Principal AV Safety Engineer: SOTIF and Human Factors

Job Description

Remote: This role is categorized as remote. This means the successful candidate may be based anywhere in the United States and is not expected to report to a GM worksite unless directed by their manager.

The Role

The Safety Assurance for Effective Autonomous Driving Software (SAFE-ADS) department is part of the Global Product Safety, System, and Certification (GPSSC) organization at GM. This department serves as the central body for automated driving system (ADS) safety and brings together expertise from across the company to establish a comprehensive safety case. GM's vision is zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion - AV safety is at the heart of driving forward this vision.

Our scope spans several organizations cross GM, requiring us to work directly with executive leaders, their team members, and strategic partners to build and deploy safe autonomous capabilities at scale. As the Principal Safety & System Engineer for AV SOTIF with a focus of the human as part of the system, you will report directly to the head of AV Safety Strategy and Assessment. This role is responsible for providing technical guidance and expertise in support of the program test and production safety cases. The human driver is a critical part of the overall system performance, and the assumptions used in the design of the automated driving system need to be verified and justified.

What You'll Do

The Principal AV SOTIF and Human Factors role will be engaged early in the development cycle to identify, assess and develop mitigation strategies for hazards considering the human as part of the system. This would include hazards that a test system operator or customer could experience or introduce to the automated driving system. This role will support and drive analyses to align with ISO 2148 Safety of the Intended Function (SOTIF) standard and encompass operations in closed course testing, validation testing on-road and the system as its intended to be deployed with customers. The work ranges from collaborating with operations on measuring effectiveness of operator training to working with engineers on proactively identifying human factors risks to account for in feature designs.

The following are tasks that this role can be expected to perform:

• Identify and monitor key performance metrics and indicators to help ensure both process and continuous improvement. Reports on safety issues, trends, & recommendations to development program and executives.
• Perform risk assessment for safety critical operations using quantitative (STPAs) and qualitative methods.
• Support system human interfaces through safety analysis techniques including considerations for usability, mental load, ergonomics, and workload.
• Develop requirements with systems engineering and engineering to account for human interface, usability, ergonomics and to minimize the potential for human error that could lead to safety critical scenarios
• Assist with the development and execution of the safety audit program strategy and plan to help ensure effective safety controls
• Support root cause analysis and implement corrective action plans to eliminate or minimize exposure to identified risks
• Review concept of operations, operational procedures, training materials and operational changes for hazards and develop operational safety requirements to embed in the process to control risks.
• Partner with the systems and engineering team to develop methods to identify emerging risk trends.
• Champion safety case technical claims related to the human driver and work with the safety case team to establish safety case assessment plans and execute these plans

This job is not eligible for relocation benefits. Any relocation costs would be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

Additional Job Description

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, Human Factors Engineering or Psychology, Safety or System Engineering or a related technical degree
• 10+ years of industry experience in human factors engineering, engineering test, or systems engineering
• Experience developing and evaluating human interfaces (e.g. workspace analysis, human modeling, ergonomics analysis, flight controls layout, human-computer interaction, etc.)
• Familiarity with Safety of the Intended Functionality (e.g., international standard ISO/PAS 2144)
• Expertise in employing hazard analysis technics such as System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
• Real-time operations experience on a complex system that has high consequences in the event of failure (such as pilot, flight test engineer, spacecraft operator, high performance automotive, technical diving, etc.)
• Demonstrate the ability to build trust and confidence with the operations team and influence continuous improvement for systems safety
• Actively demonstrate GM behaviors and safety professionalism in your decision-making and everyday activities
• Enjoy working in a collegial yet highly fast-paced and effective culture
• Thrive in ambiguity, crafting simplicity and order
• Passion for self-driving car technology, safety, and its impact on the world
• Excellent judgment and ability to remain unbiased and independent throughout all safety activities
• Proven track record of root cause analysis in complex human factors and SW/HW systems
• Ability to learn quickly, starting with little information and quickly becoming an expert in your domain
• Proven experience at communicating complex problems and data driven decisions to leadership
• Strong project management skills to coordinate multiple risk assessment work streams simultaneously

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• Proficiency in extracting insights from and applying expert-provided data in the form of quantitative risk assessments, reliability analysis, and/or statistical data analysis
• Expertise in Human & Organizational Performance and/or Systems Safety
• Expertise in safety analysis for autonomous vehicles or similar industry
• Experience within an operating Safety Management System
• Understanding of System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) and its application
• Familiarity with JIRA and JAMA

Compensation:

• The expected base compensation for this role is $193,600- $296,600 USD Annually
• Actual base compensation within the identified range will vary based on factors relevant to the position
• Bonus Potential: An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance

Benefits:

GM offers a variety of health and wellbeing benefit programs. Benefit options include medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plan, sickness and accident benefits, life insurance, paid vacation & holidays, tuition assistance programs, employee assistance program, GM vehicle discounts and more.

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us

We aspire to be the most inclusive company in the world. We believe we all must make a choice every day - individually and collectively - to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Our Work Appropriately philosophy supports our foundation of inclusion and provides employees the flexibility to work where they can have the greatest impact on achieving our goals, dependent on role needs. Every day, we want every employee, no matter their background, ethnicity, preferences, or location, to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Benefits Overview

The goal of the General Motors total rewards program is to support the health and well-being of you and your family. Our comprehensive compensation plan incudes, the following benefits, in addition to many others:
Paid time off including vacation days, holidays, and parental leave for mothers, fathers and adoptive parents;
Healthcare (including a triple tax advantaged health savings account and wellness incentive), dental, vision and life insurance plans to cover you and your family;
Company and matching contributions to 401K savings plan to help you save for retirement;
Global recognition program for peers and leaders to recognize and be recognized for results and behaviors that reflect our company values;
Tuition assistance and student loan refinancing;
Discount on GM vehicles for you, your family and friends.

Diversity Information

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that workforce diversity creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers. We understand and embrace the variety through which people gain experiences whether through professional, personal, educational, or volunteer opportunities. GM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications and apply for any positions that match your skills and capabilities.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statements

GM is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. GM is committed to providing a work environment free from unlawful discrimination and advancing equal employment opportunities for all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, all practices and decisions relating to terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, and termination of employment are made without regard to an indivi d ual's protected characteristics. For purposes of this policy, "protected characteristics" include an individual's actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, weight, height, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us at or call us at . In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.