Chief Engineer Autonomous Trucking (m/f/d)

Responsibilities

We are representing a confidential autonomous vehicle technology organization seeking a Chief Engineer to own the technical orchestration of their autonomous trucking program. In this senior individual contributor role, you will serve as the technical owner of the entire system—from base vehicle and autonomy hardware through the complete software stack and full system integration.

You will define and maintain the integrated technical roadmap, including milestones, dependencies, and critical path from development through deployment and certification. Working in extremely tight partnership with Product Management, you will translate product requirements into technical execution clarity, balance product ambition against engineering reality, and maintain one integrated plan the entire organization executes against.

Key responsibilities include:

• Own end-to-end technical integration across subsystems: base vehicle, autonomy hardware, perception, planning, control, and end-to-end planner architectures
• Align workstream leads, domain experts, vehicle OEM partners, and central functions into one executable delivery plan
• Identify integration gaps, decision bottlenecks, and execution risks early; escalate with judgment and propose solutions
• Drive technical maturity from subsystem status to validated system behavior with clear interfaces between teams
• Build and manage trusted technical relationships with truck OEM engineering teams on joint development and integration programs
• Serve as technical counterpart to Sales, Supply Chain, and Operations, connecting program needs with sourcing timelines and operational readiness
• Represent the technical program in reviews up to C-level with calm, credible, and sharp communication

What We're Looking For

Our client requires a systems thinker with outstanding technical depth and proven delivery experience:

• Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or comparable field
• 10+ years of experience in autonomous driving or field robotics, ideally with several years in autonomous trucking
• Outstanding technical depth across the full autonomous driving system: autonomy software (perception, planning, control, end-to-end planner architectures), autonomy hardware (compute, sensors, user interfaces), and base vehicle hardware architecture
• Proven experience delivering complex systems in regulated environments; defense background is a strong plus
• Outstanding technical project and program management skills: roadmapping, critical path management, risk management, and multi-team workstream delivery steering
• Track record of working with vehicle OEMs, ideally truck OEMs, on joint development and integration programs
• Outstanding communication skills: ability to condense complex technical discussions into actionable items per team
• Systems thinking: focus on milestones and integration maturity rather than isolated component optimization
• Fluent in English; German is a strong plus
• High ownership, pragmatic, hands-on mindset; willingness to travel to OEM, partner, and test sites

How We Work with You

Candidates apply directly through Get A Job.ai. Our talent team conducts initial screening to understand your background and fit for the role. Qualified candidates are then submitted to our client for consideration. Please do not contact the employer directly—all communication and coordination flows through our recruiting team to ensure the best experience for everyone involved.

Pay

Compensation details will be discussed during the screening process based on experience and qualifications.

Equal Opportunity: Get A Job.ai is committed to inclusive hiring practices and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of background.