Senior Safety Management System (SMS) Lead - Autonomous Driving Senior Safety Management System (SMS) Lead - Autonomous Driving Senior Safety Management System (SMS) Lead - Autonomous Driving

Volkswagen AG•Austin, TX

About The Position

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 DescriptionThe Safety Management System Senior Engineer for Autonomous Driving is responsible for defining, governing, and continuously improving the organization’s Safety Management System (SMS) as an organizational safety framework 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 through formal SMS processes including safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion. The SMS Senior Engineer works closely with system, software, hardware, validation, and operations teams to govern how safety is demonstrated and accepted across design, development, testing, and deployment. This position supports regulatory engagement, safety assurance activities, and the demonstration of safety readiness for autonomous vehicle operation. This role is focused on system‑level safety governance, SMS operation, and safety assurance oversight. It does not own item‑level functional safety engineering activities or day‑to-day operational incident response.

Requirements

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.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Automotive, Systems, Software, Electrical, or related field), or equivalent technical experience in safety-critical system development or safety assurance
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
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)
Demonstrated experience defining, operating, or governing an organizational Safety Management System (SMS) for a safety‑critical, software‑intensive system (e.g., autonomous driving, aviation, rail, nuclear), including safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Engineering (Automotive, Systems, Software, Electrical, or related field)
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
Experience applying these standards within an organizational Safety Management System and safety governance framework]
Ability to review and assess safety cases against defined Safety Management System acceptance criteria using structured safety evidence
Experience participating in or supporting safety governance boards, management safety reviews, or executive safety acceptance decisions

Responsibilities

Develop, implement, and maintain the Safety Management System for autonomous driving programs
Own the definition and operation of SMS governance structures, including safety roles, responsibilities, escalation paths, and safety decision‑making forums
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) as inputs to the SMS, not as standalone compliance activities.
Define SMS processes covering safety policy, roles and responsibilities, escalation, and decision‑making
Define and maintain safety policy, safety objectives, and safety performance indicators (SPIs)]
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
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
Integrate safety assurance activities across the V‑model and system lifecycle
Define SMS‑level safety acceptance criteria and evidence expectations for lifecycle milestones and release gates]
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 from an SMS learning and systemic risk perspective]
Ensure that system safety cases and VSSA are developed, reviewed, and maintained in alignment with Safety Management System requirements
Review systemic corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) arising from operational incidents, audits, and assessments for effectiveness at the system and organizational level
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
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