Status: Exempt
Department: Safety and Compliance
Position Summary
The SW Functional Safety Engineer is responsible for the planning and coordination of the functional safety activities in the development phases of the safety lifecycle, in accordance with IEC 61508, 61511, ISO26262, ISO 13849 and other applicable standards. Candidate will be responsible for maintaining the safety plan, and for monitoring the progress of the safety activities against the safety plan and will routinely interface/collaborate with multi-disciplined project team members, functional management, manufacturing, and customers. The candidate must be able to understand the application of our products and their use environments to appropriately and strategically apply technical knowledge, tools, and methodologies to ensure our system meets all safety requirements as defined by our customer agreement as well as those regulatory requirements in the regions in which we operate. The SW Functional Safety Engineer is responsible for the development, implementation, and verification of software safety requirements in accordance with industry standards and regulations. This role requires a deep understanding of functional safety principles, software development processes, and the specific challenges associated with hydrogen technologies.
Core Duties and Responsibilities
- Develop and implement software safety requirements for hydrogen fuel cells, electrolyzers and dispensing systems, ensuring compliance with relevant standards (e.g., ISO 26262, IEC 61508, ISO 13849).
- Conduct safety assessments and hazard analyses (e.g., HARA, FMEA, FTA) to identify potential safety risks in software components.
- Develop and maintain the Functional Safety Plan, ensuring that all safety-related activities are properly documented and executed.
- Collaborate with software development teams to ensure that safety requirements are integrated into the software design and architecture.
- Lead the verification and validation of safety-critical software, including unit testing, integration testing, and system testing.
- Perform code reviews and software inspections to ensure adherence to safety standards and best practices.
- Conduct detailed risk assessments and develop safety cases for software used in hydrogen technologies.
- Work with cross-functional teams to implement risk reduction measures and ensure that safety goals are met.
- Prepare and present safety analysis reports to internal and external stakeholders, including regulatory bodies.
- Prepare and maintain safety documentation, including safety requirements specifications, safety manuals, and safety validation reports.
- Support certification processes for safety-critical software components, working closely with certification bodies and regulatory agencies.
- Stay up to date with the latest developments in functional safety standards and methodologies.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the safety and reliability of software in hydrogen fuel cell systems.
- Report safety issues and progress to stakeholders, including project managers and senior leadership.
- Sign-off the design release for each step during the development process.
- Plan and coordinate functional safety audits and 3rd party assessments.
- Other duties as assigned.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- Minimum of [10] years of experience in software functional safety engineering, preferably in the automotive, energy, or industrial sectors.
- Strong knowledge of functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262, IEC 61508, ISO 13849) and safety analysis techniques.
- Experience with software development processes, tools, and methodologies, including model-based design, embedded systems, and real-time operating systems.
- Proficiency in programming languages such as C, C++, or Python, with a focus on safety-critical applications.
- Experience in the hydrogen industry or with hydrogen fuel cell, electrolyzer, or dispensing systems is highly desirable.
- Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
- Strong communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
Preferred Skills
- Certification in Functional Safety (e.g., TÜV Functional Safety Engineer) is a plus.
- Experience with safety assessment tools such as DOORS, Medini Analyze, or similar.
- Experience with both “agile” and “waterfall” software development processes.
- Knowledge of hydrogen safety standards and regulations (e.g., ISO 19880-1, NFPA 2) is an advantage.
- Experience with system engineering approaches (requirements engineering / management, functional analysis and allocation, architecture design, validation, and verification) and experience with change & configuration management.
- Familiarity with development and quality process (FMEA/FTA methods/tools).
- Knowledgeable in a wide range of device designs, technologies, and human-machine interfaces.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills for internal and external consumption.
- Strong documentation skills and practice. Proficient in word processing, spreadsheets, power point presentations.
- Ability to operate independently in a matrix organization and navigate complex business systems.
- Good technical leadership, planning and organization/control skills.
Plug Power, Inc. is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
