Staff Safety Systems Engineer, Software Integrity

This role is within Aurora's Systems and Safety Engineering Organization, which is responsible for the engineering work of designing and developing architecture, algorithms, and tools needed to ensure that the Self Driving Vehicle meets Aurora's Safety Case - an unsolved problem for the industry and one of the most difficult challenges in the history of systems/safety engineering. Our team is responsible for understanding the functionality of the autonomy stack and helping to define operational parameters and strategies important to maintain safe driving conditions. The successful candidate will be a self-starter and able to work independently, learn, tailor and execute processes, and perform in a collaborative environment.

The Staff Systems and Safety Engineer – Software Integrity is responsible for owning and leading the organization’s software development process and its integrity. This role ensures alignment of the SW development process with ISO 26262, Automotive SPICE (ASPICE), and internal best practices, while thoughtfully tailoring industry best practices to both deterministic and probabilistic software systems. Operating at the intersection of software engineering, systems engineering, safety, quality, and risk management, this role provides technical leadership and cross-functional alignment to ensure software integrity, risk transparency, and release readiness in complex, safety-critical environments.

In this role you will

• Lead of Software Development Process including ASPICE Conformance
• Lead the end-to-end software development process, ensuring it is well-defined, scalable, and consistently applied across programs.
• Align software processes with ISO 26262 and ASPICE, ensuring both compliance and practical adoption by engineering teams.
• Continuously evaluate and improve processes to balance rigor, efficiency, and engineering effectiveness.
• Serve as the single point of conformance (SPC) for software process integrity.
• Interpret and apply ISO 26262 and ASPICE requirements across:
• Deterministic software systems
• Probabilistic and learning-based software systems
• Lead the tailoring of standard expectations—such as code coverage, design traceability, and verification & validation (V&V)—to ensure they meet the intent of the standards while remaining technically appropriate for probabilistic behavior.
• Support Risk Assessment & Safety Case Alignment

• Collaborate as the SPC for software risk assessment, ensuring risks are systematically identified, analyzed, monitored, and managed throughout the development lifecycle.
• Act as a key liaison to the Safety organization on the Safety case, ensuring that the system safety process deliverables are integrated with the safety case as evidence
• Provide expert guidance on what constitutes sufficient evidence, rationale, and justification for compliance.
• Collaborate with Safety on topics like Regulatory Compliance, Anomaly Management etc.

Required qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field
• Five or more years experience in a safety critical industry with safety-critical software development standards, and requirements-driven software verification and validation strategies
• Significant experience in software systems engineering, software process definition, software quality, or safety-critical development.
• Strong working knowledge of:
• Automotive SPICE (ASPICE)
• Proficiency in ISO 26262
• Demonstrated understanding of the differences between deterministic and probabilistic software, particularly related to:
• Code coverage strategies
• Requirements and design traceability
• Verification and validation approaches
• Experience with risk assessments and safety cases.
• Comfortable working with ambiguity, evolving priorities, and challenging problems
• Excellent communication and presentation skills

Desirable qualifications

• Demonstrated proficiency in the application of ISO 26262, ASPICE, and ISO 21448 (SOTIF)
• Familiarity with the applications of Artificial Intelligence or Autonomous Systems technologies (e.g., Reinforcement Learning, Deep Learning, Machine Learning) to sensing, perception, multi-unit planning, or command and control of autonomous systems
• Experience with ADAS, autonomous systems, or other complex safety-critical software products.
• Prior experience as a process owner, technical lead, or compliance focal.
• Experience supporting OEM reviews, ASPICE assessments, or ISO 26262 audits

The base salary range for this position is  $171,000 - $247,000 per Year. Aurora’s pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits.