Software Design Assurance Engineer – Defence Systems

Avel Technologies; Toulouse; On-site; EUR 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Avel Technologies seeks a Software Design Assurance Engineer to strengthen our Defence and Critical Systems team. You will ensure assurance, quality, and compliance for mission-critical software in defence applications, interfacing across software development, systems, verification, quality, and suppliers.

Work on embedded real-time software, focusing on safety, cybersecurity, configuration control, and lifecycle assurance.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in critical software development, software quality assurance, software design assurance, verification and validation, or certification-oriented software activities.
• Knowledge of embedded software lifecycles and requirements engineering, software architecture, design, implementation, integration, verification, and release processes.
• English at a professional level; French or another European language is considered an advantage.
• Experience in regulated or safety-critical environments such as defence, aerospace, avionics, space, railway, automotive safety, naval systems, or other mission-critical domains.

Responsibilities

• Define, maintain, and support software assurance plans, certification plans, quality plans, and compliance documentation for defence software projects.
• Review software lifecycle data, including requirements, architecture, design specifications, source code evidence, verification procedures, validation results, traceability matrices, anomaly reports, and release documentation.
• Assess software development activities against applicable standards, customer requirements, internal processes, and project assurance objectives.
• Provide a critical technical review of embedded software architectures, real-time operating systems, multi-core processors, memory management, cache management, middleware, communication interfaces, and hardware/software integration aspects.
• Support internal and external reviews, audits, technical assessments, and customer assurance meetings.
• Verify the quality and consistency of software configuration management activities, including baselines, change control, build reproducibility, version control, release notes, and software delivery packages.
• Monitor and assess software verification and validation activities, including test strategy, test procedures, test results, coverage evidence, regression campaigns, and anomaly management.
• Support root cause analysis of software anomalies and contribute to the definition and follow-up of corrective and preventive actions.
• Follow up supplier and subcontractor software deliverables to ensure compliance with quality, assurance, configuration management, and project requirements.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of software assurance methods, checklists, templates, review practices, and lessons learned across defence and critical software projects.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Communication

Negotiation

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in CS/SE/Embedded

Tools

DOORS

Polarion

Jira

Git

SVN

Jenkins

GitLab

Enterprise Architect

Vector tools

LDRA

Cantata

SonarQube

Job description

We are looking for a Software Design Assurance Engineer to join our Defence and Critical Systems team. In this role, you will contribute to the assurance, quality, and compliance of mission-critical software developed for defence applications. Working as part of a multidisciplinary engineering team, you will review software development activities, assess technical and process compliance, and support the delivery of robust, traceable, and certifiable software solutions.

This role offers the opportunity to work on complex embedded and real-time software systems, where safety, reliability, cybersecurity, configuration control, and lifecycle assurance are essential. You will act as a key interface between software development, system engineering, verification and validation, quality, suppliers, and customer teams.

Responsibilities

• Define, maintain, and support software assurance plans, certification plans, quality plans, and compliance documentation for defence software projects;
• Review software lifecycle data, including requirements, architecture, design specifications, source code evidence, verification procedures, validation results, traceability matrices, anomaly reports, and release documentation;
• Assess software development activities against applicable standards, customer requirements, internal processes, and project assurance objectives;
• Provide a critical technical review of embedded software architectures, real-time operating systems, multi-core processors, memory management, cache management, middleware, communication interfaces, and hardware/software integration aspects;
• Support internal and external reviews, audits, technical assessments, and customer assurance meetings;
• Verify the quality and consistency of software configuration management activities, including baselines, change control, build reproducibility, version control, release notes, and software delivery packages;
• Monitor and assess software verification and validation activities, including test strategy, test procedures, test results, coverage evidence, regression campaigns, and anomaly management;
• Support root cause analysis of software anomalies and contribute to the definition and follow-up of corrective and preventive actions;
• Follow up supplier and subcontractor software deliverables to ensure compliance with quality, assurance, configuration management, and project requirements;
• Contribute to continuous improvement of software assurance methods, checklists, templates, review practices, and lessons learned across defence and critical software projects.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Embedded Systems, Electronics, Telecommunications, or a related engineering field;
• Proven experience in critical software development, software quality assurance, software design assurance, verification and validation, or certification-oriented software activities;
• Good understanding of embedded software development lifecycles, requirements engineering, software architecture, detailed design, implementation, integration, verification, validation, and release processes;
• Experience working in regulated or safety-critical environments such as defence, aerospace, avionics, space, railway, automotive safety, naval systems, or other mission-critical domains;
• Knowledge of critical software standards or frameworks such as DO-178C/ED-12, DO-278A/ED-109, DO-330/ED-215, IEC 61508, ISO 26262, EN 50128, AQAP, MIL-STD practices, or equivalent customer-specific defence standards;
• Solid understanding of software configuration management, change management, traceability, anomaly management, quality assurance, and audit preparation activities;
• Familiarity with embedded software constraints such as real-time operating systems, multi-core processors, memory management, hardware/software interfaces, communication protocols, boot software, or secure software development is considered an advantage;
• Experience with engineering tools such as DOORS, Polarion, Jira, Git, SVN, Jenkins, GitLab, Enterprise Architect, Vector tools, LDRA, Cantata, SonarQube, or equivalent tools is considered an advantage;
• Professional level of English is required; French or another European language is considered an advantage;
• Eligibility to work on defence-related or export-controlled projects may be required; existing or potential security clearance is considered an advantage;
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, negotiation, and collaboration skills, with the ability to challenge technical and process decisions constructively while working effectively within international and multidisciplinary teams.

What We Offer

• Opportunities to grow through involvement in complex international projects;
• Exposure to advanced embedded software technologies;
• A collaborative engineering environment with knowledge-sharing initiatives and technical communities;

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