Staff Functional Safety Engineer, SI Hardware

About the role

• Staff Functional Safety Engineer, SI Hardware | Tesla (Tesla SI)
• Location: Palo Alto, California | Req ID: 269213 | Job Type: Full-time
• What to Expect

The Tesla SI Hardware team is at the forefront of revolutionizing artificial intelligence through cutting-edge hardware innovation. Dojo is Tesla's custom supercomputer built for massive scale inference. Powered by the next generation architecture, Dojo enables real time SI workloads for Full Self Driving (FSD) and Optimus, while unlocking new frontiers in video generation and space based data center deployment.

Training remains a core capability, but Dojo's primary mission is delivering high throughput, low latency inference at a scale never seen before. Tesla's SI Hardware team is building the silicon that will define the next era of SI — on Earth and beyond.

As a Staff Functional Safety Engineer at Tesla, you will play a critical role in ensuring that our products meet the highest safety standards across multiple product lines. You'll work at the intersection of cutting-edge technology, hardware engineering, and safety-critical systems, directly impacting the safety of our customers worldwide. This role offers the opportunity to shape functional safety practices for Tesla's entire portfolio—from vehicles and energy products to autonomous systems and beyond.

What You'll Do

• Lead functional safety analyses for critical systems across Tesla's product portfolio, ensuring compliance with ISO 26262 and other relevant safety standards while establishing safety requirements that enable rapid innovation
• Drive Hazard and Risk Analysis (HARA), Safety Concepts, FMEA, and FMEDA development across multi-functional teams, working directly with system owners to achieve consensus and validate safety work products
• Conduct functional safety analyses at multiple abstraction levels, from system-level down to IP block level for SOC designs, ensuring comprehensive safety coverage
• Develop and execute comprehensive functional safety validation plans, partnering with engineering teams to verify safety requirements through rigorous testing
• Define functional safety interfaces between Tesla and supplier partners, reviewing and approving Development Interface Agreements and critical safety documentation
• Build and implement functional safety processes and tools optimized for Tesla's fast-paced development environment and vertical integration model
• Mentor engineers across the organization on functional safety principles and practices, elevating safety culture at all levels of development

What You'll Bring

• Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of experience as a Functional Safety Engineer or in a closely related role
• 10+ years of post-graduate technical experience in safety-critical systems development
• Deep understanding of hardware and software development processes for safety-critical products, including the Systems Engineering V-Model
• Expert knowledge of ISO 26262 and other relevant functional safety standards, with proven ability to apply them in production environments
• Experience with functional safety in SOC (System on Chip) design and validation, including hardware safety mechanisms, IP-level safety analysis, and chip-level fault analysis
• Proficiency in conducting FMEA and FMEDA analyses at various levels of system hierarchy
• Demonstrated success leading functional safety analyses that resulted in measurably safer products or systems
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical safety concepts to stakeholders at all levels, from engineering teams to executive leadership
• Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt established safety processes to fast-moving, innovative development environments

Benefits

Along with competitive pay, as a full-time Tesla employee, you are eligible for the following benefits at day 1 of hire:

• Medical plans > plan options with $0 payroll deduction
• Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
• Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans, both have options with a $0 paycheck contribution
• Company Paid (Health Savings Accounts) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High-Deductible medical plan with HSA
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) with employer match, Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits
• Company paid Basic Life, AD&D
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance (90 day waiting period)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions, Accrued hours for Hourly positions), and Paid Holidays
• Back-up childcare and parenting support resources
• Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance
• Weight Loss and Tobacco Cessation Programs
• Tesla Babies program
• Commuter benefits
• Employee discounts and perks program
• Earned Wage Access: Real-time pay access paid daily, subject to eligibility and schedule (applicable for below Sr. Managers levels)

Expected Compensation$128,000 - $414,000/annual salary + cash and stock awards + benefitsPay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.