---
title: 'Staff Engineer, Team Lead - Core Infrastructure at Motional'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-engineer-team-lead-core-infrastructure-motional-boston-kz3c664pvbwr'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-08'
---

# Staff Engineer, Team Lead - Core Infrastructure at Motional

- **Company:** Motional
- **Location:** Boston, MA / Las Vegas, NV / Pittsburgh, PA / United States
- **Compensation:** $172k–$229k
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-11-04
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-08
- **Apply:** https://motional.com/open-positions/?gh_jid=8178842003#/8178842003

## Job description

Motional is at the forefront of the driverless revolution. We are looking for a Staff Engineer, Team Lead for Core Infra Test and Support Engineering to build and lead the team that tests Motional's software platform and supports it once it is running. You will own platform-level test and support for the Core Infrastructure team, and you will build up a team who do that work.

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience testing or supporting systems software on physical hardware, and has led a team of engineers. You should be comfortable building a team, setting the technical direction, and working out boundaries directly with the teams that own the vehicle software and the test infrastructure.

Mission Summary:

As the Staff Engineer, Team Lead for Core Infra Test and Support Engineering, you will build the team that finds platform problems before they reach the fleet, and that responds when something breaks in the fleet, on test benches, in simulation, or on the release path. You will set the plan for stress, fault injection, and regression tests of the core platform software, and for pulling integration tests other teams wrote into suites that run together. You will also put an on-call rotation, triage, and vehicle and release enablement in place to support the customer-facing products and services of our team.

What You'll Be Doing:

- Platform Test: Own software platform-level test suites, and the work of combining and improving integration tests other teams wrote so they run as one suite. Run release qualification, regression, and bring-up campaigns on HIL, SIL, and vehicle setups.
- Production Support: Own on-call for onboard core software on the car and for the services supported by our team including software deployment and vehicle data ingestion.
- Team Leadership: Hire and develop this team. You own priorities, performance, and career growth for the people on it. You will stay close enough to the tests and the incident queue to hold the bar, and you will build leads who can run a slice of the work on their own.
- Cross-Functional Accountability: Be the contact for platform test results and for Core Infra support. You’ll work closely with teams across engineering and operations.

What We're Looking For:

- Education: BS or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent knowledge and work experience.
- Experience: 10+ years of software engineering experience, including time leading a team of engineers. This should be in a field where software runs on physical hardware, or on the infrastructure used to build and operate it, such as automotive, robotics, aerospace, or large device fleets.
- Test or Support Depth: You have owned platform or system-level testing (stress, fault injection, integration suites, release campaigns) or production support (on-call, incident triage, postmortems) for software other teams depend on.
- Systems Context: Enough depth in embedded software, Linux, middleware, or test and release infrastructure to tell a product defect from a bench or test problem, and to work with the engineers who own those layers.
- Production Operations: Experience with software in production on a fleet or in the field, including on-call, bring-up, and releasing software and/or hardware products.
- Technical Leadership: Experience hiring, developing, and retaining engineers, including building a team or a rotation.
- Inclusive Leadership: Experience building inclusive teams and making room for people with different working styles, ideas, and backgrounds.

Bonus Points (Not Required):

- Experience with functional safety in automotive (ISO 26262 or similar), including using test results as verification evidence against requirements.
- Experience building an on-call and incident program for a fleet or a shared platform, including runbooks, response plans
- Hands-on experience with hardware-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop, or simulation infrastructure, as someone who has run test campaigns on it or written requirements for it.
- Experience in the autonomous vehicle or robotaxi industry.

## #LI-AE1

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors including but not limited to specific skills, experience and expertise, role location, certifications, licenses, and business needs. The estimated compensation range listed in this job posting reflects base salary only. This role may include additional forms of compensation such as a bonus or company equity. The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.

Candidates for certain positions are eligible to participate in Motional’s benefits program. Motional’s benefits include but are not limited to medical, dental, vision, 401k with a company match, health saving accounts, life insurance, pet insurance, and more.

Salary Range $172,000—$229,000 USD

Motional is a driverless technology company making autonomous vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality. We’re driven by something more.

