Technical Functional Safety Program Manager

Job Title

Technical Functional Safety Program Manager

Role Summary

Lead planning, coordination, execution, and tracking of functional safety programs within the Program Management Office (PMO). Work cross-functionally with architecture, design, verification, software, test, cybersecurity, release, and product teams to ensure safety activities are planned, executed, and evidenced in line with program goals.

This role combines technical program management with ISO 26262 functional safety management for automotive and other safety-relevant semiconductor IP and compute products.

Experience Level

Senior — requires technical leadership and program management experience. Typical background: 5+ years leading cross-functional semiconductor or compute-related programs and 4+ years of CPU/GPU/semiconductor or IP development experience.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include planning and executing functional safety programs and coordinating safety deliverables across engineering and program teams.

• Lead cross-functional execution of functional safety programs through planning, execution, delivery, and support phases.
• Develop and maintain program plans: schedules, milestones, dependencies, resourcing assumptions, critical path, and risk tracking.
• Drive functional safety management activities and integrate safety plan into the overall program plan.
• Create and maintain the safety case and track closure of actions required for functional safety compliance.
• Coordinate development of safety work products and customer-facing deliverables (e.g., Safety Manual, Development Interface Agreement, safety analyses, safety package).
• Track and drive closure of safety-related risks, issues, action items, errata impacts, and change decisions.
• Facilitate technical and program discussions, resolve high-level project issues, and support decision-making across stakeholders.
• Communicate safety and program status, risks, and progress to senior management and stakeholders.
• Support and participate in internal and external audits, assessments, and reviews relevant to the program.
• Collaborate with engineering to ensure safety requirements are captured, implemented, verified, and traced through development.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of program management and functional safety processes.

Requirements

Must-have technical and program management capabilities; preferred items listed separately.

• 5+ years of technical leadership and program management experience leading cross-functional semiconductor or compute-related programs.
• 4+ years of CPU, GPU, compute element, semiconductor, or semiconductor IP development experience with sufficient technical depth to engage engineering teams credibly.
• Experience driving programs from concept through execution, delivery, and release with clear metrics, risk, and dependency management.
• Familiarity with ISO 26262 and functional safety product development requirements; experience with ASIL B–D applications is strongly preferred.
• Understanding of functional safety lifecycle activities and work products: safety plans, safety cases, requirements traceability, audits, and assessments.
• Ability to facilitate technical discussions and drive alignment and engineering decisions across cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, Git/GitHub, Jama or similar requirements tools, and program/project tracking tools such as Smartsheets.
• Excellent organization, communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.

Nice-to-have:

• Hands-on semiconductor IP design and verification experience, ASIC development methodologies, and product lifecycle execution.
• Experience collaborating with functional safety architects, certification bodies, or external assessors.
• Working knowledge of hardware safety analysis methods (DFMEA, FMEA, FMEDA, DFA).
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 and ISO/SAE 21434.
• Experience managing hardware development programs using Agile methodologies.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline; or equivalent practical experience.

About the Company

Company: SiFive

Headquarters: San Mateo, California, United States

SiFive is a pioneering company in the RISC-V ecosystem, focused on transforming the future of computing by delivering high-performance, data-intensive RISC-V solutions. Their compute platforms empower leading technology firms to innovate across various markets, including AI, machine learning, and automotive sectors. SiFive is recognized for its commitment to ongoing innovation and fostering collaboration among talented teams, impacting lives by enabling advanced chip design.