Principal Process Architect, Automotive Software

Responsibilities: Lead DriveOS process architecture across engineering, program management, quality, functional safety, and cybersecurity Develop and govern a risk-based tailoring framework with variant applicability, decision rights, acceptance criteria, and traceable approvals Establish process maturity, release-readiness, and quality-gate criteria to surface risk early and support first-pass acceptance Translate lifecycle expectations and applicable industry standards into workflows, templates, guidance, and mentorship for development teams Partner with domain leads, program managers, assessors, and tool owners to align plans, evidence, dependencies, and handoffs across product variants Convert recurring defects, assessment observations, and release takeaways into durable improvements to the common process, measurements, and training Drive process automation and AI-assisted workflows to reduce risk, rework, or cycle time while preserving governance and traceability Serve as an independent technical authority for process coherence and efficiency, raising gaps with clear product impact, accountable owner, recovery plan, and date

Key requirements: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in engineering, computer science, systems engineering, quality, or a related field 15+ years of experience in automotive or other safety-critical product development, including process architecture, engineering quality, systems engineering, or technical program leadership Deep understanding of Automotive SPICE and how base practices translate into effective engineering behavior and assessable evidence Strong understanding of the software and systems development lifecycle (requirements, architecture, implementation, verification, validation, configuration, change, and release management) Hands-on experience with automotive functional safety, cybersecurity, and AI/ML safety requirements, including ISO 26262, ISO/SAE 21434, and ISO 8800 Proven track record building risk-based tailoring, establishing quality gates, and balancing compliance with program realities in complex, multi-variant environments Excellent written communication, facilitation, and influence skills; able to make process requirements actionable for engineers and decision-ready for senior leaders Experience using data, workflow tooling, and AI-assisted capabilities to improve engineering processes without weakening accountability or traceability Excellent written communication Facilitation Influence Automotive SPICE ISO 26262 ISO/SAE 21434