Safety Engineer Jobs in California
Safety engineer jobs in California are among the most active in the country, with strong demand from aerospace and defense, semiconductor manufacturing, construction, and utilities sectors at every level from entry-level associate to senior principal. The heaviest hiring concentrates in Los Angeles, San Jose, and San Diego, where established employers like Northrop Grumman, Chevron, and BAE Systems maintain large operations. Process safety, construction safety, and systems safety engineering are the most sought-after specialties across the state. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Job Description:
Shield AI is seeking a Senior Engineer to help design, develop, and integrate a safety critical Run-Time Assurance (RTA) product. The Hivemind Foundations team is responsible for a suite of core products and capabilities that brings resilient autonomy and intelligence to aircraft and other platforms operating in complex environments. The RTA product that the Foundations team develops is a real-time safety capability that helps keep autonomy safe, predictable, and effective at the edge.
As a member of the Foundations team, you will be responsible for C++ software development, integration of reusable safety capabilities into production systems, defining clean interfaces and tests, and turn safety-critical designs into reliable software that can fly, including support for X-BAT, Shield AI's flagship Group 5 Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) UAV.
What you'll do:
- Develop, integrate, and test configurable Run-Time Assurance (RTA) components that monitor autonomy behavior and support safe operation across representative platforms and scenarios.
- Adapt reusable C++ safety capabilities into production runtime components, including interface integration, configuration wiring, and unit, component, and integration tests.
- Implement real-time C++ code at the boundary between mission autonomy, high-assurance middleware, and flight-control interfaces.
- Integrate safety-critical software with aircraft hardware for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and flight-test campaigns, scaling from single-aircraft test points to multi-agent collaborative CONOPS.
- Strengthen engineering evidence through CI, static and dynamic analysis, focused code reviews, software documentation, software designs, ICDs, system models, test results, and traceability artifacts.
- Share safe software practices through code reviews, design discussions, and clear technical write-ups.
Required qualifications:
- Typically requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 4 years with a Master’s degree; or 2 year with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
- Strong C++ development experience, including modern C++, testing, debugging, and performance-aware design.
- Experience building software for real-time, embedded, robotics, autonomy, aerospace, or similarly constrained systems.
- Experience integrating software with hardware, simulation, Hardware in the Loop (HIL), or production-like test environments and diagnosing reliability or performance issues.
- Familiarity with C++ software design patterns and the ability to work effectively within an existing architecture.
- Strong Git and Linux development skills, along with modern software development practices such as CI/CD and test-focused development.
- Ability to write clear technical documentation and collaborate across software, systems, test, and platform teams.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with autonomy middleware, interface definitions, Python-based configuration tooling, CMake, Conan, or reusable C++ library integration.
- Familiarity with high-reliability or safety-critical development practices, such as static analysis, coding standards, traceability, and requirements-based testing.
- Experience developing against strict C++ coding standards such as MISRA C++ or JSF AV C++.
- Hands-on experience with airworthiness or software assurance frameworks such as MIL-HDBK-516, DO-178C, or equivalent safety standards.
- Experience taking a software component through verification, qualification, or certification evidence review.
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Job Description:
Shield AI is seeking a Senior Engineer to help design, develop, and integrate a safety critical Run-Time Assurance (RTA) product. The Hivemind Foundations team is responsible for a suite of core products and capabilities that brings resilient autonomy and intelligence to aircraft and other platforms operating in complex environments. The RTA product that the Foundations team develops is a real-time safety capability that helps keep autonomy safe, predictable, and effective at the edge.
As a member of the Foundations team, you will be responsible for C++ software development, integration of reusable safety capabilities into production systems, defining clean interfaces and tests, and turn safety-critical designs into reliable software that can fly, including support for X-BAT, Shield AI's flagship Group 5 Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) UAV.
What you'll do:
- Develop, integrate, and test configurable Run-Time Assurance (RTA) components that monitor autonomy behavior and support safe operation across representative platforms and scenarios.
- Adapt reusable C++ safety capabilities into production runtime components, including interface integration, configuration wiring, and unit, component, and integration tests.
- Implement real-time C++ code at the boundary between mission autonomy, high-assurance middleware, and flight-control interfaces.
- Integrate safety-critical software with aircraft hardware for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and flight-test campaigns, scaling from single-aircraft test points to multi-agent collaborative CONOPS.
