---
title: 'Sr. Software Systems Safety Engineer at Apptronik'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/sr-software-systems-safety-engineer-apptronik-sunnyvale-az29spy6ht78'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-03'
---

# Sr. Software Systems Safety Engineer at Apptronik

- **Company:** Apptronik
- **Location:** Sunnyvale, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-10-30
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-03
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/apptronik/jobs/6239229004?gh_jid=6239229004

## Job description

Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.

We operate at the cutting edge of Applied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.

## JOB SUMMARY

Own the safety assurance of the software and AI that run our humanoid robots, from architecture analysis through verification evidence. You will analyze software and AI safety architectures, lead the safety analyses, and assess whether the evidence supports our safety claims. You will draw on IEC 61508-3, ISO/IEC TS 22440, and deep experience with safety-critical software systems.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

- Collaborate on system-level risk assessments, allocate risk reduction measures to software and AI elements, and own the breakdown of software-domain safety requirements into subsystem and element-level requirements
- Analyze and define the software safety architecture, including partitioning and freedom from interference, watchdogs, diagnostics, plausibility and timing monitoring, communication integrity, startup/shutdown behavior, and fault handling
- Lead software safety analyses, including software FMEA, fault tree analysis, dependent/common-cause failure analysis, and timing and resource analysis
- Specify safety-related software behavior, such as monitors, diagnostics, and safe-state logic, and review software team designs against IEC 61508-3 requirements for the target SIL / SC
- Define the IEC 61508-3 software safety plan and lifecycle, and assess team conformance through reviews and audits, including existing in-house, open-source, and third-party libraries, RTOS, and middleware
- Assess software systematic capability and review verification evidence, including coverage, static analysis, fault injection, and software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop test results, for adequacy against safety claims
- Apply the AI safety lifecycle (ISO/IEC TS 22440) to AI/ML-enabled functions, defining the safety architecture around them, including independence of safety functions from learned components and the safety mechanisms that monitor them
- Assess AI/ML safety evidence against the AI safety lifecycle, including data and model assurance, performance limitations, and operational design domain
- Own software requirements traceability and the software portion of the safety case, including gap assessments against standards
- Support product safety and compliance teams in certification and demonstration of standards conformity

## SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

- Demonstrated experience analyzing and assuring safety-critical software architectures, including software safety analyses and safety case development
- Practical application of the IEC 61508-3 or ISO 26262-6 (automotive) software lifecycle, with depth in software safety activities and qualification of existing software and tools, and experience with IEC 62061, ISO 13849, ISO 10218, ANSI/A3 R15.06, or ISO 25785-1 as relevant
- Strong knowledge of embedded software architectures, including RTOS, mixed-criticality partitioning, watchdogs, communication buses, and diagnostics
- Hands-on experience with FMEA/FMEDA, FTA, and dependent failure analysis, and with reviewing verification evidence such as fault injection, software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing, and test coverage
- Working knowledge of safety for AI/ML-enabled systems, such as ISO/IEC TS 22440; familiarity with ISO/PAS 8800, UL 4600, or SOTIF preferred
- Experience with requirements and traceability tools such as JAMA; familiarity with Git, CI/CD, and static analysis; certification or third-party assessment experience preferred
- Ability to work cross-functionally and make sound, risk-based engineering decisions
- Experience with common Product Development Processes / Product Lifecycle management  including Agile, CMMI, Waterfall, etc. helping teams to deliver to organizational milestones.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

- Bachelor’s Degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field (or equivalent experience); Master’s preferred
- 8+ years of relevant engineering experience, including substantial responsibility for safety assurance or analysis of safety-critical software in complex electromechanical products

## PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
- Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times
- Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen
- Hearing and speech to communicate

The annual salary range is $200,000 - $240,000 base

*This is a direct hire.  Please, no outside Agency solicitations.

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

## About Apptronik

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Apptronik builds advanced humanoid robots for real-world industrial applications, starting with manufacturing and warehousing, to address labor shortages and improve human productivity.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Funding Stage: Series A)
- **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States
- **Founded**: 2016
- **Founders**: Founded as a spinout from the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin; leadership includes CEO Jeff Cardenas and CTO Nicholas Paine

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Robot Manufacturing, Humanoid Robotics, Industrial Automation, Artificial Intelligence
- Target customers: B2B / Enterprise — manufacturing facilities, warehousing and logistics operators, supply chain organizations
- Mission or purpose statement: “It is not Man vs. Machine, but Man + Machine” — building robots that empower humans to live to their fullest potential by solving labor shortages and reducing physical strain.

