Mgr, Driver Assist & Verification

About the role

This position is a career-level role located in San Jose, CA with a fully on-site classification. The Manager Development Driver Assistance & Verification leads multiple teams and projects delivering Driver Assistance (ADAS) development, verification, validation, and release activities across Audi vehicle platforms. The role ensures reliable execution across scope, quality, timing, and cost while serving as a key escalation and alignment point between managers and the functional Director.

Building on strong delivery ownership, the Manager coordinates interdisciplinary development and validation activities from early concept phases through implementation, testing, and release readiness. The role actively manages technical risks, resource allocation, and cross-functional dependencies, supporting the Director in enforcing governance, maturity reporting, and release preparation. The Manager works closely with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and strategic partners, contributing to continuous improvement of development and verification methods, tools, and processes.

Responsibilities

• Delivery Ownership – ADAS Development, Verification & Release (45%)
  • Own delivery outcomes across multiple ADAS projects or functions, ensuring achievement of quality, timing, and cost targets.
  • Coordinate development, simulation, validation, and release activities across teams and interfaces.
  • Ensure validation evidence, test coverage, and documentation are complete and consistent.
  • Identify and manage technical and delivery risks; escalate critical issues to the Director as required.
  • Represent delivery status, risks, and mitigation plans in senior project and management forums.
• Team & People Leadership (30%)
  • Lead and develop multiple teams, including line managers and senior engineers.
  • Support performance management, coaching, and professional development.
  • Ensure effective workload balancing, prioritization, and resource utilization.
  • Foster a collaborative, quality-focused, and accountable working culture.
• Cross-Functional Coordination & Stakeholder Management (15%)
  • Act as a central coordination point between development, validation, integration, and vehicle teams.
  • Interface with suppliers and strategic partners to ensure aligned technical execution.
  • Support cross-brand and cross-organizational alignment within Volkswagen Group structures.
• Process Contribution & Continuous Improvement (10%)
  • Contribute to the improvement of development, validation, and reporting processes.
  • Support rollout of tools, methods, and best practices within the organization.
  • Act as operational delegate for the Director on selected topics or forums.

Requirements

• Education
  • Required: Master’s degree in engineering (mechanical, electrical, or comparable).
  • Desired: PhD in Engineering (Automotive Systems Engineering, robotics, computer science, or comparable).
• Experience
  • Extensive knowledge of autonomous driving development (ADAS/AD).
  • 10+ years of experience in automotive R&D, Product Development, and/or Project Management.
  • 10+ years of experience with Autonomous or ADAS functions.

Skills

• Strong leadership capability to lead multiple teams or projects through subordinate managers or senior engineers.
• Proven ability to own delivery outcomes end-to-end across ADAS development, verification, and validation activities.
• Advanced project and program execution skills, including planning, tracking, risk management, and escalation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to resolve complex, cross-functional technical issues.
• Ability to operate effectively in international and cross-brand environments.
• Clear and structured communication skills suitable for top management and cross-organizational alignment.
• High level of ownership, accountability, and initiative toward quality and delivery excellence.
• Ability to balance hands-on technical engagement with multi-team leadership responsibilities.

Specialized Skills

• Required
  • Strong experience in ADAS development, simulation, verification, and validation, with ability to guide teams from concept to release.
  • Solid understanding of ADAS system architectures, including sensors, control logic, software-hardware integration, and vehicle interfaces.
  • Experience applying VW Group/Audi development, validation, and release processes.
  • Ability to review and assess validation strategies, test results, and maturity status across multiple projects.
  • Experience coordinating with suppliers and strategic technology partners on technical delivery topics.
• Desired
  • German language skills.
  • Working knowledge of scenario-based validation, SIL/HIL, and data-driven verification approaches.
  • Awareness of U.S. regulatory and standards frameworks (e.g., NHTSA, DOT, SAE) and their impact on validation and release readiness.

Pay

For California-based roles, the salary range is $152,100 - $243,300, dependent on factors such as geographical differentials, industry-based experience, skills, training, credentials, and other qualifications.