Head of Product Safety Management (f/m/d)

Your tasks

As Head of Product Safety Management, you are responsible for leading the strategic planning, coordination, and governance of all product safety activities across vehicle platforms. You ensure that safety-relevant domains are comprehensively planned, monitored, and aligned with vehicle architecture, industry standards, and OEM-level engineering maturity.

• Lead and support cross-functional safety teams to ensure timely and effective execution of safety planning and release activities, including safety risk assessments
• Oversee product safety governance and ensure compliance with internal and external safety standards and regulations during safety release approval processes
• Define, implement, and continuously improve processes and methodologies across the product lifecycle, including the management of engineering tools
• Act as the central interface for safety-related topics, ensuring transparent communication and alignment with engineering, architecture, and program management teams
• Provide regular safety status updates, perform risk assessments, and prepare escalation reports for senior management and relevant governance bodies

Your profile

• Master’s or bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field
• 10+ years of experience in safety development (e.g., Functional Safety, Cybersecurity, HV Safety, Mechanical Safety, etc.)
• Proven leadership experience managing Safety Engineering or Systems Engineering teams
• Deep understanding of safety standards, vehicle E/E architectures, function development processes, and system integration
• Familiarity with automotive standards such as ISO 26262, ISO 21448, ISO 21434, ASPICE, and SOTIF
• Knowledge of safety engineering methodologies and experience with autonomous vehicle development and AD features are a plus
• Experience working in a startup or fast-scaling OEM environment is a plus
• Strong project management skills and ability to drive cross-functional collaboration
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Fluent in German and English, both written and spoken