Cssmerge Director, Vehicle Integration leads development and testing of vehicle platforms for autonomy software. This role manages hardware-in-the-loop validation, integration architecture, and vehicle bring-up and commissioning.
Responsibilities
We are hiring a Director of Vehicle Integration to lead the group that makes it possible to develop and test our vehicle platforms. The group owns the hardware-in-the-loop and bench capability our autonomy software is validated against, the bring-up and commissioning that take a vehicle from kit to fleet. When a problem cannot be resolved in the field, this group is the engineering backstop.
One platform will serve more than one vehicle program, and we expect the hardware to be re-spun as we learn from deployment. What we intend to control is that any re-spin is cheap, fast, and testable off the vehicle, which makes modularity the governing design constraint on what this group builds in the lap. This is a player-coach role: hands-on leading senior engineers and technicians who are doing this work alongside the open positions you will create and fill.
Off-vehicle validation. Own the hardware-in-the-loop and bench capability that validates a software release against real vehicle interfaces, including where bench behavior and vehicle behavior diverge. Build it modular, so later configurations reuse the harness breakouts, power, sensor interfaces, and logging paths.
Integration architecture. Own the autonomy integration on the development fleet: electrical architecture, harnesses, mounting, sensor and compute placement, power, and the drive-by-wire and actuation interface to the base vehicle, including fault handling and degraded-mode behavior.
On-vehicle bring-up and commissioning. Own the build instructions, drawings, calibration procedures, and production scripts that development vehicle builds and retrofits run against, and make commissioning into a gate.
Cross-functional interfaces. Work with robotics on the release interface, with vehicle operations on availability and field issues, with hardware engineering and manufacturing on build and retrofit execution, and with OEM and supplier partners.
Qualification
Bachelor's degree in ElectricalHands-on depth in experience inExperience converting bespokeExperience standing up a lab
Required
Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field is required, with 3+ years of relevant experience including 3+ leading engineers. Equivalent hands-on experience will be considered in place of the degree.
Ownership of vehicle integration from architecture through fleet deployment, with personal accountability for how the system was installed, validated, and supported on the road.
Hands-on depth in experience in: vehicle networks (CAN, CAN FD, LIN, Automotive Ethernet); drive-by-wire and actuation integration; electrical and harness architecture; embedded compute and sensor integration; hardware-in-the-loop and bench validation.
Experience converting bespoke, per-vehicles bring up engineering into a repeatable process, with documentation an engineer who did not build it can work from.
Experience on an L3 or L4 automated driving program, or a production ADAS program at L2+.
Ability to work onsite five days a week in San Francisco, with travel to test and deployment sites. The role requires lifting up to 50 lbs and working at roof level and under vehicles, with or without reasonable accommodation, and a valid driver's license with a clean driving record.
Preferred
High-voltage and EV platform integration.
Bring-up experience on automotive compute platforms such as NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin or Thor, DRIVE OS, or QNX.
Familiarity with functional safety practice for automated driving, including ISO 26262 and ISO 21448, and the evidence a safety case depends on.
Experience standing up a lab, bench, or test function from 0 to 1
