Autonomous Vehicle Reliability Engineer

Waabi; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Equity awards

Health and wellness benefits

Paid parental leave

401(k) retirement plans

Job summary

Waabi, a leader in Physical AI, is seeking a testing and reliability professional to identify and diagnose complex vehicle issues during testing and operation. You will leverage hardware/software knowledge to implement temporary fixes while ensuring safety and performance standards are met.

Responsibilities include rigorous documentation, cross-functional collaboration, and contributing to long‑term system improvements. Travel up to 10% and a strong emphasis on RCA and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• 5+ years hands-on experience in automotive, robotics, aerospace, or related industry focusing on troubleshooting complex vehicle systems.
• Proficient with Linux-based systems and command-line diagnostics.
• Solid understanding of computer networking fundamentals.
• Experienced in CAN bus diagnostics and automotive diagnostic tools.
• Strong data analysis capabilities with spreadsheets or scripting languages
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to document technical issues clearly and work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Computer Engineering or equivalent hands-on experience.

Responsibilities

• Identify and diagnose issues during vehicle testing and on-road operations.
• Utilize deep technical knowledge of both hardware and software to address failures and anomalies.
• Implement documented temporary fixes or workarounds to keep vehicles operational while permanent solutions are developed.
• Ensure that every applied workaround maintains safety and performance standards.
• Rigorously log, track, and document all vehicle issues using robust diagnostic and issue-tracking systems.
• Provide detailed reports that include reproduction steps, diagnostic data, and recommended actions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams—spanning software, hardware, and operations to conduct thorough root cause analyses on recurring issues.
• Translate technical data and observations into actionable insights for long‑term system improvements.
• Recommend and implement process improvements and preventive measures to enhance overall vehicle reliability.
• Participate in both pre-test and post-test evaluations, ensuring vehicles are test-ready and that any issues are promptly addressed.
• Serve as the technical point of contact during vehicle testing
• Identify opportunities to streamline troubleshooting protocols, automate diagnostic routines, and improve data capture methods to boost operational efficiency.
• Experience with continuous improvement (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma) and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) methodologies. Experience with established methodologies (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone diagrams, Fault Tree Analysis, or FMEA) to support the responsibility of conducting thorough root cause analyses on recurring issues.
• Functional Safety or Reliability Standards Experience in order to maintain vehicle uptime and safety. Experience maintaining and managing automotive safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262, UL 4600), hardware reliability standards, and/or formal quality management systems would be beneficial.
• Travel required 10%

Skills

Linux basics

CAN bus

Data analysis

Networking

Documentation

Communication

Education

Bachelor's in Eng

Tools

Automotive diagnostics

Job description

Waabi, a leader in Physical AI, is seeking a testing and reliability professional to identify and diagnose complex vehicle issues during testing and operation. You will leverage hardware/software knowledge to implement temporary fixes while ensuring safety and performance standards are met.

Responsibilities include rigorous documentation, cross-functional collaboration, and contributing to long‑term system improvements. Travel up to 10% and a strong emphasis on RCA and continuous improvement.