluation process, we provide Endorsed with job requirements and candidate-submitted applications.
• Final hiring decisions are made by our human recruitment team, and no automated system makes the ultimate decision regarding hiring.

• Certain features of the platform may qualify it as an Automated Employment Decision Tool (AEDT) under applicable regulations.
• We began using Endorsed on January 1, 2026.
• You can review the independent bias audit report covering our use of Endorsed here.
• By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your application may be processed by AI systems as part of the screening and selection process.

If you have any questions or would like to request a separate review of your application, please contact with "Separate Review Request" in the email subject line.