Staff Systems Engineer – Simulation Systems Verification and Validation Lead

Zoox

. Own the end-to-end simulation V&V strategy across integration levels from sensors-only through full-system behavior to construct a safety case for fully autonomous driving on public roads .

Posted 10/30/2026full-timeFoster City • California • United StatesSenior💰 $208,000 - $287,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in verification and validation (V&V) strategies for safety-critical systems, with a strong focus on integrating simulation and real-world data to support autonomous driving safety cases. Proficient in systems thinking, leading cross-functional teams, and mentoring engineers in V&V practices.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Verification And Validation (V&V)Systems ThinkingSimulation ValidationData Fusion EstimatorsSafety Standards Familiarity

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Verification And ValidationSimulation ValidationData Fusion EstimatorsModeling UncertaintiesSensor SimulationMotion Planning EvaluationPythonSQL

Soft Skills

Cross-Functional LeadershipMentoring

Industry Keywords

Safety-Critical SystemsAutonomous DrivingNASA-STD-7009ASME V&V 10/20/40ISO 21448UL 4600ISO 26262ISO 34502

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

PythonSQL

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own the end-to-end simulation V&V strategy across integration levels from sensors-only through full-system behavior to construct a safety case for fully autonomous driving on public roads
Define datasets, metrics, and comparison methods
Lead a recurring cross-functional simulation validation program with simulation, perception, planning, systems engineering, safety, and data infrastructure teams
Set milestones and cadence, track risks and dependencies, and drive decisions to closure
Partner with statisticians and data scientists on estimators combining simulated and real-world results into safety performance measures
Write methodology documents and validation reports
Present results, risks, and recommendations to engineering and executive leadership
Mentor engineers across teams in V&V practice and systems thinking
Collaborate with simulation, perception, planning, hardware, safety, data science, and systems engineering teams to support safe scaling of Zoox's autonomous mobility service

Requirements

What you’ll need

M.S. or higher in Systems, Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or Robotics Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or a related field
8+ years of experience in verification and validation of safety-critical systems containing software or autonomy
Record of leading technical programs across several teams, from an ambiguous problem statement to a delivered result
Working-level experience validating a simulation or model against real-world data so results could support a decision, preferably for a closed-loop system with software or a learned controller in the loop
Strong systems thinking, including breaking a system into integration levels, defining interfaces and evidence needed at each level, and connecting component-level results to system-level claims
Experience deriving or implementing estimators that fuse simulated and real data, such as control variates, prediction-powered inference, Bayesian hierarchical models or power priors, importance sampling, or rare-event estimation
Similar experience with modeling uncertainties and failure rates is acceptable
Experience with sensor simulation, neural rendering, generative scene synthesis, or perception evaluation metrics is a bonus
Experience evaluating motion planning or behavior in closed-loop simulation at scale is a bonus
Familiarity with model credibility and safety standards such as NASA-STD-7009, ASME V&V 10/20/40, ISO 21448 (SOTIF), UL 4600, ISO 26262, or ISO 34502 is a bonus
Hands-on Python and SQL is a bonus
Ph.D. in a relevant field is a bonus

Benefits

Comp & perks

Paid time off, including sick leave, vacation, and bereavement
Unpaid time off
Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights
Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Health insurance
Long-term care insurance
Long-term and short-term disability insurance
Life insurance
Sign-on bonus may be offered