Software Assurance and Functional Safety Consultant

Frazer-Nash Consultancy; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Travel to client sites

Job summary

Frazer-Nash Consultancy is seeking a Software Assurance and Functional Safety Consultant to support clients in the development and assurance of safety-related software and complex programmable systems.

You will lead technical activities across the engineering lifecycle, connect system hazards with software architectures, and mentor junior colleagues while contributing to client relationships and capability growth.

Qualifications

• Experience developing, verifying, or assuring software for safety-critical systems.
• Strong understanding of functional safety principles and hazard-driven requirements.
• Ability to assess evidence across requirements, architecture, traceability, verification and change control.
• Excellent written communication to explain complex assurance concepts to diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver software assurance and functional safety activities across system and software lifecycles.
• Develop and review software assurance plans, safety plans, development plans and assurance strategies.
• Derive and assess software safety requirements from system hazards and safety analyses.
• Assess software architectures, development processes, tools, verification approaches and configuration management.
• Review lifecycle evidence including requirements, designs, code, tests, traceability and problem reports.
• Conduct independent assurance activities, audits and supplier reviews with clear findings and actions.
• Support safety cases and assurance arguments with traceable evidence.
• Advise clients on standards tailoring and compliance objectives.
• Build client relationships and contribute to business development and capability growth.

Skills

Software assurance

Functional safety

Technical writing

Project delivery

Hazard analysis

Education

Degree in Software Engineering

Job description

Software Assurance and Functional Safety Consultant

Salary: £60,000 - £95,000 per annum (dependent on grade and experience)

Locations: Bristol, Burton-on-Trent, Manchester, or Glasgow

Working Pattern: Flexible hybrid working, with time split between our offices, client sites, and home working. Travel to client locations will be required as part of the role.

The Opportunity

Frazer-Nash is looking for a Software Assurance & Functional Safety Consultant to support clients in the development and assurance of safety-related software and complex programmable systems.

Working across the engineering lifecycle, you will help connect system hazards and safety requirements to software architectures, development processes, verification evidence, and certification or acceptance arguments.

This role is ideal for someone who combines a strong understanding of software development with the ability to provide independent technical challenge and assurance. You will support both civil and defence programmes involving embedded and real-time systems, helping clients demonstrate that software risks are understood, controlled, and supported by robust, proportionate evidence.

You'll lead technical activities, provide intelligent customer oversight of suppliers, support and mentor junior colleagues, and contribute to client relationships, business development, methodologies, and capability growth across the practice.

What You'll Do

• Lead and deliver software assurance and functional safety activities across system and software lifecycles.
• Develop and review software assurance plans, safety plans, development plans, compliance matrices, and assurance strategies.
• Derive, allocate, and assess software safety requirements from system hazards, safety analyses, and functional safety concepts.
• Assess software architectures, development processes, tools, verification approaches, configuration management, and change control.
• Review lifecycle evidence, including requirements, designs, code, test specifications, traceability, coverage, analyses, and problem reports.
• Conduct independent assurance activities, audits, gap assessments, and supplier reviews, clearly documenting findings, risks, and recommended actions.
• Support the development of safety cases and structured assurance arguments, ensuring claims are backed by traceable and credible evidence.
• Advise clients on the proportionate application of relevant standards, including tailoring, independence requirements, assurance levels, and compliance objectives.
• Build trusted client relationships and contribute to business development, bids, methodologies, and capability development initiatives.

Relevant Standards & Guidance

We recognise that candidates may have experience in some rather than all of the following:

• IEC 61508 - Functional safety of electrical, electronic, and programmable electronic safety-related systems.
• ISO 26262 - Functional safety for road vehicles.
• EUROCAE ED-12C / RTCA DO-178C and supporting supplements - Airborne software development assurance.
• SAE ARP4754A/B and ARP4761/A - Aircraft and system development and safety assessment.
• DEF STAN 00-55 and DEF STAN 00-56 - Safety-related software and defence system safety management.
• IEC 62304 - Medical device software lifecycle processes.
• EN 50126, EN 50128, and EN 50129 - Railway RAMS, software, and safety-related electronic systems.
• IEC 61511 - Functional safety for process industry safety instrumented systems.
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 and ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, alongside wider software engineering, quality, and configuration management guidance.
• UK regulatory, certification, client, and sector-specific safety requirements.

What We're Looking For

• Degree-qualified, or equivalent practical experience, in Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Systems Engineering, Safety Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience developing, verifying, or assuring software for safety-related, mission-critical, or regulated systems.
• Strong understanding of functional safety principles, hazard-driven requirements and the relationship between system safety and software assurance.
• Ability to assess structured engineering evidence, including requirements, architecture, traceability, verification, configuration and change management records.
• Practical understanding of software lifecycles, embedded and real-time software, interfaces, failure behaviour and verification techniques.
• Ability to identify assurance gaps, evaluate the significance of findings, and communicate proportionate recommendations.
• Excellent technical writing skills and the ability to communicate complex assurance and safety concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to manage and deliver work to agreed time, cost, and quality expectations.

Desirable Experience

• Applying or assessing standards such as IEC 61508, ISO 26262, DO-178C, DEF STAN 00-55/00-56, or equivalent sector standards.
• Software safety planning, assurance level determination, standards tailoring, and compliance assessment.
• Requirements-based testing, structural coverage analysis, static analysis, coding standards, formal methods, or model-based development.
• Independence assessments, software audits, supplier surveillance, certification support, or technical authority responsibilities.
• Safety assessment techniques including FHA, FMEA/FMECA, FTA, HAZOP, STPA, or common-cause analysis.
• Assurance of complex electronic hardware, firmware, COTS software, open-source software, tools, machine learning and autonomous systems.
• Developing or reviewing safety cases and structured assurance arguments using GSN or similar methodologies.
• Technical product management or product ownership experience,