Sr Safety Management Systems Engineer

Volkswagen Group Services GmbH; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Opportunity for remote work

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion initiatives

Career advancement opportunities

Job summary

A leading automotive organization is seeking a Senior Safety Management Systems Engineer specializing in autonomous driving. This pivotal role involves developing and enhancing the Safety Management System, ensuring compliance with automotive safety standards, and promoting a strong safety culture. Ideal candidates will have over 7 years of relevant experience, a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, and expertise in ISO safety standards. The position offers a full-time working model with possibilities for remote work and requires travel for regulatory engagements.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in safety engineering for automotive or autonomous systems.
• Hands-on experience in safety-critical, software-intensive system development.
• Experience in cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain Safety Management System for autonomous driving.
• Promote safety culture in development and operations teams.
• Integrate safety assurance across the system lifecycle.
• Support regulatory submissions and audits related to autonomous systems.

Skills

Analytical mindset

Strong attention to detail

Clear communication

Collaboration in cross-functional teams

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Automotive, Systems, Software, Electrical)

Master’s degree in Engineering (Automotive, Systems, Software, Electrical)

Tools

ISO 26262

ISO 21448

UL 4600

Job description

Autonomous Driving - Sr Safety Management Systems Engineer

As ADMT, we develop and realize fully autonomous mobility and transportation services. Our mission is to make mobility-and transportation-as-a-service safe, accessible and most attractive for society. For that, we cover the entire ground from strategy and business development, software development and end-2-end integration, fleet operations to next-generation self-driving systems. Being the driver in Volkswagen Group initiative for mobility solutions, we’re an integral part of Volkswagen Group's future success.

Brief Role Description

The Safety Management System Senior Engineer for Autonomous Driving is responsible for establishing, operating, and continuously improving the organization’s Safety Management System for autonomous vehicle systems in compliance with applicable regulations and industry standards and alongside the global MOIA organization. The role ensures that safety risks related to automated driving functions are systematically identified, assessed, mitigated, and monitored throughout the system lifecycle. The SMS Senior Engineer works closely with system, software, hardware, validation, and operations teams to integrate safety into design, development, testing, and deployment. This position also supports regulatory engagement, safety assurance activities, and the demonstration of safety readiness for autonomous vehicle operation. This position focuses on system-level safety governance, assurance and SMS related safety case elements, and does not own day-to-day operational incident response activities or overall safety case activities.

Possible Tasks within this Role

Safety Management System Development & Governance (40%)

• Develop, implement, and maintain the Safety Management System for autonomous driving programs
• Ensure SMS alignment with automotive and autonomous driving safety standards and guidance (e.g., ISO 26262, ISO 21448 / SOTIF, ISO 24089, UL 4600, UNECE ADS guidance)
• Define SMS processes covering safety policy, roles and responsibilities, escalation, and decision-making
• Define governance, processes, and acceptance criteria for safety case development, review, and approval within the Safety Management System.
• Maintain SMS documentation, safety plans, and safety cases at program and system level

Safety Culture & Cross-Functional Collaboration (25%)

• Promote a strong safety culture within autonomous driving development and operations teams
• Provide guidance and training on SMS processes, safety risk management, and reporting
• Collaborate closely with systems engineering, software, AI/ML, validation, quality, and operations teams
• Support management decision-making with clear safety risk assessments and recommendations

Safety Assurance & Lifecycle Integration (15%)

• Integrate safety assurance activities across the V-model and system lifecycle
• Define safety acceptance criteria and evidence expectations for development milestones
• Monitor safety performance through leading and lagging safety indicators
• Define and govern system-level safety risk assessment methodologies, acceptance criteria, and evidence expectations across the system lifecycle.
• Support safety incident processes, particularly post-incident analyses, disengagement, and anomaly analysis and ensure that operational learnings are incorporated into system safety requirements and safety cases.
• Ensure that system safety cases and VSSA are developed, reviewed, and maintained in alignment with Safety Management System requirements. Review alignment with SMS expectations to support safety governance forums and executive safety acceptance decisions
• Review systemic corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) arising from operational incidents, audits, and assessments to ensure effectiveness and incorporation into system-level safety requirements and safety cases.

Change Management, Release & Operational Safety (10%)

• Support safety impact assessments for system changes, software updates, and feature releases
• Ensure safety considerations are addressed for continuous integration, continuous deployment, and OTA updates
• Contribute to operational safety processes including monitoring, incident response, and field feedback
• Support definition and execution of safety readiness reviews prior to testing or deployment

Regulatory, Audit & External Interface (10%)

• Support regulatory submissions, safety assessments, and audits related to autonomous driving systems
• Contribute to safety cases and documentation supporting approvals, permits, or exemptions
• Act as an interface with regulators, certification bodies, and external assessors on safety matters
• Track evolving global ADS regulations and translate them into internal SMS requirements

Qualification requirements

Years of Relevant Experience:

• 7+ years of experience in safety engineering or safety management for automotive or autonomous systems
• Hands-on experience working in safety-critical, software-intensive system development environments
• Proven cross-functional and global collaboration experience.

Education:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Automotive, Systems, Software, Electrical, or related field), or equivalent technical experience in safety-critical system development or safety assurance
• Master’s degree in Engineering (Automotive, Systems, Software, Electrical, or related field)
• Formal Safety Management System (SMS) certifications are not required for this role.

Skills:

• Analytical, systems-thinking mindset with strong attention to detail
• Clear and confident communicator across technical and non-technical audiences
• Ability to work effectively in cross-functional and fast-paced development environments
• Proactive, pragmatic, and committed to continuous safety improvement

Specialized Skills:

Required

• Strong knowledge of automotive and autonomous driving safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262, ISO 21448, UL 4600)
• Ability to interpret, tailor, and apply these standards within a Safety Management System for autonomous vehicle development and deployment
• Understanding of autonomous driving architectures, perception, planning, control, and ODD concepts
• Ability to review and assess safety cases against defined Safety Management System acceptance criteria using structured safety evidence
• Familiarity with regional ADS regulations and guidance (UNECE, NHTSA, local AV permitting frameworks)
• Exposure to fleet operations, incident response, and real-world safety monitoring
• Working knowledge of perception, prediction, planning, and control stacks
• Familiarity with AI/ML failure modes (e.g., dataset bias, corner cases, overfitting, distribution shift)
• Experience with simulation-based safety validation and scenario generation
• Familiarity with SIL, HIL, and vehicle-in-the-loop testing approaches
• Experience with safety analyses including HARA, FMEA, FTA, and scenario-based safety assessment
• Experience structuring and maintaining safety cases
• Familiarity with evidence-based safety arguments for complex, learning-enabled systems
• Experience defining or governing organizational Safety Management Systems for complex, software-intensive systems
• Experience interacting with regulators, assessors, or certification bodies in ADS contexts
• Participation in industry working groups, standards committees, or safety consortia

Work Flexibility:

• Travel is estimated to be 20-25%, as needed within U.S. and overseas, mainly Germany

ADMT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds, and do not discriminate based on race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, color, gender identity/expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable laws.

This role description is a guideline and does not create contractual rights between the Company and any of its applicants. The Company does not enter into any type of employment contract, implied or written, with its applicants regarding job security.

This Organization participates in E-Verify. We maintain a drug free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

Location: Austin, TX, US, 78702

Department: Autonomous Driving

Working Model: Full-time

Contract Type: Unlimited

Remote Working: Up to 40%

Learn more about us

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We are committed to fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) in all facets of our organization. We strive to create an environment where every colleague feels safe and empowered to bring their authentic self to work and where everyone is treated with fairness and equality, irrespective of their background, identity, or beliefs.