Head Engineer, Automated Driving

ResumeXrays LLC; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 189,000 - 311,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401k program

Flexible vacation policy

Family planning benefits

Job summary

Woven by Toyota in Palo Alto, CA seeks a Head Engineer to collaborate with the Head of Automated Driving. You will steer engineering teams toward a unified, data-driven autonomous driving stack, ensuring safety, quality, and performance across development and deployment.

You will mentor tech leads, influence stakeholders at Toyota and partner teams, and shape technical strategy for cutting-edge automated driving initiatives.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in data-driven software development, robotics, autonomy or safety-critical systems.
• Deep understanding of ML and Data operations, big data & data flywheel infrastructures.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and facilitating complex technical discussions.
• Experience deploying software in Automated Driving products and leading end-to-end system integrations.
• Experience driving code quality and safety processes for production code delivery.
• Strong leadership, communication, collaboration, and bias toward action.
• Preferred: patents or technical contributions in ML, robotics, or autonomy.
• Understanding of real-time operating systems and non-functional requirements.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguity and influence diverse stakeholders toward a common goal.

Responsibilities

• Develop a long-term technical strategy for data-driven infrastructure and automated driving stack with leadership.
• Lead cross-functional engineers to identify challenges and deliver unified, data-driven solutions.
• Resolve complex, cross-functional challenges related to autonomy stack development and ML pipelines.
• Shape and drive adoption of common development standards, toolchains, and ML stacks.
• Champion best practices in data-driven development, code quality, and model interpretability.
• Instill a safety-critical first mindset across all technical activities.
• Define technical KPIs and ensure progress toward safety, performance, and scalability.
• Represent the Head of Automated Driving in technical forums and external engagements.
• Mentor engineers through hands-on coding, peer reviews, and design reviews.

Skills

Data-driven software

Robotics

Autonomy

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

ML & Data Ops

Real-time systems

System integration

Code quality & safety

Communication

Job description

Woven by Toyota is enabling Toyota’s once-in-a-century transformation into a mobility company. Inspired by a legacy of innovating for the benefit of others, our mission is to challenge the current state of mobility through human-centric innovation — expanding what “mobility” means and how it serves society.

Our work centers on four pillars: AD/ADAS, our autonomous driving and advanced driver assist technologies; Arene, our software development platform for software-defined vehicles; Woven City, a test course for mobility; and Cloud & AI, the digital infrastructure powering our collaborative foundation. Business-critical functions empower these teams to execute, and together, we’re working toward one bold goal: a world with zero accidents and enhanced well-being for all.

TEAM

Woven by Toyota's Automated Driving organization is developing the core algorithms for safe and robust driving of complex and uncertain real-world environments and the data flywheel that powers rapid iteration. Our teams are contributing to next-generation autonomy and Automated Driving active safety systems through core algorithms, data-driven approaches, and efficient architectures.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

We are seeking a head engineer to work hand-in-hand with the Head of Automated Driving. This role is pivotal in solving deep technical challenges, driving technical alignment across teams, and harmonizing the ML stack with the data flywheel to accelerate the vision of zero accidents.

You will amplify the Head of Automated Driving, steering engineering teams toward a unified technical direction, supporting cross-functional problem-solving, and ensuring technical rigor at every stage. The ideal candidate will possess strong technical expertise in autonomy, robotics, and data-driven application development. Autonomy, robotics, and data-driven application development. Proven leadership and communication skills are critical for this role. We are looking for someone who can mentor tech leads, influence, and collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including TMC, in identifying deep technical challenges, developing solutions, and executing on the delivery of our autonomy mission.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop a long-term technical strategy for data-driven infrastructure and automated driving stack with the leadership team. This also includes amplifying the Head of Automated Driving in collaboration with executive leadership and Toyota Motor Corporation.

• Lead cross-functional lead engineers to identify complex technical challenges, develop robust solutions, and guide execution toward a unified, data-driven automated driving stack.

• Lead resolution of complex, cross-functional team technical challenges related to autonomy stack development, data search/curation, machine learning training pipelines, triage and evaluation workflows.

• Integrally involved with shaping and driving adoption of common development standards, toolchains, and ML stacks across autonomy teams.

• Champion best practices in data-driven development, code quality, design review process, real-world validation, model interpretability, etc.

• Embed a “safety-critical first” mindset across all technical activities, ensuring that safety, quality, and reliability are foundational to design, particularly with cutting-edge Automated Driving.

• Help to define technical KPIs and ensure that engineering decisions are grounded in measurable progress toward system safety, performance, and scalability.

• Represent the Head of Automated Driving in technical decision-making forums, reviews, and external engagements when required.

• Mentor and coach engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and high accountability through hands-on coding, peer reviews, and design reviews.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years of professional experience in data-driven software development, robotics, or autonomy, or safety-critical systems.

• Deep understanding of ML and Data operations, experience with big data and cost-efficient data flywheel infrastructures, based on cloud or on-prem devices.

• Extensive experience in leading and facilitating cross-functional teams and engineers in complex technical discussions, identifying technical blockers and solutions and steering them toward a common goal.

• Prior experience in deploying software in Automated Driving products, designing scalable architectures, and leading end-to-end system integrations.

• Experience in driving code quality and systems safety processes for production code delivery, with expertise in real-time system development, large-scale data handling, and robust model validation.

• Strong leadership presence, excellent communication skills, a skilled collaborator, and a bias toward action and outcomes.

• Preferred: patents or technical contributions in machine learning, robotics, or autonomy fields.

• Deep understanding of real-time operating systems, non-functional requirements, and trade-offs

• Thrive in ambiguity, embrace the challenge of achieving the company’s mission, and influence a diverse set of stakeholders toward a common goal of delivering the best-in-class products to end users and customers.

For positions based in Palo Alto, CA; the base pay ranges from $189,000 to $310,500 per year.Your base salary is one part of your total compensation. We offer a base salary, short term and long term incentives, and a comprehensive benefits package. The total compensation offered to an employee will be dependent upon the individual's skills, experience, qualifications, location, and level.

We are committed to creating a modern work environment that supports our employees and their loved ones. We offer many options of the best programs to allow you to do your most meaningful work and to help you shape the future of mobility.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Excellent health, wellness, dental and vision coverage
• A rewarding 401k program
• Flexible vacation policy
• Family planning and care benefits

OUR COMMITMENT

• We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity.
• Any information we receive from you will be used only in the hiring and onboarding process. Please see our privacy notice for more details.