Tactical Development Operations Lead

Aurora•Dallas, TX

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Aurora is seeking an experienced, mission-driven night-shift leader based in Palmer, Texas, to provide direct leadership for Tactical Development (TACT DEV) Operators. The role supports off-site and travel-based development testing, and serves as an anchor for operators who travel approximately 90% of the time, keeping them aligned with development goals, safety protocols, and company culture. The position requires strong leadership, a safety-first approach, and coordination with Operations, Software, Hardware, Engineering, Maintenance, and Fleet Ops stakeholders. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 4:00 PM to 12:30 AM. The role requires at least four days per week in-office, working between the Palmer, TX terminal and the Aurora Dallas office, as well as substantial travel to testing locations. The successful candidate leads daily development testing deployments, supports operators with test plans and field workflows, coordinates fleet and maintenance availability, and provides operational coverage and troubleshooting. They also build team culture across a distributed workforce, oversee CDL-workforce safety practices, coach operators, coordinate handoffs and documentation, audit adherence to procedures, and guide the team through emergent situations.

Requirements

At least 3 years of experience in dispatch, fleet operations, or a related high-tempo scheduling environment.
At least 1–2 years of leadership experience, such as Lead, Shift Lead, or Associate Manager, with a demonstrated ability to motivate remote or distributed teams.
Exceptional critical-thinking skills and the ability to make command decisions and take initiative.
Strong judgment and the ability to make command decisions when field teams face immediate blockers.
Experience in conflict management and resolution.
Flexibility to work day, night, and/or weekend schedules, sometimes with little advance notice.
Ability to participate in on-call response and incident management.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing traveling team members with Commercial Driver licensing or remote technical workforces.
Experience managing a commercial operations workforce.
Background in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or complex logistics.
Experience coordinating across multiple geographies and distinct stakeholder groups.
A CDL license.

Responsibilities

Lead development testing as Team Lead, execute daily deployment plans, meet scheduled timelines, and perform in-field tasks alongside the team.
Understand Aurora’s testing requirements and software and hardware development goals; support operators with complex test plans and ensure data collection meets engineering needs.
Coordinate with Maintenance and Fleet Ops stakeholders to resolve scheduling and asset-availability blockers.
Travel to connect with the team in the field across varied working environments.
Serve as an operator subject-matter expert in vehicles to support onboarding and remedial training, while maintaining hands-on knowledge of in-field workflows.
Provide emergency coverage to prevent testing gaps, including truck start-up and shut-down, troubleshooting, and in-vehicle testing support such as Vehicle Release Testing and Aurora Tooling Tests.
Build and maintain a positive, unified team culture for a workforce that travels approximately 90% of the time, keeping remote operators engaged and aligned with Aurora’s mission.
Oversee CDL-workforce requirements, including monitoring Hours of Service, leading Driver Monitoring System coaching, and facilitating internal safety event reviews.
Facilitate daily handoffs and status updates between field teams and Engineering and Operations stakeholders, ensuring technical documentation and data are accurate and on time.
Oversee and audit field activities to ensure adherence to global SOPs and safety protocols.
Provide informal feedback and structured performance coaching to operators, encouraging growth and accountability.
Support field teams during emergent situations with calm, decisive guidance on operational hurdles and scheduling adjustments.
Participate in on-call response and incident management.