ADAS Software Update Systems Engineer

Ford • Dearborn, MI

8d • $99,600 - $166,600 • Hybrid

About The Position

The ADAS Software Update Systems Engineer owns the system design, specification, and analysis of software update and over-the-air (OTA) update functionality for the ADAS system. The role ensures ADAS software can be updated successfully in accordance with corporate vehicle software update expectations and processes.

The engineer architects the ADAS software update strategy and defines system requirements from concept through production, using systems engineering principles. The role evaluates corporate specifications and architecture, identifies gaps, and authors implementable specifications and behavioral models for software and hardware teams. It partners with software engineers, suppliers, Cloud Operations, Systems teams, and other engineering functions throughout development and the product lifecycle.

The position also supports anomaly investigations and issue triage, defines validation criteria for authored specifications, and works with cybersecurity and functional safety counterparts to ensure update mechanisms satisfy ADAS safety and security requirements. Documentation of architecture decisions, specifications, and validation outcomes supports traceability and knowledge transfer. This is a hybrid position requiring onsite work four or more days per week.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 2 years of experience in systems engineering, embedded software, or automotive electronics, with responsibility for software update or OTA systems.
• Demonstrated experience owning system requirements from concept through production using formal systems engineering methods, such as MBSE and requirements management tools such as DOORS or similar.
• Strong understanding of software update and OTA architectures, including update sequencing, dependency management, rollback strategies, and multi-ECU coordination.
• Ability to evaluate existing specifications, identify gaps, and translate high-level architecture into detailed, implementable requirements.
• Working knowledge of automotive networking and diagnostic protocols, including UDS (ISO 14229), CAN/CAN-FD, Ethernet-based automotive networks, and related standards such as ISO 15765 and DoIP.
• Familiarity with ECU architecture and embedded software development constraints, including memory, bootloader design, and flash/partitioning strategies.
• Experience partnering directly with software or controls engineers during implementation, including reviewing designs and resolving requirement ambiguities.
• Experience working with external suppliers, reviewing deliverables against specifications, and holding suppliers accountable to technical requirements.
• Strong documentation discipline, including experience maintaining architecture decision records, specifications, and traceability artifacts.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in systems engineering, embedded software, or automotive electronics, with responsibility for software update or OTA systems.
• Experience working on ADAS, active safety, or other safety-critical automotive systems.
• Experience working on software update or OTA systems for highly complex systems or modules.
• Experience with cloud-based OTA campaign management systems, such as campaign orchestration, fleet management, and telemetry feedback loops.
• Experience with systems engineering or electronic component release engineering during major vehicle build launch milestones.
• Strong root-cause analysis skills, such as 8D and 5-Why, and experience leading or contributing to technical anomaly or defect investigations.
• Familiarity with Agile/SAFe development environments in an automotive or embedded context.

Responsibilities

• Architect and own the ADAS software update strategy, defining system requirements from concept through production and aligning with the team's functional strategy and architecture.
• Ensure the ADAS system meets corporate software update specifications, architecture requirements, and networking and diagnostic standards such as UDS (ISO 14229).
• Evaluate corporate software update specifications and architecture, identifying where further specification is needed based on system architecture and ECU design.
• Author specifications and behavioral models, such as state and sequence diagrams, translating system-level use cases into implementable requirements for software and hardware teams.
• Communicate technical requirements to D&R engineers, suppliers, Cloud Operations, and Systems teams.
• Partner with software engineers throughout development to guide implementation, resolve design questions, and ensure requirements are correctly realized in code.
• Lead or support anomaly investigations with internal engineering functions and suppliers, identifying root causes and feeding findings into system architecture and specifications.
• Define validation criteria for authored specifications.
• Manage software update issue triage across the product lifecycle.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity and functional safety counterparts to ensure update mechanisms, including rollback, integrity checks, and authentication, meet ADAS-level safety and security requirements.
• Maintain documentation of architecture decisions, specifications, and validation outcomes for traceability and knowledge transfer.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized back-up child care.
• Family-building benefits, including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement and fertility treatments.
• 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.
• 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: Mid Level