Senior / Staff Program Manager, Verification and Validation Operations
About the position
Zoox's Fleet Operations Program Management team delivers cross-functional programs critical to the growth, expansion, and efficient operation of our commercial autonomous vehicle service. We partner closely with Fleet Operations and cross-functional stakeholders to verify, validate, and launch new software on our fleet — while continuously maturing our operational processes to deliver a premium customer experience. We're looking for an experienced, forward-thinking Senior / Staff Program Manager to help define and execute strategies that scale our Verification & Validation (V&V) operations. Our testing fleet — hundreds of vehicles across multiple cities and private tracks — is growing rapidly in size and geographic reach. This is a highly cross-functional role operating at the intersection of operations, autonomy, engineering, and product — requiring someone who can navigate technical complexity while driving alignment and execution across a broad set of stakeholders.
Responsibilities
- Lead and coordinate large-scale, highly cross-functional programs spanning Autonomy, Product, Infrastructure, Engineering, and Safety teams to drive measurable improvements in fleet efficiency and software quality
- Own and drive operational efficiency initiatives that span multiple engineering, field service, and operations teams — identifying bottlenecks, aligning stakeholders, and unblocking downstream execution
- Partner with System Design & Mission Assurance and other safety teams to gather and pressure-test requirements — bringing a critical lens to ensure what's being asked for is the right thing to build or prioritize
- Champion the adoption of AI and data-driven tools within operations — including building centralized, multi-source reporting systems that surface actionable intelligence from the field and feed into leadership decision-making
- Run monthly business reviews (MBRs) with a broad set of stakeholders — synthesizing ground-level signals from market leads and operational locations into clear recommendations on resources, partnerships, and priorities for leadership
- Define and track the right operational metrics — not just reporting on what exists, but actively shaping what should be measured and why
- Partner with Finance to support operational and financial planning cycles (OP1, OP2, quarterly R&O), ensuring budgets reflect operational needs accurately and efficiently
- Lead key efficiency initiatives across our L3 and robotaxi R&D fleets, including improvements in fleet utilization, time-in-autonomy, troubleshooting cycle times, and operational infrastructure
- Manage program timelines, resources, and deliverables; proactively identify and mitigate operational and programmatic risks
- Create and maintain program documentation and progress reports for senior leadership
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Research, Operations Management, or a STEM field
- 10+ years of program management experience, with a strong preference for backgrounds that blend technical depth with operational execution
- Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale, highly cross-functional programs with significant organizational impact
- Comfortable operating in ambiguity — able to structure undefined problems, build frameworks from scratch, and drive toward clarity
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills across engineering, product, and operations audiences
- Deeply data-driven — not just tracking metrics but validating them, questioning outputs that don't add up, and pushing back when the data tells the wrong story
- Proficient with modern AI tools and workflows (e.g., Gemini, Claude, MCP APIs, cloud-based coding environments) and actively applies them to drive operational efficiency and better decision-making
Nice-to-haves
- Experience in autonomous vehicles, aerospace, ride-hail, robotics, or fleet management
- Background in systems engineering, software development, or technical operations
- MBA or Master's degree in a STEM field
- PMP, PgMP, or equivalent certification
- Experience with vehicle testing, validation, or disengagement analysis
Benefits
- 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
- life insurance
