Senior Systems Engineer (Fail Operational)

TL;DR

Senior Systems Engineer (Fail Operational): Developing and evolving the Fail Operational metric framework for autonomous driving robots with an accent on quantifying mission stoppage and degradation events. Focus on designing classification methodologies, implementing data-driven safety frameworks, and aligning technical findings with business priorities.

Location: Hybrid (Foster City, CA)

Company

Zoox is developing a full-stack autonomous mobility solution for cities and safely deploying a robotaxi service.

What you will do

• Own and evolve the Fail Operational metric framework for quantifying and severity-ranking autonomous-mission stoppage and degradation events.
• Lead target-setting for new and existing milestones and author supporting documentation for readiness assessments.
• Drive the evolution of the Fail Operational metric architecture to align with operational needs and priorities.
• Develop processes for reviewing observed events, mapping them to failure modes, and integrating observations into business priorities.
• Partner with Software, Hardware, and Operations teams to identify mitigations and evaluate emerging risks from testing pipelines.
• Translate complex technical findings and data analyses into clear recommendations for executives and stakeholders.

Requirements

• Location: Must be based in or able to work in Foster City, CA on a hybrid basis.
• B.S. or higher degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of professional experience in systems engineering, data analysis, or risk quantification for safety-critical systems.
• Proficiency in Python for large-scale data analysis, including strong knowledge of probability and statistics.
• Demonstrated experience implementing quantitative metrics and data-driven frameworks or classification systems.
• Excellent technical communication and documentation abilities.

Nice to have

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Experience with autonomous driving, robotics, or fleet-scale vehicle operations.
• Knowledge of hazard analysis methods such as STPA, FTA, FMEA, or FHA.
• Familiarity with industry safety standards including ISO 26262, ISO 21448, and MIL-STD-882.
• Experience building and scaling processes from conception to implementation.