Manager, Data Science for Collision Avoidance

Key Skills

Databricks, Effective communication skills, Mathematical modeling, Python Programming, R Programming, Scala Programming, SPARK Programming, SQL

Job Description

The Collision Avoidance System (CAS) is responsible for detecting and reacting to imminent collision situations in support of our vehicle’s overall safety goals. CAS Perception is responsible for processing raw sensor data from our vehicle’s world-class sensor suite using a combination of geometric, interpretable algorithms and deep learning to detect near-collisions with obstacles along our intended driving path, in the most challenging dense urban environments and under tight compute resource constraints. Overall CAS is parallel and complementary to our Main AI autonomy stack and has a close relationship with our vehicle hardware and safety teams to architect redundancy into our overall driving system.

As the Manager, Data Science for CAS (CAS Verification and Validation) at Zoox, you will spearhead a multifaceted team comprising engineers, data scientists, and statisticians, focusing on the critical task of assessing the Collision Avoidance System (CAS). This system is essential for detecting and mitigating imminent collisions, through partnering with Zoox's autonomy software teams. Your role involves defining and building metrics to gauge CAS performance, emphasizing its operation in dense urban settings. You will collaborate extensively with System Engineers and QA teams to formulate comprehensive validation plans, ensuring CAS's efficacy and integration within Zoox's broader safety objectives.

Responsibilities

• You will set the short and long-term technical direction for the team and collaborate on the broader company-wide directions
• You will coordinate cross-functional initiatives with other teams across CAS Perception Algorithms, Systems Engineering, QA, and more
• You will grow the team through hiring and guide the continued professional development of team members
• You will collaborate with engineers on the other parts of CAS Perception, CAS Planner, and the Main AI teams to solve the overall Autonomous Driving problem in complex urban environments

Qualifications

• S. or higher degree in an Engineering or Science discipline with a strong focus on Mathematics, Statistics, Probability Theory, or Data Science
• 8+ years of relevant professional work experience and at least 2 years of leading teams of 5+ engineers
• Fluency in Python
• Proficiency in quantitative analysis/modeling tools
• Sound statistical inference skills, with the ability to communicate uncertainty appropriately to engineering and business stakeholders

Bonus Qualifications

• Advanced Degree in Computer Science
• Experience with production metrics pipelines
• Experience with manual or automatic labeling pipelines
• Experience with analysis of latency for safety-critical software systems
• Experience with petabyte-scale distributed computing (Spark, Databricks, generic MapReduce pipelines)
• Background in Bayesian statistics
• Proficient with Scala / R / SQL
• Prior experience with autonomous vehicles in general
• Strong mathematics skills

Compensation

There are three major components to compensation for this position: salary, Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. The salary will range from $203,000 to $319,000. A sign-on bonus may be part of a compensation package. Compensation will vary based on geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. 

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.