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 safety-critical autonomous systems, aerospace, or automotive platforms.
• Leadership & Standards:
  • Mastery of the system V-model development lifecycle and safety standards (ISO 26262, UL 4600, ISO 21448).
  • Proven track record leading release gate sign-offs for safety-critical commercial products.
  • Mastery of requirement management platforms (Jama, DOORS) and test execution tools.
• Strategic Architecture: Deep understanding of how to balance virtual testing (SIL/HIL) with physical testing (Track/Fleet) to achieve statistical confidence in system safety.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience leading the V&V sign-off for a fully commercialized, uncrewed autonomous vehicle system.
• Background managing cross-functional technical teams across hardware, software, and field operations.

Salary Range - $180,000- $260,000

More about Gatik

Founded in 2017 by experts in autonomous vehicle technology, Gatik has rapidly expanded its presence to Mountain View, Dallas-Fort Worth, Arkansas, and Toronto. As the first and only company to achieve fully driverless middle-mile commercial deliveries, Gatik holds a unique and defensible position in the AV industry, with a clear trajectory toward sustainable growth and profitability.

We have delivered complete, proprietary AV technology - an integration of software and hardware - to enable earlier successes for our clients in constrained Level 4 autonomy. By choosing the middle mile – with defined point-to-point delivery, we have simplified some of the more complex AV challenges, enabling us to achieve full autonomy ahead of competitors. Given extensive knowledge of Gatik’s well-defined, fixed route ODDs and hybrid architecture, we are able to hyper-optimize our models with exponentially less data, establish gate-keeping mechanisms to maintain explainability, and ensure continued safety of the system for unmanned operations.

Visit us at Gatik for more company information and Careers at Gatik for more open roles.

Notable News

• Forbes: Forget robotaxis. Upstart Gatik sees middle-mile deliveries as the path to profitable AVs
• Tech Brew: Gatik AI exec unpacks the regulations that could shape the AV industry
• Business Wire: Gatik Paves the Way for Safe Driverless Operations (‘Freight-Only’) at Scale with Industry-First Third-Party Safety Assessment Framework
• Auto Futures: Autonomous Trucking Group Gatik Secures Investment From NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS
• Automotive News: Gatik foresees hundreds of self-driving trucks on road soon, and that's just the beginning
• Forbes: Isuzu And Gatik Go All In To Scale Up Driverless Freight Services
• Bloomberg: Autonomous Vehicle Startup Takes Off by Picking Off Easier Routes
• Reuters: Driverless vehicles on limited routes bump along despite US robotaxi scrutiny

Taking care of our team

At Gatik, we connect people of extraordinary talent and experience to an opportunity to create a more resilient supply chain and contribute to our environment’s sustainability. We are diverse in our backgrounds and perspectives yet united by a bold vision and shared commitment to our values. Our culture emphasizes the importance of collaboration, respect and agility.

We at Gatik strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels they have opportunities to succeed and grow because we know that together we can do great things. We are committed to an inclusive and diverse team. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any legally protected status.