Director, Vehicle Integration (AV Platform Engineering)

Atoms•San Francisco, CA

2d•$185,000 - $254,000•Onsite

About The Position

Atoms is building the machines that power the next era of progress. We are changing the physical world by building Physical AI— real-world robots for the industries that move civilization forward, starting with food, mining, and transport. Our systems are designed to understand, predict, and control the real world with precision, turning complex physical operations into something more reliable, more scalable, and more productive. This work requires deep integration across hardware, software, AI, operations, manufacturing, and real estate. We deploy robots into real environments, operate them, learn from them, and improve them until they work at scale. We are looking for individuals who want to work on hard problems with real-world impact. This role is for a Director of Vehicle Integration to lead the group responsible for developing and testing vehicle platforms. This group owns the hardware-in-the-loop and bench capability for validating autonomy software, and the bring-up and commissioning processes that transition vehicles from kit to fleet. They serve as the engineering backstop for field issues. The role emphasizes modularity as a key design constraint, aiming for cheap, fast, and testable hardware re-spins. This is a player-coach position, requiring hands-on leadership of senior engineers and technicians, as well as the creation and filling of open positions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.
3+ years of relevant experience, including 3+ years leading engineers.
Ownership of vehicle integration from architecture through fleet deployment, with personal accountability for system installation, validation, and on-road support.
Hands-on experience in vehicle networks (CAN, CAN FD, LIN, Automotive Ethernet).
Hands-on experience in drive-by-wire and actuation integration.
Hands-on experience in electrical and harness architecture.
Hands-on experience in embedded compute and sensor integration.
Hands-on experience in hardware-in-the-loop and bench validation.
Experience converting bespoke, per-vehicle engineering into a repeatable process with clear documentation.
Experience on an L3 or L4 automated driving program, or a production ADAS program at L2+.
Ability to work onsite five days a week in San Francisco.
Ability to travel to test and deployment sites.
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
Ability to work at roof level and under vehicles, with or without reasonable accommodation.
A valid driver's license with a clean driving record.

Nice To Haves

High-voltage and EV platform integration.
Bring-up experience on automotive compute platforms such as NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin or Thor, DRIVE OS, or QNX.
Familiarity with functional safety practice for automated driving, including ISO 26262 and ISO 21448, and the evidence a safety case depends on.
Experience standing up a lab, bench, or test function from 0 to 1.

Responsibilities

Own the hardware-in-the-loop and bench capability that validates software releases against real vehicle interfaces, including discrepancies between bench and vehicle behavior.
Build modular validation systems that allow for reuse of harness breakouts, power, sensor interfaces, and logging paths in later configurations.
Own the autonomy integration on the development fleet, including electrical architecture, harnesses, mounting, sensor and compute placement, power, and the drive-by-wire and actuation interface to the base vehicle, with fault handling and degraded-mode behavior.
Own the build instructions, drawings, calibration procedures, and production scripts for development vehicle builds and retrofits, and ensure commissioning is a gate.
Manage cross-functional interfaces with robotics, vehicle operations, hardware engineering, manufacturing, and OEM/supplier partners.