Autonomy Systems Safety Engineer

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 an Autonomy Systems Safety 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:

• Develop, review, and maintain safety cases for the Kodiak Autonomy System in various approved Operational Design Domains (ODDs)
• Evaluate ODD scenarios and safety use cases
• Verify that safety use cases align with automotive safety integrity level (ASIL) allocations and mitigation strategies
• Assess hazard analysis and risk assessment outputs for correctness and completeness
• Review system, hardware, and software safety requirements for clarity, completeness, and compliance
• Ensure requirements are testable, traceable, and aligned with relevant standards
• Audit system and software architectural design specifications
• Verify redundancy, failover, and fault management strategies
• Assess freedom‑from‑interference, timing, and resource partitioning
• Conduct confirmation audits of software and hardware safety processes
• Audit safety verification results across multiple levels of integration
• Validate evidence packages for completeness, consistency, and standards alignment
• Act as a liaison with third‑party safety auditors
• Engage with federal/state regulators for relevant autonomy policies
• Prepare audit reports, compliance matrices, and similar safety case evidence
• 10% travel is possible
  
  

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
• 5 years in safety engineering, reliability engineering, or autonomous systems engineering
• Experience with Level 4 autonomous vehicles
• Hands‑on experience with fault management, redundancy architectures, and safety mechanisms
• Experience with safety case development and assessing work products for safety critical systems
• Deep knowledge of ISO 26262, SOTIF, UL4600, SAE J3187, ASPICE or similar standards
• Strong auditing and documentation skills; familiarity with confirmation review processes
• Excellent communication skills for interfacing with subsystem teams, regulators, and external auditors
• Experience in project management for complex systems is desirable
• Exposure to statistics and probability in the context of safety risk decision making is desirable
  
  

What we offer:

• Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
• Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
• MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance
• Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, 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 through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)
• 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: $170,000 USD - $230,000 USD

At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

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.