Our journey is always people first.

We aren't just developing driverless cars; we're creating safer roadways, more equitable transportation options, and making our communities better places to live, work, and connect. Our team is made up of engineers, researchers, innovators, dreamers and doers, who are creating a technology with the potential to transform the way we move.

Higher purpose, greater impact.

We’re creating first-of-its-kind technology that will transform transportation. To do so successfully, we must design for everyone in our cities and on our roads. We believe in building a great place to work through a progressive, global culture that is diverse, inclusive, and ensures people feel valued at every level of the organization. Diversity helps us to see the world differently; it’s not only good for our business, it’s the right thing to do.

Scale up, not starting up.

Our team is behind some of the industry's largest leaps forward, including the first fully-autonomous cross-country drive in the U.S, the launch of the world's first robotaxi pilot, and operation of the world's longest-standing public robotaxi fleet. We’re driven to scale; we’re moving towards commercialization of our technology, and we need team members who are ready to embrace change and challenges.

Formed as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, Motional is fundamentally changing how people move through their lives. Headquartered in Boston, Motional has operations in the U.S and Asia. For more information, visit  [www.Motional.com](https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3300142-1&h=1642745316&u=https%3A%2F%2Fc212.net%2Fc%2Flink%2F%3Ft%3D0%26l%3Den%26o%3D3253528-1%26h%3D3781125006%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fc212.net%252Fc%252Flink%252F%253Ft%253D0%2526l%253Den%2526o%253D3089636-1%2526h%253D3468778127%2526u%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fc212.net%25252Fc%25252Flink%25252F%25253Ft%25253D0%252526l%25253Den%252526o%25253D2881693-1%252526h%25253D646020682%252526u%25253Dhttps%2525253A%2525252F%2525252Furldefense.com%2525252Fv3%2525252F__http%2525253A%2525252Fwww.motional.com%2525252F__%2525253B!!KT8c38mO!j78LjnhAm2VK7Fu23VO6KlwqDXvVTQFMzmyzieKQqZDQksh2tpWEseK4to8eKzwsEwI%25252524%252526a%25253Dwww.Motional.com%2526a%253Dwww.Motional.com%26a%3Dwww.Motional.com&a=www.Motional.com) and follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/motionaldrive), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/67123512/), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/motionaldrive/) and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr__mGPkBb-KMoYWbSGuA9w).

Motional AD Inc. is an EOE. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. To comply with Federal Law, we participate in E-Verify. All newly-hired employees are queried through this electronic system established by the DHS and the SSA to verify their identity and employment eligibility.

## About Motional

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Motional is an autonomous vehicle technology company developing Level 4 driverless systems for robotaxi and delivery services.
- **Entity Type**: Private (joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv)
- **Headquarters**: Boston, Massachusetts, USA (with offices in Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Santa Monica, and Singapore)
- **Founded**: 2020 (formed as a joint venture; predecessor companies nuTonomy and Ottomatika founded in 2013)
- **Founders**: Motional was created as a joint venture; predecessor companies nuTonomy was co-founded by Karl Iagnemma and Emilio Frazzoli, and Ottomatika was founded by Raj Rajkumar

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Autonomous Vehicle Technology / Self-Driving Systems
- **Target Customers**: B2B partnerships with mobility networks (ride-hail and delivery platforms like Uber), enterprise fleet operators, and mobility service providers
- **Mission**: To make driverless vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality, fundamentally changing how the world moves.

