Director of Data Science - Autonomous Driving & Safety

Openkrill; United States; Hybrid; USD 288,000 - 396,000; Full time

Job summary

Motional in the United States seeks a Director of Data Science to drive strategy for extracting insights from petabyte-scale on-road fleet data and simulation ecosystems. You will build data-driven methodologies and predictive models to inform vehicle launch readiness and safety decisions.

Leading a four-person team, you will partner with autonomy teams, translate complex patterns into executive-ready artifacts, and shape the company-wide analytics agenda in a hybrid/remote-friendly environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience leading data science or applied AI/ML initiatives.
• Master’s degree or PhD in Data Science, CS, Robotics, Math, Physics or a quantitative field.
• Deep knowledge in statistical analysis, density estimation, hypothesis testing, uncertainty quantification, and causal reasoning.
• Proficiency with Python, SQL and data science infrastructure libraries; familiarity with Transformers and distributed compute (Ray, AWS).
• Experience translating ambiguous real-world questions into structured metrics and architectures.
• Excellent communication and ability to influence cross-functional teams and executives.

Responsibilities

• Provide rapid operational analytics to inform launch decisions.
• Build advanced exposure models to evaluate safety and performance in diverse conditions.
• Serve as analytical anchor for Systems and Autonomy teams (Perception, Prediction, Planning).
• Create executive-ready artifacts, visualizations, and dashboards.
• Mentor and scale a four-person data science team with rigor and agility.

Skills

Leadership

Python

SQL

Transformers

Ray

AWS

Analytics

Communication

Cross-functional

Education

Master's/PhD in Data Science/quantitative field

Tools

Ray framework

AWS

Job description

Motional in the United States seeks a Director of Data Science to drive strategy for extracting insights from petabyte-scale on-road fleet data and simulation ecosystems. You will build data-driven methodologies and predictive models to inform vehicle launch readiness and safety decisions.

Leading a four-person team, you will partner with autonomy teams, translate complex patterns into executive-ready artifacts, and shape the company-wide analytics agenda in a hybrid/remote-friendly environment.