Director, Autonomy Behavior

About the role

May Mobility is transforming cities through autonomous technology to create a safer, greener, more accessible world. Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, May develops and deploys autonomous vehicles (AVs) powered by our innovative Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) technology that reimagines the way AVs think. The Director of Autonomy Behaviors will lead the vision, strategy, and technical roadmap of the Behavior & Controls team, advancing May’s unique MPDM technology to build a safe and comfortable ride. This position reports to the Senior Vice President of Autonomy and is responsible for providing world-class leadership to autonomy engineering managers and engineers.

Responsibilities

• Be a technical thought leader to champion May Mobility’s mission, vision, values, and company priorities to develop and execute autonomy strategy with fellow executives and engineering leaders.
• Work cross-functionally with other Autonomy functions, Vehicle Engineering, Software, Data and Infrastructure, and Operations leaders to solve and deploy solutions to autonomy challenges.
• Deliver innovative and robust advances to May’s MPDM technology, including supporting the transition to data-driven policies, faster & more accurate MPDM simulations, learnt reward functions, improved and expressive policies, compatible and stable control algorithms, and other technological aspects required to advance MPDM.
• Ensure May’s core MPDM technologies operate efficiently and effectively in commercial deployments, including supporting effective triage and resolution of related issues.
• Maintain an understanding of related research fields including planning, automated decision making, and various machine learning techniques such as reinforcement learning.
• Develop and maintain key performance indicators (KPIs) to track autonomy performance.
• Construct and execute a roadmap to solve key challenges and synchronize it with the roadmaps of other functions.
• Set the bar for bringing in new talent into the organization. Interview, hire, and manage a diverse team of talented perception engineers and scientists.
• Oversee the escalation of critical issues and opportunities within the autonomy team’s leadership, driving clear recommendations to maximize effectiveness.

Skills

• Deep technical knowledge and demonstrated success in delivering innovative solutions in planning, autonomous decision making, reinforcement learning, or computational prediction.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to understand, track, and efficiently mitigate technical, integration, and personnel risks.
• Success in working in uncertain environments and turning concepts into executable plans.
• Proven ability to lead teams, set goals, communicate clearly, and discuss difficult topics.
• Ability to clearly and concisely communicate technical concepts, root cause analysis, challenges, solutions, and data-backed results.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with peers in related technical areas to solve larger system issues.
• Proven ability to deliver under tight schedules.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering in a highly technical field (e.g., robotics, computer science, computer engineering, aerospace engineering, physics) or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex autonomy problems as a principal investigator, staff or principal engineer, or director (or equivalent role).
• 7+ years of software-focused engineering experience solving challenging robotics problems in mission-critical software and/or robotic systems.
• Experience leading a team of 10+ engineers—setting goals, leading by example, and handling challenging situations.
• Previous experience as an individual contributor successfully developing and deploying innovative solutions in the autonomous vehicle or related space.
• Desirable: PhD or master's degree in a relevant, highly technical field.
• Desirable: 5+ years of management experience.
• Desirable: Experience developing and/or using MPDM.
• Desirable: Deep understanding of the challenges facing autonomous vehicles and the state of the art in autonomy.

Physical Requirements

• Standard office working conditions, including prolonged sitting, standing, and computer use.
• Minimal travel required (1%-10%).

Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare suite including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability plans. Domestic partners who have been residing together at least one year are also eligible.
• Health Savings and Flexible Spending Healthcare and Dependent Care Accounts available.
• Rich retirement benefits, including an immediately vested employer safe harbor match.
• Generous paid parental leave as well as a phased return to work.
• Flexible vacation policy in addition to paid company holidays.
• Total Wellness Program providing numerous resources for overall wellbeing.

Pay

Salary Range: $238,000—$298,000 USD