HD Map Operations Lead - AV Mapping & Validation

Speedrun Talent Network; Sunnyvale, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance

401k retirement benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Applied Intuition, Inc. is seeking a technical lead to drive the day-to-day operations of our mapping team, serving as the bridge between mapping specialists, software engineers, and field operations.

You will own the production schedule and triage map/data issues, directly impacting AV stack performance. This hands-on leadership role centers on HD map creation, data workflows, validation, and real-time prioritization in a startup setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field.
• 3+ years in HD map production, geospatial data operations, or related autonomous-vehicle field.
• Demonstrated team coordination or leadership without formal title.
• Strong knowledge of HD map data formats (OpenDRIVE, NDS) and annotation pipelines.
• Experience with point clouds, 3D visualization, or LiDAR annotation tools.
• Familiarity with simulation environments and map data in sim validation.
• Data tooling experience (SQL, C++, Python, QGIS).
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to explain complex issues simply.
• Calm, organized, and energized by production pace.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of mapping specialists, setting priorities and a production schedule.
• Own weekly and sprint-level production calendar for map areas and updates.
• Run daily standups, triage blockers, and make real-time prioritization decisions.
• Mentor specialists and establish QC standards for maps and documentation.
• Escalate map data issues and route tasks to maps and engineering teams.
• Build a triage playbook for consistent issue resolution.
• Coordinate with engineers to validate HD map accuracy in simulation.
• Close feedback loops with operations and safety teams to improve coverage.

Skills

Data tooling

C++

Python

SQL

QGIS

AI basics

Communication skills

Organization under pressure

Education

Bachelor's Degree or higher

Tools

JIRA

Slack

CARLA

LGSVL

Job description

Applied Intuition, Inc. is seeking a technical lead to drive the day-to-day operations of our mapping team, serving as the bridge between mapping specialists, software engineers, and field operations.

You will own the production schedule and triage map/data issues, directly impacting AV stack performance. This hands-on leadership role centers on HD map creation, data workflows, validation, and real-time prioritization in a startup setting.