Test & Evaluation Director - Autonomous Systems

About Applied Intuition

Applied Intuition is the vehicle intelligence company that accelerates the global adoption of safe, AI-driven machines. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion following its recent Series F funding round, Applied Intuition delivers the Vehicle OS, Self-Driving System, and toolchain to help customers build intelligent vehicles and shorten time to market. 18 of the top 20 global automakers and major programs across the Department of Defense trust Applied Intuition's solutions to deliver vehicle intelligence. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining, and agriculture industries and is headquartered in Mountain View, CA, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Diego, CA, Ft. Walton Beach, FL, Ann Arbor, MI, London, Stuttgart, Munich, Stockholm, Bangalore, Seoul, and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. (Note: For EpiSci job openings, fully remote work will be considered by exception.)

About EpiSci

EpiSci, an Applied Intuition company, develops next-generation, tactical autonomy solutions for national security problems. EpiSci’s autonomy software is technology agnostic, operationally informed, tactically relevant, and has piloted swarms of uncrewed aerial systems and tactical fighter aircraft. Additional applications include crewed-uncrewed teaming for air dominance, cognitive sensors, and networks for advanced communications systems, as well as battle management command and control for informed decision-making. EpiSci delivers unmatched speed, cost-efficiency, and scalability as the preferred partner for defense agencies and industry teams seeking mission-critical autonomy solutions.

About the role

As the Autonomous Tes & Evaluation Director you are the ultimate authority on our system's readiness for real-world deployment. You will build and lead the function that bridges the gap between cutting-edge R&D and mission-proven capability. You will not just test our autonomous vessels; you will define the very standard of reliability and performance that ensures we deliver a decisive advantage to our nation's defenders. This is a role for a leader who thrives on complex challenges and is driven to see technology make a tangible impact in the most demanding environments on Earth. You will own the holistic assessment of our autonomous systems, ensuring they are performant, reliable and safe.

At EpiSci, you will:

• Design, implement, and own the comprehensive T&E strategy for our entire fleet of autonomous surface vehicles, from concept and simulation to full-scale, multi-vessel operational deployment
• Develop and own the complete Verification and Validation (V&V) workflow for our product line, establishing the processes, metrics, tools, and infrastructure that define mission readiness
• Synthesize operational risk management frameworks and communicate potential risk to the senior Program Manager ahead of at-sea sorties
• Define and own Operational Design Domain (ODD)-level Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for autonomy, focusing on quantifiable metrics for safety, capability, and reliability in complex maritime environments
• Lead the strategic balance between simulation, Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL), closed-course, and open-ocean testing to maximize learning velocity while ensuring absolute safety and efficiency
• Author and maintain master test plans, strategic planning documents, and provide input to the EpiSci Program Managers for Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) documentation (e.g., System Engineering Management Plan (SEMP), System Requirements Specification (SRS)) for government programs

We're looking for someone who has:

• Bachelor's Degree in a relevant engineering discipline (e.g., Mechanical, Electrical, Ocean, Systems), Computer Science, or a related technical field
• A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in systems engineering, integration, and/or test and evaluation of complex electro-mechanical or software-intensive systems, with at least 5 years in a formal leadership capacity
• Demonstrated, hands-on experience leading the test and evaluation of autonomous or unmanned systems in a relevant domain (air, ground, or sea)
• Experience with using agile program management tooling such as Atlassian Jira
• Exemplary critical writing and analysis skill