Autonomous Vehicle Operator

Transdev; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 32,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation

Sick days

Holidays

401(k) Retirement Plan

Medical, Dental & Vision

Life Insurance

Short-term Disability

Voluntary Long-term Disability

Job summary

Transdev's Autonomous Mobility & Fleet Specialists play a crucial role in delivering safe autonomous driving systems to customers. You will operate and evaluate self-driving vehicles, provide ride-hail services to the public, and perform safe roadside recovery across multiple missions.

With pay between $23.00 and $25.00 per hour, this role emphasizes safety, professionalism, and adaptability, requiring flexible schedules, strong communication, and the ability to work across various environments

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of experience driving on public roads.
• High School Diploma or GED required; a four-year college degree is preferred.
• Preferred experience: 6 months autonomous vehicle testing or fleet deployment operations.

Responsibilities

• Maintain Transdev's high standard of safety, situational awareness, and professionalism inside and outside of the vehicle at all times.
• Operate and evaluate vehicles in autonomous and manual modes, including manual transmission across routes and facilities.
• Monitor multiple software systems and onboard data recording computers with constant focus.
• Provide concise, clear, and accurate feedback, daily reports, and documentation regarding vehicle operations and bugs.
• Ride comfortably as a passenger in an autonomous vehicle where the operator may have little to no control.
• Coordinate vehicle batch setups prior to shift arrivals, ensuring the fleet is prepared for daily missions.
• Follow diagnostic guides to troubleshoot driver support modules and escalate to technical support.
• Assist as a spotter to guide vehicle movements in depots and remote locations.
• Oversee asset security processes and ensure only authorized access to vehicle areas.
• Safely operate a non-autonomous vehicle to monitor driverless locations and respond to recovery situations.
• Execute safe vehicle recovery operations and drive to a safe location.
• Deliver exceptional customer service and roadside assistance to passengers of a driverless vehicle.
• Act as a professional representative for the public, guests, security, and facilities staff.
• Work flexibly, either individually or in small teams, and adapt quickly to shifting demands.
• All other duties as assigned.

Skills

Technical proficiency

Typing speed

Communication

Adaptability & judgment

Driving skills

Schedule flexibility & travel

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Four-year college degree (preferred)

Preferred experience: autonomous vehicle testing / fleet deployment

Job description

Overview:

Our team has developed a strong culture of safety, professionalism, and personal responsibility. Transdev's Autonomous Mobility & Fleet Specialists are critical to the success of delivering safe autonomous driving systems to our customers, enabling a revolutionary mobility experience.

This dynamic role encompasses autonomous vehicle operations, fleet logistics, and field recovery. If hired into this position, you will be trained across multiple functions and may be deployed in any of these capacities depending on operational needs. You will be responsible for operating and evaluating self-driving vehicles, providing ride-hail services to the general public, and executing safe roadside recovery operations.

It is important to maintain a high level of professionalism and responsibility when critiquing a new operator’s driving abilities. Safety is our #1 responsibility. Level 2 Operators are expected to uphold this standard in all situations.

Pay Rate: $23.00 - $25.00

Transdev is Proud to Offer:

• Vacation: Minimum of (1) week.

• Sick Days: 5 Days

• Holidays: 6 Days

• Other standard benefits:

• 401(k) Retirement Plan

• Medical, Dental & Vision

• Life Insurance

• Short-term Disability

• Voluntary Long-term Disability

***The above listed benefits are the corporate office policy. Benefits vary by location

Key Responsibilities:

• Maintain Transdev's high standard of safety, situational awareness, and professionalism inside and outside of the vehicle at all times.

• Consistently demonstrate superior situational awareness, a deep understanding of the proprietary technology in your care, and a proactive willingness to constantly adjust to rapid changes in the operational environment.

• Safely operate and evaluate vehicles in both autonomous and manual modes, demonstrating proficiency in manual transmission driving, across defined routes, undefined routes, and closed-course facilities under various environmental conditions.

• Monitor multiple software systems and onboard data recording computers with constant focus.

• Provide concise, clear, and accurate verbal and written feedback, daily reports, and documentation regarding vehicle operations, software releases, and recurring bugs.

• Ride comfortably as a passenger in an autonomous vehicle where the operator may have little to no control over the vehicle's operations.

• Coordinate vehicle batch setups prior to shift arrivals, ensuring the fleet is clean and fully prepared for daily missions.

• Follow established diagnostic guides to troubleshoot driver support modules (including laptops, mobile devices, and monitoring cameras), and communicate clearly with technical support for escalation.

• Assist as a spotter to guide vehicle movements inside and outside of depots, parking spots, and remote locations.

• Oversee asset security processes, including managing vehicle keys, accounting for data disks, and ensuring only badged personnel access vehicle areas and remote sites.

• Safely operate a non-autonomous vehicle to monitor driverless vehicle locations in the field and respond quickly to recovery or rescue situations.

• Execute safe vehicle recovery operations, including parking defensively behind a driverless vehicle, setting up scene protection, disengaging autonomous software, and driving the car to a safe location.

• Deliver exceptional customer service and roadside assistance to passengers of a driverless vehicle, helping them safely disembark, board a rescue vehicle, and travel to their destination.

• Act as a polite, professional representative and point of contact for the public, client guests, security, and facilities staff at remote operational sites.

• Work flexibly, either individually or in small teams, and adapt quickly to shifting operational demands, modified schedules, or new technologies.

• All other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of experience driving on public roads. Additional experience is preferred.

• High School Diploma or GED required. Four-year college degree (preferred) in a related field like industrial or applied sciences.

• Preferred Experience: 6 months of autonomous vehicle testing, specialist experience, or fleet deployment operations.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs):

• Technical Proficiency: Skilled in using touchscreen smartphones (Android preferred) and laptop computers, including GSuite applications (Gmail, Sheets, Docs, Chats/Hangouts).

• Typing Speed: Ability to type at least 40 adjusted words per minute.

• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills to clearly and concisely describe technical observations, elevate issues across teams, and document complex field scenarios professionally.

• Adaptability & Judgment: Proven ability to multitask across multiple technologies (including but not limited to communication devices and vehicle status systems), react quickly to simultaneous scenarios, and demonstrate sound judgment in fast-paced, high-stress environments.

• Driving Skills: Exceptional situational awareness and the ability to parallel park with minimal assistance.

• Schedule Flexibility & Travel: Must be highly adaptable to fluid schedules, with the ability to work a variety of assigned shifts—including early mornings, evenings, overnights, and weekends. Shifts may be extended or modified based on operational needs. Candidates must be willing to work overtime and be recalled at short notice to meet peak operational demand. Additionally, this role requires the willingness and ability to travel for up to one month at a time, with overall travel demands ranging between 10% and 20%.

• Environmental & Vehicle Adaptability: Must be comfortable and capable of performing the majority of your 6-to-8-hour shift from inside a compact crossover vehicle, either alone or with a co-driver. This role requires working outdoors and