Safety-Critical Software Engineer

SAIF Autonomy; Witney; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIF Autonomy is seeking engineers to design and certify safety-critical embedded software for autonomous platforms. You will work on runtime assurance, verification and certified autonomy across mission and flight-critical systems.

The role focuses on SPARK Ada/C/C++ development, high-integrity processes, and collaboration with verification teams to meet DO-178C level A/B objectives.

Qualifications

• Strong background in embedded software engineering.
• Experience with safety-critical environments.
• Knowledge of high-integrity software development processes.
• Familiarity with verification and validation methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop safety-critical embedded software for autonomous systems.
• Support runtime assurance and safety architectures.
• Develop high-integrity software using SPARK Ada and C/C++.
• Assist with certifiable system software architecture definitions.
• Collaborate with verification and certification teams for regulatory compliance.
• Contribute to DAL-A and DAL-B capable software solutions.
• Interface with mission computers and flight control systems.
• Participate in software safety analyses and design assurance activities.
• Scale the platform from prototype to enterprise deployment.

Skills

Embedded software

C/C++/Ada

Real-time systems

Safety-critical

Verification & validation

Software architecture

Ada/SPARK Ada

Certification processes

Tools

SPARK Ada

Job description

Founded to solve one of the biggest barriers to autonomous system adoption - trust and assurance - SAIF Autonomy is building the assurance layer for next-generation autonomous systems.

SAIF’s mission is to enable the safe deployment of autonomous systems by providing an independent assurance capability across the entire autonomy stack. As AI and advanced autonomy become increasingly embedded within safety and mission‑critical systems, existing assurance approaches often struggle to provide the levels of determinism, certification and regulatory confidence required for widespread deployment.

SAIF is developing a platform that delivers runtime assurance, safety monitoring and certified autonomy capabilities across both mission systems and flight‑critical control systems. The company’s technology is designed to support highly regulated environments where safety, reliability and certification are paramount.

Working alongside major aerospace, defence and autonomy organisations, SAIF is pioneering safeguards for “Embodied AI” and trusted autonomy, helping operators deploy advanced autonomous capabilities with confidence while aligning with rigorous aviation and safety standards including DO‑178C at the highest assurance levels (DAL A / DAL B).

As demand accelerates across autonomous aviation, drones, defence systems and next‑generation autonomous vehicles, SAIF is scaling rapidly and investing heavily in its engineering capability.

The Role

As part of a highly specialised engineering team, you will contribute to the design, development, verification and certification of embedded safety‑critical systems that provide assurance and runtime safety functions across autonomous platforms.

The platform is being developed providing mathematically verifiable software foundations suitable for the highest levels of safety assurance. Successful candidates will work across:

• Safety‑critical embedded software development
• Runtime assurance architectures
• Autonomous flight safety systems
• Mission assurance and control systems
• Verification and validation activities
• Certification‑focused software engineering
• Safety monitoring and fail‑safe architectures
• Airworthiness and autonomy assurance frameworks

The engineering team is focused on delivering solutions that support highly regulated autonomous operations, including SORA‑based operating environments and future certified autonomous aviation systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop safety‑critical embedded software for autonomous systems.
• Build software components supporting runtime assurance and autonomous system safety.
• Develop high‑integrity software using SPARK Ada and associated toolchains.
• Support software architecture definition for certifiable autonomous systems.
• Work closely with verification and certification teams to achieve regulatory compliance.
• Contribute to the development of DAL‑A and DAL‑B capable software solutions.
• Support integration across mission computers, flight control systems and safety monitoring functions.
• Participate in software safety analyses and design assurance activities.
• Help scale the platform from prototype capability to enterprise deployment.

Must‑Have Experience

• Strong background in embedded software engineering.
• Experience working with C, C++, Ada or similar languages.
• Experience working within safety‑critical environments.
• Knowledge of high‑integrity software development processes.
• Experience with real‑time or embedded systems.
• Familiarity with safety standards and regulated development environments.
• Understanding of software verification and validation methodologies.

Desirable Experience

• Ada or SPARK Ada development experience.
• DO‑178C software development experience.
• Automotive (ISO26262 / IEC65108).
• Aerospace, defence or autonomous systems experience.
• Flight control systems or avionics software.
• UAV, UAS, drone or eVTOL platforms.
• Runtime assurance or autonomy assurance systems.
• Autopilot technologies such as ROS / ROS2, MAVLINK, PX4, ArduPilot or equivalent.
• Model‑based development and formal methods.

Why Join SAIF?

• Help solve one of the biggest challenges in autonomous systems: trust and safety.
• Work on technology that will underpin the future of certified autonomous flight.
• Join an ambitious company already engaged with major aerospace and defence organisations.
• Build next‑generation assurance capabilities for autonomous and AI‑enabled systems.
• Work with cutting‑edge technologies and runtime assurance architectures.
• Be part of a company scaling rapidly within one of the fastest‑growing sectors in aerospace and autonomy.