Senior V&V Engineer – Public Road & Fleet Testing

Who we are

Gatik, the leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics, is revolutionizing the B2B supply chain with its autonomous transportation-as-a-service (ATaaS) solution and prioritizing safe, consistent deliveries while streamlining freight movement by reducing congestion. The company focuses on short-haul, B2B logistics for Fortune 500 retailers and in 2021 launched the world’s first fully driverless commercial transportation service with Walmart. Gatik's Class 3-7 autonomous trucks are commercially deployed across major markets, including Texas, Arkansas, and Ontario, Canada, driving innovation in freight transportation. 

The company's proprietary Level 4 autonomous technology, Gatik Carrier™, is custom-built to transport freight safely and efficiently between pick-up and drop-off locations on the middle mile. With robust capabilities in both highway and urban environments, Gatik Carrier™ serves as an all-encompassing solution that integrates advanced software and hardware powering the fleet, facilitating effortless integration into customers' logistics operations. 

About the role

The Senior V&V Engineer - Public Road & Fleet Testing bridges system development and driverless commercial deployment. This role is responsible for validating system behavior across Gatik’s active B2B customer routes, assessing map release quality, tracking real-world safety metrics, and proving that autonomous trucks meet strict driverless deployment gates. You will analyze fleet data, investigate operational events, and ensure the autonomous fleet safely executes daily middle-mile freight deliveries.

This role is onsite 5 days a week at our Santa Clara, CA office!

What you'll do

Key Responsibilities

• Public Road Validation Strategy: Define and execute on-road structured testing and shadow fleet evaluation programs for new software builds across commercial customer corridors.
• Route & Map Validation: Validate map updates, route configurations across customer ODDs prior to driverless sign-off.
• Disengagement & Anomaly Investigation: Perform deep-dive root-cause analysis on events, dynamic anomalies, near-misses, and unexpected vehicle behaviors using log visualization tools (Foxglove, Grafana, SQL, Python).
• SPI & KPI Verification: Track Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs) and performance metrics to quantify system readiness for fully driverless operation.
• Field Deployment Support: Serve as the primary V&V technical owner for vehicle commissioning, operational readiness, and customer route expansion.
• Feedback Loop to Engineering: Translate on-road findings into structured bug reports, regression scenarios for SIL/HIL, and action items for autonomy algorithm teams.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: B.S. or M.S. in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Automotive Engineering, or Data Analytics.
• Experience: 5+ years in field validation, fleet testing, or systems engineering for autonomous vehicles or large-scale robotic fleets.
• Data Analysis Mastery:
• Advanced proficiency in Python, SQL, and data visualization/log analysis platforms (Jupyter, Grafana, Foxglove, MCAP).
• Demonstrated experience analyzing sensor logs (LiDAR, Radar, Camera, CAN) to triage autonomy failures.
• Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of Operational Design Domains (ODDs), route mapping validation, and fleet-wide safety monitoring.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience deploying L4 driverless commercial operations in freight, trucking, or ride-hailing.
• Expertise in statistical fleet reliability modeling.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills working directly with Operations, Safety, and Engineering teams.

Salary Range - $160,000- $260,000

More about Gatik

Founded in 2017 by experts in autonomous vehicle technology, Gatik has rapidly expanded its presence to Mountain View, Dallas-Fort Worth, Arkansas, and Toronto. As the first and only company to achieve fully driverless middle-mile commercial deliveries, Gatik holds a unique and defensible position in the AV industry, with a clear trajectory toward sustainable growth and profitability.

We have delivered complete, proprietary AV technology - an integration of software and hardware - to enable earlier successes for our clients in constrained Level 4 autonomy.  By choosing the middle mile - with defined point-to-point delivery, we have simplified some of the more complex AV challenges, enabling us to achieve full autonomy ahead of competitors. Given extensive knowledge of Gatik’s well-defined, fixed route ODDs and hybrid architecture, we are able to hyper-optimize our models with exponentially less data, establish gate-keeping mechanisms to maintain explainability, and ensure continued safety of the system for unmanned operations.

Visit us at Gatik for more company information and Careers at Gatik for more open roles.

Notable News

• Forbes: Forget robotaxis. Upstart Gatik sees middle-mile deliveries as the path to profitable AVs
• Tech Brew: Gatik AI exec unpacks the regulations that could shape the AV industry
• Business Wire: Gatik Paves the Way for Safe Driverless Operations (‘Freight-Only’) at Scale with Industry-First Third-Party Safety Assessment Framework
• Auto Futures: Autonomous Trucking Group Gatik Secures Investment From NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS
• Automotive News: Gatik foresees hundreds of self-driving trucks on road soon, and that's just the beginning
• Forbes: Isuzu And Gatik Go All In To Scale Up Driverless Freight Services
• Bloomberg: Autonomous Vehicle Startup Takes Off by Picking Off Easier Routes
• Reuters: Driverless vehicles on limited routes bump along despite US robotaxi scrutiny

Taking care of our team

At Gatik, we connect people of extraordinary talent and experience to an opportunity to create a more resilient supply chain and contribute to our environment’s sustainability. We are diverse in our backgrounds and perspectives yet united by a bold vision and shared commitment to our values. Our culture emphasizes the importance of collaboration, respect and agility.

We at Gatik strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels they have opportunities to succeed and grow because we know that together we can do great things. We are committed to an inclusive and diverse team. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any legally protected status.

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