MD MALAV DALAL Systems & Functional Safety Engineer

Novi, Michigan · Electric / Autonomous / Connected Vehicles

I design safer, smarter
mobility systems.

Senior systems and functional safety engineer with experience across EVs, off‑road vehicles, autonomous tractors, and connected platforms. Combine ISO‑compliant safety and cybersecurity engineering (ISO 26262, ISO 21434, UNECE R155), embedded controls, and GenAI‑driven workflows to ship reliable and secure systems.

Get in touch View my experience
17+ yrs motorcycle rider 20+ yrs rock climber
Portrait of Malav Dalal
Current role Sr. Systems Engineer, Functional Safety Polaris Industries Inc.
Focus areas EV Functional Safety, Automotive Cybersecurity, Autonomous & off‑road systems, Embedded SW Safety.

What I do

I sit at the intersection of vehicle systems, functional safety & security, and data‑driven engineering.

1. Architect safe systems

I build safety concepts and architectures for off‑road and on‑road vehicles including ATVs, SxS, youth vehicles, Indian Motorcycles, and reverse trikes.

My work covers Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA), safety lifecycle planning, functional and technical safety concepts, and DIA negotiations across suppliers and internal teams.

ISO 26262 (FuSa) ISO 21448 (SOTIF) ISO 13849

2. Make autonomy trustworthy

At Monarch Tractors, I supported driver‑optional AI‑driven autonomous farm equipment, focusing on hazards analysis, requirements management, and AI safety in real‑world agricultural environments.

I work with standards such as ISO 25119 and ISO 18497 to ensure autonomy behaves safely under edge cases, sensor uncertainty, and operator misuse.

Autonomous tractors AI safety Functional agriculture safety UL 4600

3. Enable connected & OTA platforms

At Rivian, I owned functional safety for firmware OTA, power modes, and driver presence, working closely with platform software, power distribution, and communication buses.

I combine ISO‑compliant safety engineering with large‑scale data analytics (SQL, Python, Databricks) to validate behavior across fleets and refine safety strategies.

OTA safety CAN / Ethernet Fleet analytics

4. Use GenAI & data as force multipliers

I pilot Generative AI in safety engineering workflows to accelerate documentation, traceability, and design exploration for EE and software safety.

A recent GenAI‑driven initiative improved product delivery efficiency by roughly 30% while maintaining high effectiveness in work products and reviews.

GenAI in safety Data‑driven validation Process automation

5. Secure connected vehicles

I integrate automotive cybersecurity engineering into vehicle development lifecycle, ensuring compliance with ISO 21434 and UNECE R155 homologation requirements for connected and over-the-air update capable vehicles.

My work includes Threat Analysis and Risk Assessment (TARA), cybersecurity goals definition, security architecture reviews, and coordination with Cybersecurity Developers and security validation strategists.

ISO 21434 UNECE R155 TARA CSMS

Experience

End‑to‑end functional safety and systems engineering across EV, off‑road, autonomous, and commercial vehicles.

Sr. Systems Engineer, Safety

Polaris Industries Inc · Novi, MI May 2023 – Present
  • Lead Generative AI–driven EE safety activities for ATVs, SxS, youth vehicles, Indian Motorcycles, and Slingshot on‑road platforms.
  • Develop HARA, safety lifecycle plans, functional and technical safety concepts, and system architectures for vehicle‑level systems.
  • Contributed to improve the process and quality of Impact Ratings, Risk Determination for Threat Analysis and Risk Assessment (TARA).
  • Create safety SW architectures, derive and integrate safety requirements, and support DVPR with FuSa V&V across SW, HW, integration, and full vehicle.
  • Implement embedded cybersecurity for FOTA and connectivity to extend the safety and security envelope of connected vehicles.
  • Drive safety culture around patent‑pending driveline systems to deliver zero‑rework commissioning after PV builds.

Sr. Functional Safety Engineer

Monarch Tractors · Livermore, CA Aug 2022 – Feb 2023
  • Owned functional safety for driver‑optional autonomous tractors and high‑voltage vehicle systems.
  • Performed hazards analysis and requirements management using ISO 26262, ISO 25119, ISO 18497, and ISO 16230.
  • Executed AI safety analysis with realistic operational scenarios in agricultural environments.

