Manager, Chassis Actuators - Brakes & Steering

Zoox; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 195,000 - 269,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sign-on bonus may be offered

Job summary

Zoox is seeking a Manager of the Brakes & Steering team to lead a group of hardware and controls engineers through the full product lifecycle. You will balance safety, timing, cost, and mass targets while partnering with Tier 1 suppliers and cross-functional teams to bring a next-generation robotaxi to life.

You will guide design reviews, requirements, and bring-up, driving technical rigor and program milestones across the brake and steer-by-wire platforms.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of automotive chassis engineering experience at an OEM or Tier 1 supplier.
• 2+ years of people management experience.
• Proven track record delivering brake and/or steering systems, managing suppliers, and owning budgets and schedules.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of hardware and controls engineers, setting clear priorities and fostering technical excellence.
• Deliver brake and steering systems that meet aggressive safety, timing, cost, and mass targets, driving programs through milestones and phase-gate reviews.
• Own budget and resource forecasting, including headcount, supplier spend, prototype and test costs, and tooling.
• Manage strategic Tier 1 supplier relationships to co-develop hardware and controls software, ensuring on-time delivery and performance.
• Partner with Vehicle Integration, Functional Safety, Firmware, Validation, and Manufacturing teams to ensure robust system requirements, integration, and bring-up.
• Drive technical rigor across requirements, design reviews, validation plans, and issue resolution, escalating risks early and removing roadblocks.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

3DX

Job description

At Zoox, you will lead a multidisciplinary team building the brake and steering systems for the world's first purpose-built robotaxi. Because a robot is in control of the vehicle, you will be constantly challenged to rethink traditional chassis paradigms and deliver elegant, ultra-efficient hardware and controls from the ground up.

As Manager of the Brakes & Steering team, you will guide hardware and controls engineers through the full product lifecycle of our hydraulic brake and steer-by-wire platforms, from concept through production. You will balance aggressive safety, timing, cost, and mass targets while partnering with Tier 1 suppliers and with Vehicle Integration, Functional Safety, Firmware, Validation, and Manufacturing teams to bring our next-generation vehicle to life.

In this role, you will:

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of hardware and controls engineers, setting clear priorities and fostering technical excellence.
• Deliver brake and steering systems that meet aggressive safety, timing, cost, and mass targets, driving programs through milestones and phase-gate reviews.
• Own budget and resource forecasting, including headcount, supplier spend, prototype and test costs, and tooling.
• Manage strategic Tier 1 supplier relationships to co-develop hardware and controls software, ensuring on-time delivery and performance.
• Partner with Vehicle Integration, Functional Safety, Firmware, Validation, and Manufacturing teams to ensure robust system requirements, integration, and bring-up.
• Drive technical rigor across requirements, design reviews, validation plans, and issue resolution, escalating risks early and removing roadblocks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or an equivalent discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in automotive chassis engineering at an OEM or Tier 1 supplier.
• 2+ years of people management experience.
• Proven track record delivering brake and/or steering systems, managing suppliers, and owning budgets and schedules.
• Experience with JIRA, Confluence, and 3DX

Bonus Qualifications

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in Engineering.
• Experience with steer-by-wire or brake-by-wire systems and functional safety (ISO 26262).
• Experience with Polarion and automotive product development processes (e.g., APQP).

$195,000 - $269,000 a year

Base Salary Range

There are three major components to compensation for this position: salary, Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. A sign-on bonus may be offered as part of the compensation package. The listed range applies only to the base salary. Compensation will vary based on geographic location and level. Leveling, as well as positioning within a level, is determined by a range of factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate's relevant years of experience, domain knowledge, and interview performance. The salary range listed in this posting is representative of the range of levels Zoox is considering for this position.

About Zoox

Zoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility-as-a-service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team.

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Accommodations

If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to [e-mail] or your assigned recruiter.

A Final Note:

You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.