Senior / Staff Program Manager, Verification and Validation Operations
Location
Foster City, CA
Work mode
hybrid
Type
full-time
Department
Fleet Operations, Fleet Operations Program Management
Last seen
23h ago
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.
Expected Travel: 10–15%
In this role, you will:
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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
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Own and drive operational efficiency initiatives that span multiple engineering, field service, and operations teams — identifying bottlenecks, aligning stakeholders, and unblocking downstream execution
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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
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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
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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
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Define and track the right operational metrics — not just reporting on what exists, but actively shaping what should be measured and why
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Partner with Finance to support operational and financial planning cycles (OP1, OP2, quarterly R&O), ensuring budgets reflect operational needs accurately and efficiently
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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
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Manage program timelines, resources, and deliverables; proactively identify and mitigate operational and programmatic risks
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Create and maintain program documentation and progress reports for senior leadership
Qualifications
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Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Research, Operations Management, or a STEM field
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10+ years of program management experience, with a strong preference for backgrounds that blend technical depth with operational execution
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Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale, highly cross-functional programs with significant organizational impact
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Comfortable operating in ambiguity — able to structure undefined problems, build frameworks from scratch, and drive toward clarity
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Strong stakeholder management and communication skills across engineering, product, and operations audiences
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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
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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
Bonus Qualifications
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Experience in autonomous vehicles, aerospace, ride-hail, robotics, or fleet management
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Background in systems engineering, software development, or technical operations
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MBA or Master’s degree in a STEM field
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PMP, PgMP, or equivalent certification
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Experience with vehicle testing, validation, or disengagement analysis