Systems Engineer, Functional Safety

Rivian Automotive LLC · Palo Alto, CA Feb 2020 – Aug 2022
  • Supported system architecture for smart and conventional power distribution units and vehicle communication (Ethernet, CAN, CAN‑FD, LIN).
  • Served as Functional Safety Owner for firmware OTA, power modes, driver presence, and OTA robustness.
  • Performed HARA, safety lifecycle management, and ASIL determination for platform software.
  • Used SQL and Python on local and Databricks clusters for fleet‑scale validation and verification analytics.

Powertrain Systems Engineer, Functional Safety

Karma Automotive LLC · Irvine, CA May 2019 – Feb 2020
  • Owned vehicle and system‑level functional safety work products for powertrain and torque vectoring across multiple variants.
  • Audited safety for proprietary battery/BMS, ADAS, chassis, and cabin systems; supported unit, MIL, SIL, and HIL testing.
  • Ran GT‑Suite and MATLAB simulations for vehicle variants to evaluate UDDS cycle performance and behavior.

Powertrain EE Validation & System Integration – Intern

Daimler Trucks North America · Portland, OR Oct 2018 – Mar 2019
  • CAN data analytics for Dynamic Ride Height(DRH), Engine Braking, AMT gear‑shifting, and Intelligent Powertrain Monitoring(IPM+) systems behavior.
  • Supported ISO 26262 implementation for commercial vehicle testing and validation teams.
  • Contributed to benchmarking and software release validation for powertrain systems.

Skills & Tools

Hands‑on with vehicle systems, embedded toolchains, standards, and data platforms.

Hardware & Platforms

  • Bosch Electronic Throttle (ETC), Vector CANcase XL
  • USB Link, MDI, Diagnostic Link
  • Aurix, Pi‑Innovo, Ethernet‑based networks

Software & Validation

  • CANape, CANoe, CANalyzer, PCAN
  • MotoTune, MotoHawk, Raptor‑Cal
  • ETAS INCA, ATI VISION, Pi‑Snoop
  • GT‑Suite, MATLAB & Simulink, SolidWorks

Data & Programming

  • Python, C / C++ / C#, JavaScript
  • PostgreSQL, Databricks, SQL analytics
  • Data mining, data analytics, V‑cycle test analytics

Product & Requirements

  • IBM DOORS / DOORS Next Gen, JAMA, Polarion, CodeBeamer
  • JIRA, Confluence, MS Project, MS Excel (VBA)
  • Ansys Medini Analyze, PREEvision, IQ‑RM

Standards & Methods

  • ISO 26262, ISO 21448 (SOTIF), ISO 21434 , UNECE R155
  • ISO 25119, ISO 18497, IEC 61508, ISO 13849
  • UL 1998, UL 991, UL 9540, UL 5500, UL 4600
  • SAE J1939, J1962, AUTOSAR comm profiles

Safety & Quality Techniques

  • FMEA, FMEDA, FTA, STPA, HAZOP
  • HARA, TARA, ASIL decomposition
  • DMAIC, 5‑Why, 8D, DFA

Education

Master of Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

University of Texas at Arlington · Arlington, Texas

Bachelor of Engineering

Automobile Engineering

Gujarat Technological University · India

Certification

ISO 26262 Functional Safety Engineer

TÜV‑SÜD

Advanced level automotive functional safety (ISO 26262:2018).

Certificate# 2012#313609097

ISO 21448 SOTIF Autonomy Safety Professional

UL

Safety of The Intended Functionality for autonomous systems.

Certificate# ASPSOTIF-1261

HV EV Safety Training - Level 2

TÜV‑SÜD

Safety of High Voltage(HV) for Electric Vehicles(EV).

Let's talk

Open to discussions and collaborations in EVs, Autonomous Systems, and Vehicle FuSa.

Get in touch

Location Metro Detroit Area · MI
Phone 214‑517‑7707