Systems Engineering Architect, Safety

Systems Engineering Architect, Safety

Mytra is seeking a Systems Engineering Architect, Safety to lead the design and implementation of our end-to-end industrial safety strategy from first principles, for autonomous robotic systems operating in warehouse environments. In this role, you will architect safety-critical systems designed to meet ISO 13849-1 requirements, establishing the safety framework that enables our robots to operate reliably and safely alongside people, infrastructure, and existing warehouse automation. You will work across the entire product lifecycle—from concept through deployment—defining safety requirements, designing safety control architectures, and ensuring compliance with applicable industrial safety standards.

As Systems Engineering Architect, Safety, you will define how Mytra approaches functional safety at the system level, establishing the methodologies, processes, and technical architectures necessary to achieve and validate performance level compliance. You will collaborate closely with systems engineering, controls, firmware, software, and field operations teams to integrate safety considerations throughout the product development process and ensure safety is architected into our systems from the ground up. This role requires on-site presence at our Brisbane, CA headquarters for close collaboration with engineering and operations teams.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement safety-critical control systems designed to achieve ISO 13849-1 compliance for autonomous robotic systems in warehouse environments
• Conduct comprehensive risk assessment in accordance with ISO 12100 and ISO 13849-1, determining required Performance Levels for identified hazards and defining appropriate risk reduction measures
• Design safety control architectures, including redundancy strategies (Category 3 or 4 architectures), diagnostic coverage (DCavg), mission time considerations, and systematic failure prevention
• Specify and integrate safety components including safety MCUs, PLCs, safety-rated sensors, emergency stop systems, LOTO, and safe motion control functions
• Develop and maintain system-level safety validation evidence, including MTTF calculations, diagnostic coverage analysis, fault injection testing, and safety case documentation required for Performance Level verification
• Define safety requirements across the system hierarchy and ensure traceability from hazard analysis through implementation, testing, and validation
• Establish safety design patterns and reusable safety modules that can be validated once and deployed consistently across product variants
• Lead hazard analysis and risk assessment activities (HARA, HAZOP, FMEA) throughout the product development lifecycle, identifying safety-critical scenarios and defining mitigation strategies
• Partner with systems engineering, controls, and firmware teams to implement safety functions with appropriate response times, fault detection mechanisms, and fail-safe behaviors
• Develop safety validation and verification protocols, including systematic capability analysis, hardware fault tolerance verification, and dangerous failure rate validation
• Work with field operations and deployment teams to establish commissioning procedures, periodic testing requirements, and safety-related maintenance schedules
• Serve as the technical safety authority for internal teams and external stakeholders, including customers, integrators, and certification bodies
• Create tools, frameworks, and documentation to scale safety practices and maintain compliance as the organization and product deployments grow

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in systems engineering with specific expertise in functional safety, ideally related to ISO 13849-1 and safety control system design
• Proven track record designing and validating safety systems, including demonstrated experience with Category 3 or 4 architectures and diagnostic coverage calculations
• Deep expertise in safety standards
• Strong understanding of safety-critical control system design principles including redundancy architectures, fault detection and diagnostics, common cause failure analysis, and systematic failure prevention
• Experience designing safety solutions for mobile equipment, industrial robotics, or warehouse automation systems involving human-machine interaction
• Demonstrated ability to conduct quantitative safety analysis including MTTF/PFH calculations, diagnostic coverage assessment, and reliability modeling
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to balance safety requirements with system performance and cost constraints
• Demonstrated ability to work across multidisciplinary teams, translating safety requirements into implementable hardware, firmware, and software solutions
• Excellent technical communication skills and ability to produce clear safety documentation for technical and certification audiences
• B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Robotics, or related technical field

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with third-party certification organizations to validate machinery safety compliance
• Background in autonomous mobile robot safety, material handling equipment, or warehouse automation environments
• Certified Functional Safety Expert (CFSE), TÜV Functional Safety Engineer, or equivalent professional certification

A Final Note

You're encouraged to apply even if you can't take on every example project in its totality. We work closely and collaboratively at Mytra - No one takes on projects alone. We seek people who are eager to work together, learn new things, and bring unique perspectives.

Benefits Include

• Competitive compensation + equity grants at a high growth company backed by top tier VCs
• Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), commuter benefits, and pet insurance
• Lively modern combined office and lab space where we rapidly iterate through design, build and test phases
• Lunch and snacks provided in the office; we eat and share stories together at the "long" table
• Flexible hours and flexible PTO

Pay Notice

Compensation for this position will be negotiated based on the candidate's experience level and location. The posted salary band is applicable only to the San Francisco Bay Area and is subject to change.