Lead safety and systems technical program execution for autonomous vehicle platforms. Coordinate safety assessments, system architectures, verification and validation, production readiness reviews, continuous software evaluation, executive reporting, issue tracking, and cross-functional engineering alignment. Consolidate plans and Jira data, use AI tools to reduce administrative overhead, ensure requirements have test coverage, and drive safety, security, and systems deliverables through deployment decisions.
Waabi, founded by AI visionary Raquel Urtasun, is the leader in Physical AI. With a world-class team, we're unlocking the next era of autonomous transportation with technology that's powering commercial autonomous trucks and robotaxis. Waabi is backed by and partners with world leaders in AI, automotive, logistics, and deep tech.
With offices in Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas, and Pittsburgh, Waabi is growing quickly and looking for diverse, innovative and collaborative candidates who want to impact the world in a positive way. To learn more visit: www.waabi.ai
As the Safety and Systems Technical Program Manager, you will drive the execution of our safety and systems engineering development efforts for our autonomous vehicle platforms. Safety is at the core of everything we do, and we need a technical program manager to ensure our safety assessments, system architectures, and verification and validation processes (simulation and real world testing) are delivered efficiently and rigorously. You will translate complex technical milestones into clear, centralized plans, streamline communication across engineering leads, and leverage modern AI tools to eliminate administrative friction. If you thrive on bringing structure to safety-critical engineering, aligning cross-functional teams, and clearing roadblocks before they happen, this role is for you.
You will:
- Collaborate with other Technical Program Managers across the company to ensure Safety, Security, and Systems plans align seamlessly with other functional areas and the organization’s feature introduction roadmap.
- Consolidate project timelines, Jira tracking boards, and status updates into a centralized master plan, utilizing AI tools (like Claude) to synthesize information and limit the manual overhead required from engineering leads.
- Provide clear, comprehensive executive reporting of Safety, Security, and Systems tasks, deliverables, and resources across multiple assessments, platforms, and behavioral competencies.
- Track the execution of verification and validation (V&V) in simulation and real-world testing - providing dedicated TPM support to test leads so they can focus on test definition and evaluation - while applying systems engineering principles to ensure all requirements have full test coverage.
- Take a leading role in organizing driverless deployment decisions through Production Readiness Reviews (PRR), coordinating the delivery of safety and Security artifacts to ensure they meet internal quality gates and timeline expectations.
- Lead the alignment of continuous software evaluation activities, ensuring the Safety, Security, and Systems teams provide the right deliverables adapted to various product maturity and deployment phases.
- Establish efficient issue burndown tracking methods, acting as the central liaison to route identified process, anomaly, and system performance issues to the appropriate stakeholders and drive them to resolution.
Qualifications:
- 5+ years of technical program management experience, with a track record of leading complex, cross-functional technical programs.
- Direct experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics, aerospace, or another safety-critical environment spanning hardware, software, and systems.
- Strong technical fluency in systems engineering, safety assurance and requirements management.
- Hands-on experience with program tracking tools such as Jira, and a strong inclination to use modern AI solutions to streamline operational tracking and speed up critical decisions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication; comfortable summarizing complex technical statuses for leadership and facilitating working-level reviews.
- BS or MS in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
Bonus/nice to have:
- Deep understanding of the autonomous trucking domain and commercial rollouts.
- Proven history of establishing single-source-of-truth planning systems across highly distributed teams.
- Experience executing production readiness reviews (PRR).
The US yearly salary range for this role is: $193,000 - $262,000 USD and the Canada salary range for this role is: $129,000 - $191,000 CAD in addition to competitive perks & benefits. Waabi US Inc. and Waabi Canada Inc.'s yearly salary ranges are determined based on several factors in accordance with the Company’s compensation practices. The salary base range is reflective of the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US and Canada locations. Note: The Company provides additional compensation for employees in this role, including discretionary equity incentive awards and discretionary annual performance bonus.
Perks/Benefits:
Waabi provides a competitive benefits package that includes:
- Competitive compensation and equity awards.
- Health and wellness benefits encompassing Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
- Paid parental, medical and family care leave.
- Generous PTO Policy.
- Retirement savings plans including 401(k) or RRSP options.
- Health savings account contribution options.
- Daily drinks, snacks, and catered meals (when in office).
- Regularly scheduled team building activities and social events both on-site, off-site & virtually.
- Additional benefits are offered and tailored to specific country locations.
- As we grow, this list continues to evolve!
Waabi is a technology start-up building technologies to transform the way the world moves. Join our talented team to be a part of the future and to make an impact!
Waabi is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a supportive, inclusive, and accessible workplace for all our employees. We seek applicants of all backgrounds and identities, across race, color, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, age, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military or veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or parental status, caregiver status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. We make workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process please let our recruiting team know.
Waabi San Francisco, California, USA Office
San Francisco, California, United States
Similar Jobs
.jpg){kind=logo}
Healthtech • Social Impact • Software • Telehealth
Create brand and campaign designs supporting B2B marketing, digital experiences, print, events, sales enablement, and partner marketing. Translate audience insights and messaging into compelling creative, independently own campaigns from brief through delivery, collaborate with writers and marketers, present design rationale, and maintain brand consistency. Preferred work includes healthcare experience, motion design, AI-assisted workflows, and modular design systems.
Top Skills:
Adobe Creative CloudFigma
Enterprise Web • Fintech • Marketing Tech • Software
Leads mobile QA and automation strategy for iOS and Android React Native applications. Architects scalable test frameworks for mobile, web, and REST APIs; develops automated UI, integration, regression, performance, and release tests; integrates testing into CI/CD pipelines; manages QA backlogs and release readiness; troubleshoots defects; defines quality standards; and mentors QA engineers while supporting hiring and practice development.
Top Skills:
AndroidAppiumBrowserstackCi/CdDetoxiOSMaestroPlaywrightPostmanPythonReact NativeRest ApisSmartbear
Cloud • Information Technology • Security • Software • Cybersecurity
Owns end-to-end enterprise DSPM delivery, including multi-cloud architecture, data connector deployment, classification pipelines, security policies, identity controls, Zero Trust integrations, troubleshooting, and customer consulting. Partners with engineering, product, sales, and enterprise customers to reduce cloud data risks, support AI governance, and optimize Zscaler security solutions across complex environments.
Top Skills:
AWSAzureBigQueryCloud IamDatabricksGCPNoSQLOauth2PythonRbacRest ApisSAMLSaseScimSharepointSmbSnowflakeSQLSseSsoZero TrustZscaler ZdxZscaler ZiaZscaler Zpa
What you need to know about the San Francisco Tech Scene
San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area attracts more startup funding than any other region in the world. Home to Stanford University and UC Berkeley, leading VC firms and several of the world’s most valuable companies, the Bay Area is the place to go for anyone looking to make it big in the tech industry. That said, San Francisco has a lot to offer beyond technology thanks to a thriving art and music scene, excellent food and a short drive to several of the country’s most beautiful recreational areas.
Key Facts About San Francisco Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 365,500; 13.9% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Google, Apple, Salesforce, Meta
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fintech, consumer technology, software
- Funding Landscape: $50.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Greylock Partners, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins
- Research Centers and Universities: Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; University of San Francisco; Santa Clara University; Ames Research Center; Center for AI Safety; California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
