Director, Collision Avoidance System

Company: Zoox
Location: San Mateo
Posted on: January 20, 2023

Job Description:

We're reinventing personal transportation - making the future safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable. We've created our vehicle specifically for dense, complicated urban environments. Zoox is the only driving vehicle on the market with bidirectional driving capabilities and four-wheel steering, allowing us to maneuver through compact spaces and change directions without the need to reverse. Our software engineering leadership team is searching for a Director of our Collision Avoidance System (CAS). CAS is our on-vehicle system that is parallel and complementary to our Main AI, and is responsible for detecting and reacting to imminent collision situations in support of our vehicle's overall safety goals. Our CAS stack is responsible for processing raw sensor data from our vehicle's world-class sensor suite using a combination of geometric, interpretable algorithms and deep learning to detect near-collisions with obstacles along our intended driving path, in the most challenging dense urban environments and under tight compute resource constraints. The CAS team also has a close relationship with our vehicle hardware and safety teams in order to architect redundancy into our overall driving system.You will be responsible for leading the CAS team and building their technical roadmap and milestone goals. You will be closely collaborating with executives, AI leaders, simulation, and our systems design and mission assurance teams to deliver exceptional collision detection and avoidance algorithms that play a critical role in our vehicle's overall safety case. Your team will deliver algorithms that consume lidar, radar, vision, long-wave IR while interfacing with our Main AI's planned trajectory. Your team will also be responsible for measuring the accuracy of the overall CAS system and integrating those metrics with our overall vehicle safety goals.You will lead a diverse team of engineers experienced in perception, prediction, planning, and verification & validation to build a world class CAS system to support our combined safety case.ResponsibilitiesBuild and lead a group of managers and engineers, and be responsible for the team's strategy, productivity, and impact within the companySet the vision, then grow and lead a team of talented software engineers in the overall planning, execution and success of complex technical projects, while providing the team with technical leadershipCollaborate with engineers and leaders across a variety of teams to brainstorm and accelerate the development of our Collision Avoidance SystemPartner with leaders from our systems design and mission assurance team to build a safety case for our overall performanceLead the design and implementation of the CAS roadmapProvide clear summaries, progress, and recommendations to our executive leadership teamEstablishing best practices and statistical rigor around data-driven decision makingStay on top of industry and academic trends in AI and perception, making sure Zoox remains at the cutting edge of both algorithms and their implementation at scaleQualificationBroad understanding of modern autonomous driving stacks including Localization, Perception, Prediction, and Planning & ControlsStrong understanding of Perception systemsStrong understanding of Planner systemsStrong leadership skills suitable for recruiting, leading, growing, and managing technical team members in solving a challenging problem, and building a critical component of a real-time system.Strong understanding of C++5+ years of extensive leadership experience, leading teams of 50+Expertise in implementing autonomy solutions and deploying real-world systems5+ years of experience in lidar perception, computer vision, machine learning and related technologiesStrong fundamentals in geometric and 3D perception algorithmsSound understanding of modern neural network architectures and implementations for computer vision, lidar, and radar modalitiesSufficient understanding of of computer architecture to help guide decision-making and implementation (e.g., CPU, GPU, TPUs)Strong mathematical and statistical foundationStrong presentation and communication skillsBS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science or related fieldsCompensationThere are three major components to compensation for this position: salary, Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. The salary will range from -$350,000 to $450,000. A sign-on bonus may be part of a compensation package. Compensation will vary based on geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. -Zoox also offers a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (e.g. sick leave, vacation, bereavement), unpaid time off, Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights, Amazon RSUs, health insurance, long-term care insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, and life insurance.Vaccine MandateEmployees working in this position will be required to have received a single dose of the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine OR have completed the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine series. -In addition, employees will be required to receive a COVID-19 booster vaccine within two months of becoming eligible for the booster vaccine.Employees will be required to show proof of vaccination status upon receipt of a conditional offer of employment. That offer of employment will be conditioned upon, among other things, an Applicant's ability to show proof of vaccination status. Please note the Company provides reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable state, federal, and local laws.About ZooxZoox 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.Follow us on LinkedInA 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.Foster City, CA /Software - Collision Avoidance System /Full-time/ Hybrid

Keywords: Zoox, San Mateo , Director, Collision Avoidance System, Executive , San Mateo, California