Sr. Engineer - Architect Software Functional Safety

Magna International; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Magna International is seeking a Lead Software Functional Safety Architect to serve as the technical authority, independently validating embedded software platforms for ASIL‑D compliance. Lead FMEA/FTA creation, safety requirements, and independent verification while mentoring the team on MISRA‑C/C++ standards.

The role bridges hardware safety features with software safety, guiding diagnostics, fault propagation, and safety audits to ensure fail‑safe performance across high‑end SoC/MCU systems.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in embedded SoC development

Responsibilities

• Safety Analysis & Architectural Design

Skills

Embedded SoC development

Software Architect

ASIL‑D experience

ISO 26262 knowledge

Safety analysis tools

FMEA/FTA

MISRA/C/C++

Independent verification

Tools

Ansys Medini Analyze

APIS IQ‑FMEA

Job description

As a Lead Software Functional Safety Architect, you will serve as the technical authority ensuring our embedded software platforms meet the highest standards of safety integrity. You are a "shadow architect" who operates independently of the primary software architect to provide critical checks, balances, and safety‑first design leadership. Your primary focus will be on high‑performance SoC/MCU systems targeting ASIL D compliance, ensuring that every line of code and architectural decision contributes to a fail‑safe environment.

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Candidates must have current and ongoing authorization to work in the United States.

Key Responsibilities

• Safety Analysis & Architectural Design
• Safety Manual Interpretation: Deep-dive into SoC/MCU Safety Manuals to extract hardware-software interface requirements (HSIs).
• Safety Context Identification: Identify which hardware modules (e.g., DMA, Memory Protection Units, Watchdogs) are relevant to the safety case.
• System Alignment: Collaborate with the System Engineering team to align on diagnostic coverage and error handling strategies.
• Fault Management: Define the end-to-end fault propagation paths—from hardware fault detection to the transition into a defined Safe State.
• Architecture Modeling: Develop and maintain software architectures that explicitly prove the achievement of functional safety goals.
• Safety Assessments & Work Products
• Analytical Ownership: Lead and "own" the creation of the Software FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) and Software FTA (Fault Tree Analysis).
• Requirements Engineering: Define and review Software Safety Requirements (SSRs), ensuring they are technically sound and fully traceable to specific architectural elements.
• Independent Verification: Act as the independent technical voice to challenge the main software architecture, ensuring safety is never compromised for performance or features.
• Technical Leadership
• Drive the team toward successful Safety Audits and assessments.
• Mentor junior engineers on ASIL‑compliant coding standards (e.g., MISRA C/C++, CERT).
• Bridge the gap between hardware‑level safety features and high‑level software application safety.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 10+ years in Embedded SoC development with a proven track record in complex silicon environments.
• 3+ years of experience specifically as a Software Architect.
• Hands‑on experience developing software components that have successfully achieved ASIL C or D certification.
• Expert-level understanding of ISO 26262 (Parts 4, 6, and 9).
• Direct experience participating in (and defending architectures during) formal safety evaluations or external audits.
• Proficiency with safety analysis tools (e.g., Ansys medini analyze, APIS IQ‑FMEA, or similar).

Skills & Competencies

• Critical Thinking: The ability to think like a failure—predicting how a system might break before it does.
• Independence: Strong enough to push back against the primary development team to maintain safety integrity.
• Communication: Ability to translate complex safety manuals into actionable development tasks for the software team.

EEO Statement

Magna is an equal‑opportunity employer. We hire on the basis of experience and qualifications, and in consideration of job requirements, regardless of color, ancestry, religion, gender, origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability or gender identity.

Worker Type

Regular / Permanent