About the posting
“As a Lead Software Functional Safety Architect, you will serve as the technical authority ensuring our embedded software platforms meet the highest standards of safety integrity.”
Read the full posting on Magna's site
Seen live Oct 23, 2026; first seen Oct 22, 2026.
Pay in context
Magna does not list pay for this role. 21 percent of software engineering postings in Detroit, MI area do; their median is $224,000.
How long it has been open
Posted Jul 14, 2026, 102 days ago, and seen on Magna's careers page today.
At 102 days old, it is over the 26-day median.
Magna's postings we have seen close took a median of 3 days.
Magna at a glance
Magna has 1054 open postings that we can see, 24 in software engineering; 7 percent list pay.
The application
Applying goes through Workday.
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Seniority
Level: senior.
The posting mentions 10+ years.
Place and cost of living
On site in Detroit, MI area; prices in MI run 4 percent below the US average.
More software engineering jobs in Detroit, MI area that list pay
The software engineering market in Detroit, MI area
115 software engineering postings in Detroit, MI area are open right now, from 10 employers.
Half of them have been open 26 days or less.
From Magna's posting
This is Magna's own text, as published on its job board. We last checked it on Oct 23, 2026. Apply on Magna's site. We remove a posting when the employer closes it.
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What we offer
At Magna, you can expect an engaging and dynamic environment where you can help to develop industry-leading automotive technologies. We invest in our employees, providing them with the support and resources they need to succeed. As a member of our global team, you can expect exciting, varied responsibilities as well as a wide range of development prospects. Because we believe that your career path should be as unique as you are.
Group Summary
Transforming mobility. Making automotive technology that is smarter, cleaner, safer and lighter. That’s what we’re passionate about at Magna Electronics, and we do it by creating world-class Electronic systems. We are a premier supplier for the global automotive industry with full capabilities in design, development, testing and manufacturing of complex Electronic systems. Our name stands for quality, environmental consciousness, and safety. Innovation is what drives us and we drive innovation. Dream big and create the future of mobility at Magna Electronics.
Job Responsibilities
This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Candidates must have current and ongoing authorization to work in the United States.
About the Role
As a Lead Software Functional Safety Architect, you will serve as the technical authority ensuring our embedded software platforms meet the highest standards of safety integrity. You aren't just an observer; you are a "shadow architect" who operates independently of the primary software architect to provide critical checks, balances, and safety-first design leadership. Your primary focus will be on high-performance SoC/MCU systems targeting ASIL D compliance, ensuring that every line of code and architectural decision contributes to a fail-safe environment.
Key Responsibilities
1. Safety Analysis & Architectural Design
- Safety Manual Interpretation: Deep-dive into SoC/MCU Safety Manuals to extract hardware-software interface requirements (HSIs).
- Safety Context Identification: Identify which hardware modules (e.g., DMA, Memory Protection Units, Watchdogs) are relevant to the safety case.
- System Alignment: Collaborate with the System Engineering team to align on diagnostic coverage and error handling strategies.
- Fault Management: Define the end-to-end fault propagation paths —from hardware fault detection to the transition into a defined Safe State.
- Architecture Modeling: Develop and maintain software architectures that explicitly prove the achievement of functional safety goals.
2. Safety Assessments & Work Products
- Analytical Ownership: Lead and "own" the creation of the Software FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) and Software FTA (Fault Tree Analysis).
- Requirements Engineering: Define and review Software Safety Requirements (SSRs), ensuring they are technically sound and fully traceable to specific architectural elements.
- Independent Verification: Act as the independent technical voice to challenge the main software architecture, ensuring safety is never compromised for performance or features.
3. Technical Leadership
- Drive the team toward successful Safety Audits and assessments.
- Mentor junior engineers on ASIL-compliant coding standards (e.g., MISRA C/C++, CERT).
- Bridge the gap between hardware-level safety features and high-level software application safety.
Required Experience & Qualifications
- Experience: 10+ years in Embedded SoC development with a proven track record in complex silicon environments.
- Architecture: 3+ years of experience specifically as a Software Architect .
- Safety Expertise: Hands-on experience developing software components that have successfully achieved ASIL C or D certification.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Expert-level understanding of ISO 26262 (Parts 4, 6, and 9).
- Evaluations: Direct experience participating in (and defending architectures during) formal safety evaluations or external audits.
- Analytical Tools: Proficiency with safety analysis tools (e.g., Ansys medini analyze, APIS IQ-FMEA, or similar).
Skills & Competencies
- Critical Thinking: The ability to "think like a failure"—predicting how a system might break before it does.
- Independence: Strong enough to push back against the primary development team to maintain safety integrity.
- Communication: Ability to translate complex safety manuals into actionable development tasks for the software team.
Awareness, Unity, Empowerment
At Magna, we believe that a diverse workforce is critical to our success. That’s why we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We hire on the basis of experience and qualifications, and in consideration of job requirements, regardless of, in particular, color, ancestry, religion, gender, origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability or gender identity. Magna takes the privacy of your personal information seriously. We discourage you from sending applications via email or traditional mail to comply with GDPR requirements and your local Data Privacy Law.
AI-Assisted Screening Disclosure
As part of our commitment to a fair, consistent, and efficient recruitment process, we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in the initial screening of applications submitted through our Workday system. These tools help identify qualifications and experience that align with the role requirements. Please note that AI is used solely to support our recruiters. Final decisions are always made by the hiring manager and the hiring team. Importantly, no applicant data is shared externally through these AI tools. All information remains securely within our systems and is handled in accordance with our privacy and data protection policies.
Under conditions defined by applicable law, you may have the right to request an explanation of how AI is used to support decision-making. If you have any questions or concerns about this process, feel free to contact our Talent Attraction team. Worker Type:
Regular / Permanent Group
Magna Electronics