Engineering Manager, Autonomy Systems Verification and Validation

Zoox is on an ambitious journey to develop a full-stack autonomous mobility solution for cities. We are seeking an Engineering Manager to lead a verification and validation team that’s evaluating the safety performance of our robot in a variety of driving scenarios.

In this role, you will lead a team of engineers that leverage methods including log data analysis, simulation, and closed course structured testing. You’ll work cross functionally with driving software teams, software tool teams, test operators, systems engineers, proving ground operators, and more to develop, execute, and iterate on your validation campaigns. These campaigns will evaluate our safety critical system, are highly visible, and are an important critical path element of launching our service. The ideal candidate not only brings technical expertise and leadership to the role, but also provides mentorship, drives clarity from ambiguity, brings new processes into existence, scopes projects, sets priorities, and propels the company forward.

In this role, you will:

• Directly manage and grow a team of 5+ verification and validation (V&V) systems engineers, providing mentorship and career guidance.
• Develop, own, and execute the end-to-end V&V strategy for the autonomous vehicle’s (AV's) behavioral competencies, from simulation to on-road validation -- with a focus on corner cases for both perception and behavior/decision-making.
• Drive the definition and implementation of performance metrics, data extractors, and statistical evaluation methods to form objective conclusions about AV performance.
• Establish effective collaborations with multiple cross-functional teams like perception, planning, controls, and safety to streamline the development and creation of tests across our validation pipelines.
• Lead the planning, execution, and timeline delivery of vehicle tests, including cross-functional coordination with vehicle engineering, operations, and software teams.
• Deliver robust validation evidence to support increasingly complex operations and provide clear, data-driven feedback to development teams.
• Maintain traceability between requirements, behavioral test cases, and results to support our safety case.
• Propose and implement process and methodology improvements to accelerate test iteration.

Qualifications

• B.S. or higher degree in Automotive Engineering, Aerospace, Robotics, Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Science, or Systems Engineering
• 7+ years of industry experience with vehicle or complex system validation; ADAS or AV focus preferred
• 2+ years of experience with leading direct reports
• Experience developing integration and test plans and procedures for the rigorous V&V of safety critical robotic systems, autonomous vehicles, or other complex robotics/software systems
• Demonstrated ability to operate in an agile environment and to distill clarity for a team from ambiguous problem statements
• Analytical skills and hands-on experience
• Proficiency with probability and statistics
• Cross-disciplinary background and curiosity
• Confident with automotive electronics

Bonus Qualifications

• M.Sc. or higher degree in Automotive Engineering, Aerospace, Robotics, Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Science, or Systems Engineering
• Proven experience leading the V&V of key behavioral competencies for autonomous systems
• Strong understanding of data-driven, statistical approaches to complex system performance evaluation
• Familiarity with programming languages such as Python
• Familiarity with SQL and navigating modern data models
• Experience with Linux Systems

About Zoox

Zoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility-as-a-service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team.

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Accommodations

If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to accommodations@zoox.com or your assigned recruiter.

A Final Note:

You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.