Operational Strength Attribute Lead, Vehicle Integration

Operational Strength Attribute Lead, Vehicle Integration

Foster City, CA

Vehicle Development - Vehicle Integration, Testing & Validation /

On-site

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At Zoox, we have set the goal of providing our customers with the highest level of safety while using our fully autonomous vehicles. You will work with a team of world-class engineers with diverse backgrounds in robotics, control, and vehicle engineering to deliver vehicle performance. As an Operational Strength Attribute Lead, you will ensure that vehicle structures, systems, and components operate safely, reliably, and efficiently throughout their intended lifespan. You will be responsible for evaluating the structural integrity, stiffness, strength, and fatigue resistance of vehicle architectures-such as Body-in-White (BIW), chassis, suspension, closures, and battery enclosures-against real-world operating environments for a robotaxi operating in a dense-urban environment. This role spans the entire product development cycle, balancing requirements definition, computer-aided engineering (CAE) simulations with physical laboratory and track validation to optimize performance and prevent structural failures.

In this role, you will:

• Target setting: Define and own robot-level targets for strength and durability together with internal stakeholders and cascade those targets to the system teams.
• Structural & Fatigue Analysis: Work together with the CAE team to assess static strength, stiffness, dynamic loading, and fatigue behavior of complex mechanical systems.
• Design Optimization: Collaborate early with cross-functional design engineers to develop practical and cost-effective structural solutions that meet vehicle attribute requirements.
• Test-to-Simulation Correlation: Analyze vehicle road load data and correlate findings with simulations to continuously improve model accuracy and establish standardized methodologies.
• Validation & Testing Support: Translate customer usage profiles into laboratory test specifications, design accelerated fatigue life testing cycles, and lead physical component-level or full-vehicle validation programs.
• Complete vehicle lifetime durability performance: lead cross-functional teams to deliver lifetime durability requirements for the complete vehicle.
• Failure & Root-Cause Investigation: Direct laboratory teardowns, conduct root-cause analysis on structural components that fail during physical testing or field service, and verify engineering countermeasures.
• Manufacturing Feasibility: Assess structural designs for manufacturing and assembly capability, checking for bolted joint slippage, door sag, weld performance, and stamping limitations.
• Documentation and Reporting: Provide regular Strength and Durability status updates and generate technical reports as needed.
• Technical Leadership: Share technical knowledge and communicate best practices and performance expectations to cross-functional teams and junior engineers.

Qualifications

• Possess a Master's degree with 10+ years of hands-on experience in automotive Strength and Durability Engineering.
• Demonstrate system and vehicle level testing experience in laboratory and automotive proving ground environments.
• Demonstrate proficiency with durability simulation and analysis software tools (e.g., ANSYS, ABAQUS, ADAMS, nCode).
• Demonstrate familiarity with automotive requirements and validation sign-off standards.
• Demonstrate excellent written, presentation, and verbal communication skills with the ability to create visualizations of KPIs and program risks.

Bonus Qualifications

• Demonstrate proficiency in tools and processes required to manage complex projects (e.g., JIRA, Confluence).

$224,000 - $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.

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.

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.

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