Executive Director, Product Trust, Functional Safety and Cybersecurity (Automotive)

TL;DR

Executive Director, Product Trust, Functional Safety and Cybersecurity (Automotive): Leading a global Center of Excellence to ensure products exceed functional safety and cybersecurity standards across the entire lifecycle with an accent on global strategy, governance, and risk management. Focus on transforming compliance processes, implementing trust-by-design, and guiding next-generation compliance for AI, OTA, and software-defined vehicles.

Location: Hybrid, Garching, Bavaria, Germany

Company

A global multi-disciplinary team developing innovative integrated technology platforms to transform the automotive driving experience.

What you will do

• Own the global strategy, governance, and operating model for Functional Safety (ISO 26262, SOTIF) and Cybersecurity (ISO/SAE 21434).
• Lead SBU transformation toward cost-effective compliance and digitalized risk governance across all products.
• Define enterprise-wide standards, compliance automation, and AI-augmentation frameworks.
• Institutionalize trust-by-design, embedding risk-aware innovation into delivery and architecture workflows.
• Collaborate with the CoE Engineering Excellence and AI Labs to deploy new compliance methods and tools.
• Guide product teams on compliance for (Gen)AI, OTA, software-defined vehicles (SDVs), and automated driving stacks.

Requirements

• 15+ years of professional experience, including 10+ years of leadership in the Automotive or Tech sector.
• Expertise in ADAS/AD, Functional Safety, Cybersecurity, and Systems Engineering.
• Proven track record in executive-level OEM customer interaction (e.g., VW, Mercedes).
• Deep knowledge of ISO 26262, ISO/SAE 21434, UNECE WP.29, and regulatory regimes in the US, EU, and China.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field.
• Willingness to travel up to 20%, both domestic and international.

Nice to have

• Executive Education from renowned universities/business schools focusing on change management, leadership, and AI.
• Experience scaling AI within mission-critical and strongly regulated environments.
• Published contributions to international standards or industry consortia (ISO, SAE, AUTOSAR, Auto-ISAC).

Culture & Benefits

• Diverse and inclusive environment with extensive professional training and leadership acceleration programs.
• Flexible work schedule supporting work-life integration.
• Employee discounts on hirify.global (JBL, AKG, hirify.global Kardon) and Samsung products.
• Access to hirify.global University’s business and leadership academies.
• “Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program.