--- title: 'Engineering Manager, Simulation Scenario Generation at Zoox' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-manager-simulation-scenario-generation-zoox-foster-city-5f7apg6yczp4' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-08' --- # Engineering Manager, Simulation Scenario Generation at Zoox - **Company:** Zoox - **Location:** Foster City, CA - **Compensation:** $237k–$322k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-08-13 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/zoox/0f3ea839-5cc1-466f-907c-3d2c935c20b8 ## Job description Our Simulation team builds the tools that engineers across the company rely on to validate autonomous vehicle safety and performance - including 3D scenario authoring tools, generative models for realistic traffic and scenario generation, and agentic tooling that automates manual simulation workflows. The team combines traditional software engineering with machine learning engineers, and the simulation coverage they deliver directly determines how many miles, scenarios, and edge cases we can validate before each autonomy release. We're looking for an Engineering Manager to lead a team of software and ML engineers building the scenario authoring tools, generative models, and agentic tooling that engineering relies on broadly to validate autonomous vehicle safety and performance. You'll own the team's technical direction - including its ongoing shift toward generative AI - while growing and developing the team, and you'll partner cross-functionally to scale our generative scenario creation capabilities as a company-wide capability with executive visibility. In this role, you will: - Manage and grow a mixed team of software and machine learning engineers building simulation tools that are used broadly across engineering to validate autonomous vehicle safety and performance. - Set and drive the team's technical direction, investing in agentic tooling to automate manual simulation workflows and deploying in-house generative models for exploratory vehicle testing. - Lead high-visibility, cross-functional initiatives to scale the company's generative scenario creation capabilities, partnering with stakeholders across engineering and earning executive sponsorship. - Own delivery of simulation tooling and services, including scenario authoring tools (e.g., 3D visual editors) used broadly across engineering teams. - Ensure simulation tooling keeps pace with new Operational Design Domain (ODD) capabilities and upcoming autonomy milestones. - Recruit, mentor, and develop engineers across both software and ML disciplines, including hiring ML engineers; build a strong team culture and clear growth paths. - Partner with product, safety, autonomy, and validation stakeholders to prioritize the roadmap, translate business needs into technical execution, and deliver against autonomy milestones. Qualifications: - 7+ years of software engineering experience, with demonstrated technical depth in simulation, developer tools, infrastructure, or a related domain. - 2+ years directly managing software and/or ML engineering teams, including hiring, mentoring, and performance management. - Experience partnering cross-functionally with leaders and stakeholders across engineering to prioritize and deliver a shared roadmap. - Strong understanding of simulation, testing, or validation systems for complex, safety-critical software. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. Bonus Qualifications: - Experience managing teams that combine traditional software engineering with applied ML or generative AI. - Familiarity with generative models applied to simulation or testing (e.g., traffic-infilling, scenario creation, synthetic data). - Experience building or scaling tools used broadly across a large engineering organization, such as visual editors and agentic authoring tools. - Background in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or another safety-critical, sensor-driven domain. Track record of leading high-visibility initiatives with executive stakeholders. ## About Zoox ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Zoox is building a fully autonomous, all-electric, purpose-built robotaxi service to give the world a better way to ride. - **Entity Type**: Private (independent subsidiary of Amazon, acquired in 2020) - **Headquarters**: Foster City, California, USA (with offices in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin, Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles) - **Founded**: 2014 - **Founders**: Not specified in provided sources ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Autonomous ride‑hailing / Self‑driving electric vehicles - **Target customers**: B2C – individual riders seeking safe, convenient, and sustainable urban transportation - **Mission**: “Give the world a better way to ride” – providing safer, cleaner, autonomous ride‑hailing for everyone [zoox.com](https://zoox.com/about) ## Products & Services - **Zoox Robotaxi**: A purpose‑built, fully autonomous electric vehicle designed from the ground up for ride‑hailing. Features bidirectional driving, four‑wheel steering, and no steering wheel or pedals. The service handles all charging, maintenance, and fleet management – riders simply get in and enjoy the ride [zoox.com](https://zoox.com). ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed (Zoox is a private subsidiary of Amazon) - **Key Metric**: Not publicly available (revenue and funding details are not reported as a stand‑alone entity) - **Notable Investors / Partners**: Amazon (parent company) - **Growth Signals**: - Received authorization from the Nevada DMV to operate robotaxis on public roads [zoox.com/about](https://zoox.com/about) - Expanded testing and operations to Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, and other cities - Continues to scale its engineering and operations teams (multiple open roles on the careers page as of 2026) ## Competitive Advantages - **Purpose‑built design**: Unlike retrofitted vehicles, Zoox’s robotaxi is designed from scratch for autonomous ride‑hailing (symmetrical, bidirectional, four‑wheel steering, no driver controls) - **Amazon backing**: Deep financial resources, supply chain expertise, and cloud infrastructure (AWS) support rapid development and scaling - **Full‑stack autonomy**: In‑house AI, computer vision, and sensing stack integrated directly into the vehicle design - **Safety‑first approach**: Comprehensive testing, safety‑critical system design, and focus on public road validation ## Strategic Focus - Achieving commercial launch of the Zoox ride‑hailing service in select U.S. cities - Continuing to mature the autonomous driving system through real‑world testing and simulation - Expanding the “Go‑to‑Market” strategy and building out operations teams (see CRM Lead, Go‑to‑Market Manager roles) [jobs.lever.co/zoox](https://jobs.lever.co/zoox) - Scaling manufacturing and prototyping to prepare for fleet deployment ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Diverse, supportive community with inclusion‑focused strategy. Crew‑led groups for personal and professional development. Emphasis on trust, humility, and openness [zoox.com/careers](https://zoox.com/careers) - **Work environment**: Hybrid? The careers page lists many roles as “On‑site” in Foster City, CA, with other office locations available. In‑office perks include a famous food program with daily changing local and sustainable dishes, plus a busy calendar of events and sports teams. - **Benefits**: Comprehensive health plans (Cigna), mental health support, wellbeing program, flexible time off, generous family planning and caregiver support, and a commitment to work‑life balance. - **Growth opportunities**: Work on cutting‑edge autonomous vehicle technology alongside some of the brightest minds in AI, engineering, computer vision, and more. Offers internships and re‑entry programs (via Path Forward) for career returners. - **Recruitment process**: Uses AI tools to assist in reviewing applications but final decisions are human. No fees are charged at any stage – watch for recruitment scams [zoox.com/journal/landing-a-job-zoox](https://zoox.com/journal/landing-a-job-zoox) ## Sources 1. [Zoox official website](https://zoox.com) 2. [Zoox About page](https://zoox.com/about) 3. [Zoox Careers page](https://zoox.com/careers) 4. [Zoox job openings on Lever](https://jobs.lever.co/zoox) 5. [Zoox hiring and interview process](https://zoox.com/journal/landing-a-job-zoox) ## Other roles at Zoox - [Sensing and Perception System Safety Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/sensing-and-perception-system-safety-engineer-zoox-foster-city-9b41z224ntq6) — Foster City, CA - [Lead Data Platform Engineer - Enterprise, Data & AI](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-data-platform-engineer-enterprise-data-ai-zoox-foster-city-61c1tdms6spr) — Foster City, CA - [Software Engineer - Collision Avoidance System Metrics](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-collision-avoidance-system-metrics-zoox-foster-city-9xfh2gw0nayv) — Foster City, CA - [Contract Student Worker - Autonomy Safety Data Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/contract-student-worker-autonomy-safety-data-engineer-zoox-foster-city-vb29ss0k5hgs) — Foster City, CA - [Software Engineer, Operational Tools](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-operational-tools-zoox-foster-city-mmfc9jxj9vgs) — Foster City, CA - [Diagnostics Serviceability Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/diagnostics-serviceability-engineer-zoox-foster-city-zpp032643x45) — Foster City, CA - [Manager, Fleet Operations Training](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-fleet-operations-training-zoox-foster-city-8vfyx98j41fz) — Foster City, CA - [Embedded Software Engineer - Drive Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/embedded-software-engineer-drive-systems-zoox-foster-city-whvhzqychegb) — Foster City, CA - [Senior Staff / Principal Software Engineer - Freeway Autonomy](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-principal-software-engineer-freeway-autonomy-zoox-foster-city-y93sb485dj53) — Foster City, CA - [Senior Supplier Quality Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-supplier-quality-engineer-zoox-foster-city-d9gmdemvwa6b) — Foster City, CA