Vehicle Operations Lead - Middle East

Applied Intuition; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 350,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Intuition is seeking a Regional Operations Lead, KSA to own SDS on-road vehicle operations across the region, starting with commercial trucking and expanding to other platforms as programs grow. You will manage fleet readiness, daily execution, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure safe, compliant operations on public roads.

The role requires hands-on leadership in multi-program contexts, direct OEM/regulator partnerships, and experience handling multi-site regional operations

Qualifications

• On-road operations experience leading commercial vehicle or autonomous fleet operations.
• Experience scaling more than one operational program or vehicle line.
• Ownership of safety processes and incident response for public-road operations.
• Comfort operating in hands-on, real-world environments with commercial vehicles.
• Experience partnering with OEMs, regulators, or fleet customers to deliver outcomes.
• Experience managing multi-site or regional operations across regulations and infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional vehicle operations across SDS on-road programs in the region, starting with commercial trucking.
• Own fleet and site readiness, daily execution, and operational performance across programs.
• Drive ramp plan and strategy to scale operations across programs locally.
• Build playbooks for safety, on-road execution, incident response, and escalation.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, safety, legal, and OEM/fleet partners to align milestones.
• Ensure safety and compliance; implement regulatory safety standards for public roads.

Skills

On-Road Ops

Multi-Program Leadership

Safety Ownership

Hands-On Mindset

Partner Management

Multi-Site Ops

Job description

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions.

About the Role

Applied Intuition is seeking a Regional Operations Lead, KSA to own vehicle operations for our SDS platform across the region — starting with our on-road commercial trucking program, with the mandate to expand across additional vehicle platforms and customer programs as we scale. In this role, you will own end-to-end operational execution for SDS on-road programs — from fleet and site readiness through daily operations, validation, and continuous feedback to engineering — ensuring SDS-enabled vehicles operate safely, compliantly, and efficiently on public roads.

Autonomy is one of the leading technological advances of this century that will come to impact our lives. The work you'll do at Applied will meaningfully accelerate the efforts of the top autonomy teams in the world. At Applied, you will have a unique perspective on the development of cutting edge technology while working with major players across the industry and the globe.

At Applied you will:

• Lead Regional Vehicle Operations: Own operational execution across SDS on-road programs in the region, beginning with commercial trucking and expanding to additional vehicle platforms as new programs launch.
• Own Fleet & Site Readiness: Manage fleet readiness, daily execution, and operational performance across vehicle programs.
• Drive Regional Growth Strategy: Own the ramp plan and strategy for scaling operations across programs locally.
• Build Operational Playbooks: Develop playbooks covering safety, on-road execution, incident response, and escalation that generalize across vehicle types.
• Lead Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner across engineering, product, safety, legal, and OEM/fleet partners to align program milestones with safe, efficient execution.
• Ensure Safety & Compliance: Implement safety protocols and best practices that meet regulatory standards in high-stakes, public-road environments.

We're looking for someone who has:

• On-Road Operations Experience: Proven track record leading on-road commercial vehicle, autonomy, or complex fleet operations.
• Multi-Program Leadership: Experience standing up and scaling more than one operational program or vehicle line, not just a single deployment.
• Safety & Incident Ownership: Experience owning safety processes and incident response for public-road operations.
• Hands-On Mindset: Comfortable operating in hands-on, real-world environments with commercial vehicles.
• Partner Management: Experience partnering directly with OEMs, regulators, or fleet customers to deliver operational outcomes.
• Multi-Site/Regional Operations: Experience managing multi-site or international operations, accounting for local regulations and infrastructure constraints.

Nice to have:

• Background at a truck OEM/commercial vehicle manufacturer (e.g., Daimler Trucks, Volvo Trucks, PACCAR, Isuzu, Toyota, Ford Pro) — particularly relevant given our first regional program is commercial trucking.
• Experience with ADAS or on-road autonomy validation across other vehicle types.
• Familiarity with Tier-1 supplier relationships (Bosch, Continental, ZF, Aptiv).
• Knowledge of KSA/regional regulatory and infrastructure requirements for commercial vehicle operations.

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.

FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request. If you require an accommodation please contact [e-mail]. We will work with you!