- Strengthen engineering evidence through CI, static and dynamic analysis, focused code reviews, software documentation, software designs, ICDs, system models, test results, and traceability artifacts.
- Share safe software practices through code reviews, design discussions, and clear technical write-ups.
Required qualifications:
- Typically requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 4 years with a Master’s degree; or 2 year with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
- Strong C++ development experience, including modern C++, testing, debugging, and performance-aware design.
- Experience building software for real-time, embedded, robotics, autonomy, aerospace, or similarly constrained systems.
- Experience integrating software with hardware, simulation, Hardware in the Loop (HIL), or production-like test environments and diagnosing reliability or performance issues.
- Familiarity with C++ software design patterns and the ability to work effectively within an existing architecture.
- Strong Git and Linux development skills, along with modern software development practices such as CI/CD and test-focused development.
- Ability to write clear technical documentation and collaborate across software, systems, test, and platform teams.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with autonomy middleware, interface definitions, Python-based configuration tooling, CMake, Conan, or reusable C++ library integration.
- Familiarity with high-reliability or safety-critical development practices, such as static analysis, coding standards, traceability, and requirements-based testing.
- Experience developing against strict C++ coding standards such as MISRA C++ or JSF AV C++.
- Hands-on experience with airworthiness or software assurance frameworks such as MIL-HDBK-516, DO-178C, or equivalent safety standards.
- Experience taking a software component through verification, qualification, or certification evidence review.
Full-time regular employee offer package:
See All 173+ Safety Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Safety Engineer JobsSafety Engineer Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Safety Engineer Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Tesla13
- Discord9
- Rivian7
- SpaceX7
- TikTok7
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software15
- Manufacturing5
- Electronics & Hardware4
- Medical Devices2
- Science & Research1
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in safety engineer jobs across California.
- Associate Safety Professional (ASP) or Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential required or preferred
- Bachelor's degree in occupational health and safety, engineering, or a closely related field
- Working knowledge of California Code of Regulations Title 8 and Cal/OSHA standards
- Experience conducting job hazard analyses, safety audits, and incident investigations
- Familiarity with process safety management under California Accidental Release Prevention regulations
- Strong written communication skills for producing safety plans and regulatory compliance reports
Safety Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a safety engineer in California?
Most safety engineer roles in California require a bachelor's degree in safety science, industrial engineering, or a related field, followed by field experience and professional certification. The Board of Certified Safety Professionals administers the Associate Safety Professional exam, which is the standard entry credential, and the Certified Safety Professional designation for experienced practitioners. California also enforces Cal/OSHA regulations, so familiarity with Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations is expected before most employers will consider a candidate independently.
Which companies hire safety engineers in California?
Employers hiring safety engineers in California right now include Tesla, Discord, and Rivian, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. California's concentration of aerospace contractors, semiconductor fabs, oil refineries, and large construction firms means safety engineering roles appear across multiple heavy industries throughout the state.
Which California cities have the most safety engineer jobs?
San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Palo Alto have the most safety engineer openings in California. Los Angeles and San Diego are driven by aerospace, defense contracting, and large construction activity, while San Jose sits at the center of semiconductor and advanced manufacturing operations in the Bay Area that require dedicated process and systems safety engineering staff.
Are there remote safety engineer jobs in California?
Yes, but they're rare. About 54% of safety engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting how much of the role involves on-site inspections, hazard assessments, and direct workforce engagement. The portions of the work most likely to be done remotely include documentation review, compliance reporting, and safety program development for multi-site organizations.
How can I get hired as a safety engineer in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is an environmental health and safety coordinator or safety technician role, which large California employers in construction, manufacturing, and utilities use as a pipeline for developing safety engineers. Companies like Chevron, SoCalGas, and major general contractors operating under California's prevailing-wage construction sector regularly hire recent graduates into associate EHS roles. Earning the Associate Safety Professional credential before applying and completing an internship through a Cal/OSHA consultation program gives candidates a concrete edge over those without field hours.
Where can I find and apply to safety engineer jobs in California?
You can find and apply to safety engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from employers hiring in the state right now. Find roles that fit your experience and specialization and apply directly to the ones that match.
See All 173+ Safety Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Safety Engineer Jobs