Digital Systems Safety Engineer – Research & Advanced Engineering

The Opportunity: Architect the Trust Behind the Next Generation of Mobility

At Ford, we aren’t just building electrified and intelligent vehicles; we are designing the future of human-centric mobility. But revolutionary technology is only as good as the trust we can place in it.

As a Digital Systems Safety Engineer within our Research and Advanced Engineering (R&A) team, you won’t just be applying safety standards; you will be pioneering them. Operating on the leading edge of electrified vehicle technology, you will bridge the gap between advanced research and real-world execution. This is a rare opportunity to design the fault-tolerant, highly dependable system architectures that will define the next decade of transportation.

If you are a rigorous systems thinker who thrives on solving complex, multi-dimensional engineering puzzles and is passionate about establishing a world-class safety culture, your next breakthrough starts here.

Why This Role Matters

In this role, you will be the guardian of innovation. You will collaborate with elite researchers, controls experts, and software architects to ensure that our most advanced electrified vehicle platforms are safe by design.

• Pioneer Next-Gen Safety Paradigms: Go beyond traditional safety checklists. You will research, develop, and integrate emerging dependability technologies, defining how the industry applies Functional Safety (ISO 26262) and SOTIF (ISO 21448) to complex, evolving systems.
• Shape the Digital Thread: Utilize Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and SysML to build elegant, safety-critical system models, ensuring that safety is mathematically and structurally woven into the architecture from day one.
• Bridge Research to Reality: Translate complex safety requirements and validation methods into robust engineering artifacts, ensuring a seamless handoff that elevates Ford’s production vehicles worldwide.

What you'll do...

Advanced System Safety Development & Research

• Lead the safety analysis (HARA, FTA, STPA, FMEA) for cutting-edge, pre-production electrified vehicle systems.
• Formulate and document innovative Functional and Technical Safety Concepts that guide downstream development.
• Conduct proactive research into emerging dependability technologies, keeping Ford at the absolute forefront of system safety engineering.

Systems Engineering & Model-Based Design

• Architect system-level SysML models, seamlessly integrating functional safety methodologies into the model-based design flow.
• Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to ensure safety requirements are deeply integrated into broader system architectures.
• Perform competitive analyses to benchmark and continuously improve Ford’s safety-critical system architectures.

What We Offer

When you join Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, you aren’t just taking a job—you are joining a community of disruptors, inventors, and builders. We provide the resources, scale, and intellectual freedom of a world-class research lab, backed by the production capability to put your innovations on the road by the millions.

Are you ready to design the safe, dependable future of electrified mobility? Let’s build the future together. Apply today.

You'll have...

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Controls, Aerospace, Robotics, or a related discipline).
• Functional Safety Expertise:3+ years of experience applying Functional Safety standards (ISO 26262) or equivalent rigorous standards from safety-critical industries like aerospace, defense, or medical devices.
• Analytical Rigor:3+ years of experience utilizing advanced safety analysis techniques (primarily HARA, FTA, and STPA; experience with FMEA and HAZOP is highly valued).
• Systems Engineering Foundation:Demonstrated experience with systems modeling, simulation, and translating complex system behaviors into clear, testable requirements.

Even better, you may have... (What Will Help You Stand Out)

• Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Controls Engineering.
• Advanced, practical knowledge of SOTIF (ISO 21448) principles.
• Experience implementing real-time, online verification of systems and functional safety requirements.
• Expertise in creating core Systems Engineering artifacts (Boundary Diagrams, P-Diagrams, Interface Matrices).
• High proficiency in systems modeling tools (such as MagicDraw/Cameo) and simulation environments (MATLAB/Simulink).
• 1 to 3 years of hands-on programming experience in C++ or Python to support tooling and automation.
• Familiarity with Ford-specific systems engineering tools (VSEM, FEDE) and development processes (GPDS).

You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!

As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder…or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including:
• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service 
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day 
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time. 

This position is a salary grades 6-8 and ranges from $85,400-$192,900. 
Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility and competitive market value.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here:

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.

This position is hybrid. Candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location may be required to be onsite four or more days per week. #LI-Hybrid 

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