## Products & Services
- **Robotaxi Service (Motional Driverless)**: A fully driverless, Level 4 autonomous vehicle platform designed for ride-hail services. Currently operating commercial robotaxi services on Uber in Las Vegas as of March 2026.
- **Autonomous Delivery**: The same robotaxi platform is designed to support autonomous delivery services, complementing the ride-hail offering.
- **nuScenes Open Source Dataset**: An industry-leading open-source dataset for autonomous vehicle research, demonstrating Motional's commitment to safety-focused data sharing.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private joint venture)
- **Key Metric**: Over 130,000 autonomous rides provided with zero at-fault incidents since predecessor companies began in 2013.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Hyundai Motor Group (joint venture partner), Aptiv (joint venture partner), Uber (commercial robotaxi partnership launched in Las Vegas, March 2026).
- **Growth Signals**: Commercial launch of robotaxi service on Uber in Las Vegas (March 2026), over a decade of autonomous driving development, significant scaling of driverless testing operations.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Industry-Leading Safety Record**: Zero at-fault incidents across 130,000+ autonomous rides, with safety as the company's bedrock principle.
- **Unique Joint Venture Structure**: Combines Hyundai's manufacturing expertise (vehicle production, global scale) with Aptiv's automotive technology leadership (sensors, software, integration).
- **Proven Commercial Deployment**: First-mover advantage with a live, paying robotaxi service integrated into Uber's platform in a major US city.
- **Open Source Leadership**: The nuScenes dataset is a widely used industry benchmark, establishing Motional as a thought leader and attracting top talent.

## Strategic Focus
- **Commercialization at Scale**: Expanding the Las Vegas robotaxi service and replicating the model in new markets.
- **Platform Versatility**: Developing the same core technology for both ride-hail and delivery to maximize revenue per vehicle and market opportunity.
- **Safety-First Approach**: Continuing to lead the industry in transparency and safety data sharing to build public trust and regulatory confidence.
- **Partnership Ecosystem**: Deepening integration with Uber and pursuing additional mobility network partnerships globally.

## Why Work Here
- **Purpose-Driven Mission**: Employees are motivated by a clear social purpose: creating safer roads, more equitable transportation, and reducing emissions — not just building technology for profit.
- **Cutting-Edge Engineering Challenges**: Work on the hardest problems in robotics, machine learning, AI, software, and sensor fusion, with direct impact on a product already on the streets.
- **Culture & Values**: Described as "more human than big tech and more structured than start-ups." Core values include Safety as Bedrock, Build for Everyone (diversity & inclusion), Take Ownership, and Deliver the Future.
- **Global, Collaborative Team**: Offices across the US (Boston, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Santa Monica) and Asia (Singapore), with a culture that emphasizes collaboration across teams and disciplines.
- **Career Growth & Benefits**: Competitive benefits package, investment in employee development, and a "people first" approach that values career growth and well-being. Remote/hybrid policy not explicitly stated but global office presence suggests flexibility.

## Sources
1. [Motional Website](https://motional.com/)
2. [Motional Careers Page](https://motional.com/careers)
3. [Motional - What We Do](https://motional.com/what-we-do)
4. [Motional - Life at Motional](https://motional.com/life-motional)
5. [Motional - Open Positions](https://motional.com/open-positions)

## Other roles at Motional

- [Principal Product Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-product-manager-motional-las-vegas-amjdf02c249m) — Las Vegas, NV / Pittsburgh, PA
- [Staff Safety Engineer, Safety Metrics and Benchmarking](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-safety-engineer-safety-metrics-and-benchmarking-motional-las-vegas-xd83x7k67dg9) — Las Vegas, NV / United States
- [Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Vehicle Performance Metrics](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-autonomous-vehicle-performance-metrics-motional-boston-rj538365zy8r) — Boston, MA / Las Vegas, NV / Pittsburgh, PA / United States
- [Data Annotation Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/data-annotation-manager-motional-singapore-nrhpq4e4kgst) — Singapore
- [Senior Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineer-motional-pittsburgh-4thp2k0s0ktd) — Pittsburgh, PA / United States
- [Perception Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/perception-engineer-motional-boston-dgv1gdj0q5sb) — Boston, MA / United States
- [Senior Engineer, In-Car Visualization](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineer-in-car-visualization-motional-boston-922wsnb6ptd2) — Boston, MA / Las Vegas, NV / Pittsburgh, PA / United States
- [Mission Support Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/mission-support-manager-motional-las-vegas-x0zngfgg9e8q) — Las Vegas, NV
- [Mission Control Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/mission-control-specialist-motional-las-vegas-2049fc917enc) — Las Vegas, NV
- [Operations Safety Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/operations-safety-specialist-motional-las-vegas-t8nyhtc7fe8c) — Las Vegas, NV