Functional Safety Engineer, Safety Control Systems

Functional Safety Engineer, Safety Control Systems (On-site, Liberty, NC)

About This Role

A leading automotive EV battery manufacturer is hiring a Functional Safety Engineer in Liberty, NC (100% onsite) to review Safety PLC and electrical schematics for compliance and to keep a third-party validation company in check at a technical level. You will audit Safety Control Systems (SCS) to ISO 13849 and ANSI B11, identify and document non-conformities, design and verify countermeasures to reach the target control category and performance level, and redo Safety PLC logic and safety circuitry as needed. The role also owns project plans, schedules, and KPI reporting, and coordinates a third-party consultant group.

Responsibilities

• Review Safety PLC and electrical schematics for compliance with applicable safety standards; keep a third-party validation company in check at a technical level
• Audit Safety Control Systems (SCS) for compliance to ISO 13849 and ANSI B11; identify and document non-conformities
• Design and verify countermeasures to achieve the target control category and performance level; redo Safety PLC logic and safety circuitry as needed
• Develop detailed area project plans and schedules with deliverables, milestones, concerns, and KPIs
• Manage a third-party consultant group by milestones, concerns, and KPIs; perform spot auditing
• Audit SCS design modifications to ensure correlation with intended design
• Lead cross-functional communication and collaboration to ensure issue resolution
• Provide written and verbal project status reports to management and stakeholders
• Support the Control Reliability team through mentorship and technical coaching
• Perform hands-on troubleshooting and implementation as needed

Qualifications

• Functional Safety Expert (FSE) certification (for example a TUV Functional Safety Engineer credential or equivalent); include certification credentials with resume
• 5 plus years of functional safety engineering within industrial or automation sectors (ideally 7 to 10 plus); Technical Associate’s degree or higher in a related discipline
• In-depth knowledge of ISO 13849-1, ANSI B11, and other relevant standards
• Safety PLC programming: read, interpret, modify, and configure logic; PLC/SPLC communication protocols and system integration
• Demonstrated technical problem solving and countermeasure implementation
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• Availability for weekends, off-shifts, holidays, and shutdowns (July and December); able to navigate large facilities and lift, push, or pull up to 25 pounds
• Preferred: risk-assessment tools; FMEA/FMEDA methodologies; Safety PLC platforms such as Allen-Bradley GuardLogix, Omron Sysmac Safety, Keyence Configurator, or Siemens TIA Portal / Step 7 (Safety)

Required Skills

• Functional safety engineering and Safety Control Systems (SCS) auditing
• Machine-safety standards compliance (ISO 13849-1, ANSI B11)
• Safety PLC programming: read, interpret, modify, and configure safety logic and circuitry
• Non-conformity identification and countermeasure design and verification (control category and performance level)
• PLC/SPLC communication protocols and system integration
• Project planning and schedule/KPI management, including oversight of a third-party validation group
• Cross-functional communication, status reporting, and technical mentorship
• *Software / platforms:* Safety PLC platforms (Allen-Bradley GuardLogix, Omron Sysmac Safety, Keyence, Siemens TIA Portal/Step 7 Safety); Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint

Keywords: Functional Safety Engineer, Functional Safety, Machine Safety, Safety Control Systems, SCS, Safety PLC, SPLC, ISO 13849, ANSI B11, TUV, FSE, GuardLogix, Omron Sysmac, Keyence, Siemens Safety, Risk Assessment, FMEA, FMEDA, Countermeasures, Controls Engineering, Electrical Schematics, Compliance Audit, Automation, Manufacturing