Job statistics for UAV Functional Safety Architect
- Days open
- 1 day
- Estimated salary
- $31,000
- Based on Senior seniority, the Automotive industry and Vietnam market rates.
Technologies used2 tools
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Current safety team1 open role
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UAV Functional Safety Architect
Job description
About the Company
FPT UAV is a pioneering division within the FPT ecosystem, dedicated to developing the next generation of unmanned aerial systems.
Our mission is to build a comprehensive, full-stack software ecosystem—ranging from high-precision flight control laws and sensor fusion to AI-driven mission autonomy and global fleet management.
We operate under a unique "Build fast externally, Own fast internally" philosophy: leveraging global supplier speed for initial builds while embedding our engineers deep within the architecture to ensure we fully own the technical IP, simulation environments, and release authority.
About the Role
Role overview Own the technical functional-safety workstream for the UAV platform across Flight Controller, OBC, propulsion/ESC, BMS, communications, payload integration and Dock interactions.
Translate aircraft-level hazards into testable system and software safety requirements, coordinate implementation and verification, and maintain a defensible safety evidence package for EVT, DVT and production-intent decisions.
Partner closely with design owners while retaining a distinct safety-assurance role.
Responsibilities
- Own the technical functional-safety workstream for the UAV platform across Flight Controller, OBC, propulsion/ESC, BMS, communications, payload integration and Dock interactions.
- Translate aircraft-level hazards into testable system and software safety requirements, coordinate implementation and verification, and maintain a defensible safety evidence package for EVT, DVT and production-intent decisions.
- Partner closely with design owners while retaining a distinct safety-assurance role.
Hazard analysis and safety concept
- Establish the aircraft-level hazard log and safety-analysis scope covering flight, propulsion, energy, navigation, command interfaces and ground/dock operations.
- Lead Functional Hazard Assessment (FHA), /FMECA, (FTA) and failure-dependency analysis as appropriate to the program.
- Define safety objectives, operational assumptions, failure conditions, severity/likelihood criteria and risk-reduction measures.
- Derive system and software safety requirements; maintain allocation, bidirectional traceability, acceptance criteria and change-impact analysis.
- Define safety architecture for fault detection, monitoring, fault containment, safe-state transitions and degraded operating modes.
Safety mechanisms and cross-domain reviews
- Assess loss of link, navigation/RTK loss, sensor disagreement, compute reset, stale commands, actuator/motor failure, battery failure and emergency landing scenarios.
- Review FC arming/preflight interlocks, failsafe policies, command safety gates, controlled disarm and recovery behavior.
- Define responsibilities and safety interfaces among FC, OBC, ESC, BMS and Dock; ensure that non-safety-critical services cannot silently override flight-critical protections.
- Review watchdogs, health monitoring, heartbeat supervision, plausibility checks, redundancy, diagnostics coverage and fault escalation.
- Partner with security teams on safety implications of command authenticity, software update, configuration integrity and denial of service.
Verification, evidence and governance
- Build safety verification matrices covering fault injection, /HIL, bench, system integration and flight tests, including expected safe behavior.
- Review supplier safety artifacts and challenge unsupported claims, incomplete requirements or missing failure-case coverage.
- Maintain safety review actions, assumptions, residual-risk records, evidence links and safety case arguments.
- Support EVT/DVT safety readiness reviews and present objective evidence and open safety risks to engineering leadership.
- Work with program/product leadership on documented risk decisions; do not treat a technical review as regulatory certification or automatic risk acceptance.
Required capabilities
- 10+ years in safety-critical embedded systems, aerospace/UAV safety, automotive functional safety or comparable disciplines.
- Hands-on FHA/FMEA/FTA, safety requirements, traceability, failure analysis and validation of safety mechanisms.
- Ability to analyze real-time embedded software, FC/actuator interfaces, distributed system faults and cross-domain failure propagation.
- Familiarity with functional-safety lifecycle concepts and relevant standards/guidance such as IEC 61508, ARP4754A/ARP4761 and UAV operational risk methods.
- Strong communication, evidence review, system thinking and constructive challenge across teams and external suppliers.
Preferred Skills
- DO-178C/DO-254 awareness, ISO 21384-3, ASTM UAV practices, SORA/EASA operational assessment and ISO 26262 experience.
- UAV field-test safety planning, fault-injection automation, HIL validation, cybersecurity-safety interaction and safety case preparation.
What we offer
- A greenfield in-house UAV programme where your models fly on real aircraft within months, not slide decks.
- Direct exposure to international partners and customers in Japan and Korea, and to national-scale programmes in Vietnam.
- Competitive package by seniority, FPT Corporation benefits, training budget and conference travel