V&V Systems Lead

Who we are Gatik, the leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics, is revolutionizing the B2B supply chain with its autonomous transportation-as-a-service (ATaaS) solution and prioritizing safe, consistent deliveries while streamlining freight movement by reducing congestion. The company focuses on short-haul, B2B logistics for Fortune 500 retailers and in 2021 launched the world’s first fully driverless commercial transportation service with Walmart. Gatik's Class 3-7 autonomous trucks are commercially deployed across major markets, including Texas, Arkansas, and Ontario, Canada, driving innovation in freight transportation. The company's proprietary Level 4 autonomous technology, Gatik Carrier™, is custom-built to transport freight safely and efficiently between pick-up and drop-off locations on the middle mile. With robust capabilities in both highway and urban environments, Gatik Carrier™ serves as an all-encompassing solution that integrates advanced software and hardware powering the fleet, facilitating effortless integration into customers' logistics operations. About the role As the Staff V&V Systems Lead, you will serve as the master architect of Gatik’s overall Verification & Validation framework. You will oversee the complete V&V lifecycle—orchestrating how requirements flow into testing across SIL, HIL, Closed Course, and Public Road pillars. You will own the Verification Traceability Matrix (VTM), drive driverless release sign-off decisions, and synthesize empirical testing evidence to continuously prove Gatik’s safety cases. This role is onsite 5 days a week at our Santa Clara, CA office! What you'll do Key Responsibilities End-to-End V&V Strategy: Architect and govern the multi-pillar validation methodology (SIL -> HIL -> Track -> Public Road), ensuring optimal allocation of testing efforts to maximize safety verification efficiency. Safety Case Evidence Synthesis: Own the empirical evidence layer of Gatik’s safety case (UL 4600 / ISO 26262), proving that system requirements are fully verified and validated. Requirements Traceability (VTM): Build and enforce direct end-to-end traceability between top-level safety requirements, HAZOP/STPA mitigations, test procedures, and test execution results in Jama/Jira. Driverless Release Gatekeeping: Serve as a technical sign-off authority for software and fleet updates bound for driverless commercial operations. Cross-Pillar Governance: Align testing strategies across Simulation, HIL Bench, Track, and Field Deployment teams to ensure zero gaps in edge-case coverage. Regulatory & Audit Readiness: Prepare comprehensive V&V summary packages and present audit-ready validation evidence to internal safety boards and third-party auditors. Minimum Qualifications Education: B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or Aerospace Engineering. Experience: 8+ years leading systems verification and validation programs for…