ADAS Software Architect

Ford • Dearborn, MI

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

As systems become increasingly software-defined, the challenge of integrating complex, multi-source embedded software onto hardware targets has grown exponentially. As an Embedded Software Integration Architect, you will be the visionary behind our software assembly line. You will define the strategic roadmap for how code flows from a developer’s local environment, through automated build and verification stages, and ultimately onto physical hardware or virtual simulators.
Operating at the intersection of Software Engineering, DevOps, and Systems Validation, you will establish the standards for software configuration management, branching models, and build environments. You will architect scalable Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines specifically optimized for the unique constraints of embedded systems (such as resource limitations, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and functional safety requirements). By standardizing tools, virtualized execution environments, and automated quality gates, you will enable our engineering organization to deliver safe, compliant, and thoroughly tested software at pace.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in embedded software development using C and C++.
• 5+ years of experience with software configuration management and build processes.
• 3+ years of experience in a software architect, technical lead, or principal engineer role.
• Expert-level knowledge of Git and workflows based on it (branching, merging, conflict resolution in large-scale teams).
• Familiarity with complex CI/CD pipelines and build tools (make, CMake, bazel).
• Strong scripting skills in Python, Bash, or similar languages for automation and tool integration.
• Understanding of microcontroller (MCU) and System-on-Chip (SoC) architectures (e.g., ARM Cortex-M/R/A, RISC-V).
• Experience with RTOS and POSIX-compliant operating systems.
• Knowledge of driver development, bootloaders, board support packages (BSP), and hardware-software co-design.
• Proven experience designing complex, multi-threaded, and multi-core embedded systems.
• Strong technical leadership and communication skills, with a proven ability to define processes, author technical standards, and drive adoption of modern integration practices across diverse engineering teams.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in a relevant engineering field.
• Experience with automotive software standards such as AUTOSAR (Classic and Adaptive).
• Direct experience designing systems compliant with functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262, IEC 61508) and writing safety cases.
• Familiarity with Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA), containerization in embedded environments, and virtualization/hypervisors.
• Experience with AUTOSAR tooling.
• Experience with architectural modeling tools (e.g., Enterprise Architect, Cameo, MagicDraw) and SysML/UML.
• Experience with Model-Based Design (MBD) tools like MATLAB/Simulink.
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and modern DevOps/CI-CD workflows adapted for embedded hardware.

Responsibilities

• Define and document the global software integration strategy, branching models, and software configuration management (SCM) policies for complex, multi-repository embedded codebases.
• Standardize and maintain the build infrastructure, toolchains, and build systems (e.g., CMake, Yocto/BitBake, Bazel) to ensure reproducible, hermetic, and highly optimized builds.
• Define and implement strategies for environment consistency, utilizing containerization (e.g., Docker) and virtual platforms/simulation (e.g., QEMU) to enable high-fidelity software testing before physical hardware is available.
• Architect the software to support automated testing, continuous integration (CI/CD) pipelines, and secure Over-the-Air (OTA) software updates.
• Establish automated quality gates, test-coverage metrics, and compliance checks that software must pass to be integrated into main release branches.
• Define the ingestion process, interface validation, and automated packaging standards for third-party software components, middleware, and BSPs (Board Support Packages).
• Collaborate with validation teams to integrate automated test suites into the pipeline, ensuring efficient scheduling and execution of tests on physical HIL test benches.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior