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Zoox is seeking a Senior Team Lead for Vehicle Technicians to manage and scale operations for autonomous vehicle fleet maintenance and testing. This is a hands-on leadership role combining deep technical expertise with people management and operational excellence.
You will manage the full lifecycle of a technical team—recruiting, onboarding, performance management, and succession planning—while coaching technicians and leads to build high-performing teams rooted in safety and quality. You'll own the development and enforcement of standard operating procedures (SOPs) across inspections, maintenance, and upgrades, ensuring documentation is audited and aligned with real-world execution.
Operational excellence is central to the role. You will drive improvements using data, root cause analysis, and standard work methodologies to enhance throughput, vehicle uptime, and process repeatability. You'll ensure operational readiness by verifying that tools, equipment, parts, and facilities are standardized and fully available. You'll champion EHS and 5S standards, maintaining a compliant work environment and embedding safety into daily behaviors.
You will proactively identify and mitigate risks, leading corrective and preventive actions to address safety concerns and process gaps. You'll define and track critical KPIs related to fleet readiness, quality, and downtime, using data insights to drive accountability. Collaboration is key—you'll partner with Engineering, Test, and Facilities teams to align operational execution with company roadmaps and testing milestones.
The role includes leading strategic scaling initiatives, translating high-level goals into practical plans for increased fleet size, new platforms, and expanded facility operations. You'll serve as the primary technical escalation point for complex maintenance and configuration changes, and provide data-backed communication to leadership regarding operational risks and trade-offs. Travel is required (50%+ locally and nationally), and you'll work alongside local leadership to align on location needs and handle escalated situations.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 8+ years of hands-on automotive technician experience
- 4+ years of people leadership experience in technical, automotive, or high-volume service environments
- Proven experience implementing and improving SOPs, standard work, and operational processes in complex technical environments
- Strong understanding of EH&S compliance, safety programs, and 5S methodologies
- Extensive knowledge of automotive systems, diagnostic methods, parts, and tools
- High proficiency in CAN/LIN architecture, wiring diagrams, and soldering
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to influence across technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and operate effectively in fast-paced, ambiguous environments
- Willingness and ability to travel locally and nationally (50%+) with a clean driving record
BONUS QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree
- Experience with autonomous vehicles or similar safety-critical industry
- Experience in R&D, testing, or pre-production environments
- Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies
- Experience supporting scaling operations, new site launches, or fleet expansion
- Strong understanding of EV architectures and high-voltage systems
- Experience with specialized test equipment (NVH, vehicle dynamics, thermal, durability)
- Technical trade school certificate or Associate Degree in automotive repair
