Tech Lead, Verification and Validation

California Jobs; Fremont (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in autonomous logistics is seeking a Tech Lead to oversee the V&V strategy for their autonomous trucking systems. This role involves leading a team to ensure safety and performance standards while innovating testing methods. The position requires a strong background in autonomous systems and technical leadership, with a focus on collaboration across teams.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in V&V for autonomous systems.
• 3+ years leading technical or V&V teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement V&V strategies across the product lifecycle.
• Manage a team of engineers, providing technical leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Analysis

Communication

Education

Master's in EE, CS, MechE, Robotics

PhD

Tools

MATLAB

Python

Jenkins

Git

Job description

Gatik, the leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics, is revolutionizing the B2B supply chain with its autonomous transportation-as-a-service (ATaaS) solution and prioritizing safe, consistent deliveries while streamlining freight movement by reducing congestion. The company focuses on short-haul, B2B logistics for Fortune 500 retailers and in 2021 launched the world's first fully driverless commercial transportation service with Walmart. Gatik's Class 3-7 autonomous trucks are commercially deployed across major markets, including Texas, Arkansas, and Ontario, Canada, driving innovation in freight transportation.

The company's proprietary Level 4 autonomous technology, Gatik Carrier, is custom-built to transport freight safely and efficiently between pick-up and drop-off locations on the middle mile. With robust capabilities in both highway and urban environments, Gatik Carrier serves as an all-encompassing solution that integrates advanced software and hardware powering the fleet, facilitating effortless integration into customers' logistics operations.

About the role

We're looking for a Tech Lead to own the end-to-end V&V strategy for our autonomous trucking systems. You'll lead a cross-functional team in validating both hardware and software, ensuring our vehicles meet top safety, reliability, and performance standards. You'll guide V&V activities across all testing environments — from simulation and HIL/SIL to real-world and field testing.

This role is onsite 5 days a week at our Mountain View, CA or Fort Worth, TX office!

What you'll do

• Define and implement V&V strategies across the product lifecycle
• Lead daily execution of safety goals and testing activities
• Manage a team of engineers, providing technical leadership and mentorship
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to embed V&V into development
• Oversee simulation, HIL/SIL, integration, and on-road testing
• Develop test cases, environments, tools, and reports for internal and external stakeholders
• Analyze test data to drive decisions, resolve issues, and improve processes
• Ensure compliance with regulatory and safety standards
• Innovate testing methods, including scenario-based and AI-driven validation

What we're looking for

• Master's in EE, CS, MechE, Robotics, or related field (PhD a plus)
• 5+ years in V&V for autonomous systems or safety-critical products
• 3+ years leading technical or V&V teams
• Experience with simulation, HIL/SIL, and field validation
• Familiarity with AV hardware/software, sensors, and tools (e.g., MATLAB, Python, Jenkins, Git)
• Strong knowledge of safety standards (ISO 26262, UL4600, etc.)
• Proven ability to lead, analyze, and communicate in complex technical environments

Bonus Points

• Experience with autonomous trucking
• AI/ML-based validation experience
• Understanding of global regulatory frameworks and their impact on autonomous vehicle operations

More about Gatik

Founded in 2017 by experts in autonomous vehicle technology, Gatik has rapidly expanded its presence to Mountain View, Dallas-Fort Worth, Arkansas, and Toronto. As the first and only company to achieve fully driverless middle-mile commercial deliveries, Gatik holds a unique and defensible position in the AV industry, with a clear trajectory toward sustainable growth and profitability.

We have delivered complete, proprietary AV technology - an integration of software and hardware - to enable earlier successes for our clients in constrained Level 4 autonomy. By choosing the middle mile – with defined point-to-point delivery, we have simplified some of the more complex AV challenges, enabling us to achieve full autonomy ahead of competitors. Given extensive knowledge of Gatik's well-defined, fixed route ODDs and hybrid architecture, we are able to hyper-optimize our models with exponentially less data, establish gate-keeping mechanisms to maintain explainability, and ensure continued safety of the system for unmanned operations.

Visit us at Gatik for more company information and Careers at Gatik for more open roles.

Notable News

• Forbes: Forget robotaxis. Upstart Gatik sees middle-mile deliveries as the path to profitable AVs
• Tech Brew: Gatik AI exec unpacks the regulations that could shape the AV industry
• Business Wire: Gatik Paves the Way for Safe Driverless Operations (‘Freight-Only') at Scale with Industry-First Third-Party Safety Assessment Framework
• Auto Futures: Autonomous Trucking Group Gatik Secures Investment From NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS
• Automotive News: Gatik foresees hundreds of self-driving trucks on road soon, and that's just the beginning
• Forbes: Isuzu And Gatik Go All In To Scale Up Driverless Freight Services
• Bloomberg: Autonomous Vehicle Startup Takes Off by Picking Off Easier Routes
• Reuters: Driverless vehicles on limited routes bump along despite US robotaxi scrutiny