Senior Safety & Regulatory Engineer - Functional Safety / CE / Machinery

Job Description

<p> <br></p> <p>Tesla was founded in 2003 with the goal of accelerating the transition to sustainable energy and protecting the planet Earth. Through solar energy, batteries, and electric vehicles, we are building a world of amazing abundance.</p><p><br></p><p>At Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, we manufacture the Model Y, and starting in 2027, we’ll produce everything from battery cells to electric vehicles. This is unique in Europe. Our international team consists of over 12,000 employees from 130 countries. We hire talent at all skill levels - prior experience in the automotive industry is not required. Would you like to help write the next chapter in Tesla’s success story and work at one of Germany’s most modern workplaces? Then this is the right place for you!</p> <p>This team at Tesla Manufacturing Brandenburg in Grünheide builds the autonomy that lets a reach truck operate unmanned across our warehouse operations. We own the full on-vehicle stack: perception and vision-based localization, state estimation and mapping, motion planning and the behaviour layer that sequences navigation and load handling, the real-time interfaces to the vehicle's motion and safety systems, low-latency teleoperation for supervised recovery, and integration with the WMS and FMS that dispatch and track the work. Our remit runs from that software and systems architecture through to a machine that is functionally safe, CE-certified, and proven from a first pilot cell to dependable, everyday operation.  </p><p> Achieving CE certification for a driverless industrial truck is the milestone the whole effort has to clear, and it needs a single owner. This role takes the machine from the initial hazard analysis through to a Declaration of Conformity, owning the safety case and the technical file the whole way.  </p><p> <br></p><p><b><b>Role mission</b> </b></p><p>You own functional safety and CE conformity for the vehicle, and you stay accountable for the safety and regulatory requirements throughout development rather than only at sign-off. You set the requirements the rest of the team builds against, and you make sure the evidence behind them holds together. </p><p> <br></p>

Job Responsibilities

• Build and own the safety case against the standards that apply to driverless industrial trucks, principally EN ISO 3691-4, ISO 13849-1, and EN ISO 12100. 

• Lead the hazard analysis, allocate the required performance levels (PLr), define the protective and warning zones, the speed and separation limits, and the safe-stop behaviour, then validate the achieved performance level and category. 

• Write the safety requirements that controls and software must meet, and stay with them through implementation and verification. The Controls Engineer implements the safety PLC; you define what it must do and confirm that it does. 

• Compile and maintain the CE technical file, and agree with the vehicle's manufacturer who is responsible for which part of the machinery. 

• Own electromagnetic-compatibility and electrical-safety conformity under EN 12895 and EN 1175, drawing on specialists where it makes sense. 

• Engage directly with the regulators, an external safety consultant, and any third-party or notified-body assessment we need. 

• Keep the machine safe across autonomous and teleoperated operation, and in the aisles it shares with people. 

Over time you will build the body of evidence behind all of this: the hazard analysis, the safety requirements specification, the validation plan, the technical-file index, the residual-risk register, and a clear route to the Declaration of Conformity. 

Job Requirements

• Six or more years in functional safety for machinery or robotics, including at least one machine you personally took through a full CE process to a Declaration of Conformity. 

• A deep, working command of EN ISO 3691-4, ISO 13849-1, EN ISO 12100, and the EU Machinery Directive and Regulation. Experience in ISO 3691 is a mandatory requirement to be qualified for this role.

• The ability to turn a safety case into concrete, verifiable requirements and then demonstrate they have been met. 

• German is required, as you will engage directly with regulators and local stakeholders, along with solid English to work with the team. 

Nice to have 

• Safety experience specifically with driverless trucks, AGVs, or AMRs. 

• A TÜV Functional Safety Engineer qualification or something equivalent. 

• Previous dealings with a notified body. 

• Real depth in EMC and electrical conformity. 

• A comfortable, AI-native way of working, using modern AI tools in your day-to-day work. 

How you work with the team 

You set the safety requirements that the Controls Engineer and the software engineers build to, and you check their work against them. You work with the technical lead on the authority handoff between autonomy and a remote operator, and you deal with the vehicle's manufacturer and outside assessors directly. You will not be doing this alone, as the program funds an external CE consultant and a third-party assessment budget to support the role. 

Outcomes in first 6-12 months 

• The hazard analysis is complete early, with the performance levels, zones, and safe-stop behaviour agreed and accepted by controls and software. 

• The CE technical file and validation evidence come together on a timeline that supports production entry rather than trailing it. 

• The safety case reaches the point where the first vehicle can be signed off for production use. 

Not only do we offer you an attractive compensation package, but also access to a wide range of perks and benefits. For example:

· Our own medical center, a gym and an in-house barbershop

· E-bike charging stations in front of the factory, more than 500 free charging stations for electric cars, a bike leasing program, free use of the nextbike bike-sharing fleet, as well as numerous free shuttle bus routes to Grünheide and the surrounding areas

· You’ll receive subsidized canteen meals, a free S-membership at the Urban Sports Club (discount from M+) and you can sign up for many language courses

· We also offer all employees a wide range of insurance options, such as a company pension plan, as well as discounts on private insurance and legal protection insurance

These and many other benefits await you. Join Tesla and help us build a world of amazing abundance.

Candidates are expected to uphold and actively promote sustainability principles in their daily work, operating in line with Tesla Global Environmental, Health, Safety & Security (EHS&S) Policy and EMAS requirements, fostering a culture of continuous environmental improvement.