## Products & Services
- **[Apollo Humanoid Robot Platform]**: A full-electric, bipedal humanoid robot designed for industrial use. Combines advanced hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software. Current applications include material handling, line-side tasks, palletizing, case picking, trailer unloading, and inspection. Built as a scalable platform that can extend into healthcare, eldercare, and home environments over time. (Type: Hardware + SaaS Platform)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Annual Revenue**: ~$3.5 million (estimated)
- **Total Funding**: ~$963.8 million (includes a Seed Round of $14.6M in 2022, a Corporate Round in 2025, and an undisclosed Series A round; notable investors include Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Google)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Google, Terex, Humanoid Global
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 98.1% year-over-year to 334 employees (2026 data). Named to the **2026 CNBC Disruptor 50** list. Recognized on the **Best Places to Work** list (2024, 2025). Won the **2025 IEEE Robotics & Automation Product Innovation Award**. Named **Most Innovative** (2025). Active job postings increased 238.5% year-over-year (88 open roles). Acquired Elevate Robotics Inc.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Deep heritage**: Spun out of UT Austin’s Human Centered Robotics Lab; team dates back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge (2015) and includes ex-NASA collaborators.
- **Full-stack vertical integration**: Covers hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software — a complete, scalable platform rather than a one-off robot.
- **Safe, human-centric design**: Built for human environments from the ground up, with a focus on reducing physical strain and complementing human workers, not replacing them.
- **Early enterprise traction**: Active partnerships with major industrial players like Mercedes-Benz and Terex, proving real-world deployment over lab demos.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling Apollo for manufacturing and warehouse deployment (current core market).
- Expanding into more complex environments: construction, healthcare, eldercare, and the home.
- Continuous hardware and software upgrades (CEO Jeff Cardenas calls humanoid robotics “the space race of our time” and has signaled major upgrades to Apollo).
- Building out fleet-level tools for multi-robot management and learning.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven**: Work on the frontier of humanoid robotics with a stated ethos of “Man + Machine” — robots that improve human quality of life.
- **High-growth environment**: Doubled headcount year-over-year with massive funding and expanding job postings; strong career growth potential.
- **Culture values**: Passion, creativity, collaboration, integrity, curiosity, and humility are explicitly stated as core values.
- **Perks & Benefits**:
  - Flexible PTO (open, unlimited)
  - 401k retirement plan
  - Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
  - Parental leave
  - Flexible work hours
  - Collaborative and innovative work environment
- **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Not explicitly stated; 77% of workforce is in the United States (majority in Austin HQ). Specific roles may vary, but the company promotes a collaborative environment.
- **Talent sources**: Attracts talent from top robotics and tech companies — SpaceX, Tesla, Fox Robotics, Agility Robotics, Apple, iRobot, Neocis, and top universities (UT Austin).
- **Employee rating**: 3.9/5.0 on employer reviews (Work-Life: 3.5, Career: 3.7).

## Sources
1. [apptronik.com](https://apptronik.com/) — Company homepage
2. [apptronik.com/about-us](https://apptronik.com/about-us) — About Us / History / Mission
3. [apptronik.com/careers](https://apptronik.com/careers?gh_src=B+Capital+job+board) — Careers page / Perks & Culture
4. [apptronik.com/careers/job-listings](https://apptronik.com/careers/job-listings) — Open job listings
5. [linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.) — LinkedIn company profile (revenue, headcount, funding, employee breakdown)

## Other roles at Apptronik

- [Senior / Staff Sim-to-Real Engineer (Tendon-based Robotic Hands)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-sim-to-real-engineer-tendon-based-robotic-hands-apptronik-austin-gk7fhwf3907t) — Austin, TX
- [Engineering Manager - Controls](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-manager-controls-apptronik-austin-xdqepp25s218) — Austin, TX
- [Senior Design Engineer - Electromagnetic (R&D)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-design-engineer-electromagnetic-r-d-apptronik-austin-92q30vmm0nm2) — Austin, TX
- [Senior Hardware Test Engineer - Components](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-hardware-test-engineer-components-apptronik-austin-s8wjwx4kyaey) — Austin, TX
- [Senior Staff Test Engineer - Reliability](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-test-engineer-reliability-apptronik-austin-qdb992f998na) — Austin, TX
- [Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Assembly](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manufacturing-engineer-assembly-apptronik-austin-y1v13ms3zta9) — Austin, TX
- [Manager, Operations Engineering - Supply Chain](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-operations-engineering-supply-chain-apptronik-austin-fncc1hnh3rsn) — Austin, TX
- [Software Engineer - Manipulation](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-manipulation-apptronik-sunnyvale-gwpc3yte34k5) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Staff Systems Safety Engineer (Compliance)](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-systems-safety-engineer-compliance-apptronik-sunnyvale-kjxjw2nk6pf6) — Sunnyvale, CA
- [Staff Systems Safety Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-systems-safety-engineer-apptronik-sunnyvale-36vd1z1vsd7r) — Sunnyvale, CA