Manager - Model Evaluation

Zoox; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RSUs

Stock Appreciation Rights

Job summary

Zoox is seeking a Manager of Model Validation & Verification for Behavior Autonomy to lead an engineering and data science team responsible for evaluating, benchmarking, and validating ML models and behavioral algorithms that drive our autonomous vehicle prediction and planning stacks.

You will own the validation pipelines, metrics, and release criteria, partnering with Autonomy Software, Prediction, Planner, and MLOps to drive data-driven decisions for safe, reliable fleet behavior.

Qualifications

• Masters or PhD in CS, Robotics, Applied Statistics or a related field.
• 2+ years of direct engineering management experience leading Data Science/ML/V&V teams.
• 7+ years of technical experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or AI/ML.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing team of Data Scientists, ML Validation Engineers, and Software Engineers.
• Define and execute end-to-end validation strategies across offline evaluation, simulations, and shadow-mode fleet benchmarking.
• Oversee metric development and standardization with Safety and Autonomy teams for release criteria.

Skills

Team leadership

Statistical validation

ML model evaluation

Release gating

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decision making

Education

Master's or PhD in CS/Robotics/Applied Statistics

Tools

Python

C++

Job description

As the Manager of Model Validation & Verification (VnV) for Behavior Autonomy, you will lead an engineering and data science team responsible for evaluating, benchmarking, and validating the machine learning models and behavioral algorithms that drive our autonomous vehicle (AV) prediction and planning stacks.You will own the statistical frameworks, offline/online evaluation metrics, and validation pipelines that ensure our behavioral models operate safely, comfortably, and predictably. Operating at the intersection of Data Science, Machine Learning, and Safety Engineering, you will partner closely with Autonomy Software, Prediction, Planner, and ML Operations teams to establish data driven release criteria for our AV fleet.

Team Leadership & Execution:

Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing team of Data Scientists, ML Validation Engineers, and Software Engineers while driving roadmaps, sprint execution, resource allocation, and high-throughput model releases with rigorous safety guardrails.

Culture of Rigor:

Foster a culture of statistical excellence, healthy skepticism, proactive risk tracking, and data-driven decision-making.

Validation Strategy & Methodologies:

Define and execute end-to-end validation strategies across offline evaluation, open/closed-loop simulation, and shadow-mode fleet benchmarking to ensure robust behavioral model performance. Statistical uncertainties, and regressions into clear, data-driven recommendations for release gating and executive leadership.

Metrics, Release Gating & Rigor:

Oversee metric development and standardization with System Safety and Autonomy teams, establishing quantitative go/no-go release criteria for Behavioral Planner and Prediction ML models while fostering statistical rigor and proactive risk management.

Cross-Functional & Infrastructure Partnership:

Partner closely with Planner, Prediction, MLOps, and Developer Efficiency teams to translate behavioral requirements into measurable validation targets, streamline dataset and evaluation pipelines, and optimize runtime and compute costs.

Executive Communication & Decision-Making:

Translate complex model performance trade-offs, statistical uncertainty, regressions, and safety risks into clear, data-driven recommendations for release decisions and executive leadership.

Qualifications:

Experience:

Masters or PhD in CS, Robotics, Applied Statistics or a related field and 3+ years of direct engineering management experience leading Data Science, Machine Learning, or V&V engineering teams, alongside 7+ years of technical experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or AI/ML.

Domain Knowledge:

Strong background in ML model validation, behavioral evaluation frameworks, system-level performance benchmarking, and statistics.

Software & Systems Literacy:

Strong technical foundation in Python and modern data/ML platforms, with exposure to or conceptual literacy in large-scale production codebases (C++ or distributed systems). Proven ability to partner with systems software engineers, review technical architecture, and understand compute/performance trade-offs, Track record of leading teams evaluating complex robotic systems

Technical Depth:

Proven familiarity with modern C++/Python ML environments, simulation frameworks, high-throughput ML evaluation pipelines

Cross-Functional Leadership:

Demonstrated ability to navigate complex organizational trade offs between release velocity, compute cost, and safety rigor.

Bonus Qualification:

• Experience with autonomous vehicles, robotics, or other safety-critical systems.
• Experience building large-scale simulation, model evaluation, or validation infrastructure.
• Experience with reinforcement learning, generative AI, or distributed ML systems.

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.

Zoox also offers a comprehensive package of benefits, including paid time off (e.g. sick leave, vacation, bereavement), unpaid time off, Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights, Amazon RSUs, health insurance, long-term care insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, and life insurance.

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 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. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.