Motional’s Las Vegas office is located less than 10 miles from the Las Vegas strip at 730 E Pilot Road and is home to one of the largest fleets of self-driving vehicles. The city’s grid system of roads and being one of America’s “smart cities” allows for extensive research and development testing.
Mission Summary:
The Director of Test Operations is a senior leader responsible for shaping and executing the vision, strategy, and performance of Motional’s global test operations. Reporting to the Senior Director of Operations, this role drives the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of Motional’s AV testing and commercial fleet. As a strategic leader, you will oversee multi-site teams, establish scalable operational frameworks, and build strong partnerships across engineering, program management, and fleet operations. You will champion a culture of safety, accountability, and innovation while ensuring that Test Operations directly enables Motional’s roadmap toward commercialization and a driverless future.
What you’ll do:
- Define and execute the long-term vision for Test Operations, aligning resources, people, and processes with company objectives and commercialization milestones.
- Lead, develop, and inspire a multi-level organization of managers, supervisors, and operators across multiple test sites, ensuring growth, accountability, and performance at every level.
- Establish and refine policies, SOPs, and key performance metrics that ensure safety, efficiency, and reliability of all testing activities.
- Partner closely with senior leaders in engineering, safety, and product to ensure seamless integration of vehicle testing into Motional’s development and deployment lifecycle.
- Build and sustain talent pipelines, mentor emerging leaders, and implement workforce strategies that support long-term growth and retention.
- Champion continuous improvement by deploying new tools, technologies, and operational models that enhance scalability and cost-effectiveness.
- Represent Test Operations in executive forums, customer demos, regulatory engagements, and strategic initiatives such as new market entries and partnerships.
- Use performance data and operational insights to guide strategic choices, improve reliability, and deliver measurable outcomes.
- Drive a culture rooted in safety, accountability, and collaboration while embodying Motional’s values.
What we’re looking for:
- 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, test engineering, program management, or related technical domains, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership (Director or above) capacity.
- Demonstrated success leading large, distributed teams in a complex technical or R&D environment.
- Strong track record of influencing across executive leadership, building cross-functional alignment, and delivering results at scale.
- Expertise in performance management, organizational design, and workforce development.
- Proven ability to implement strategic initiatives that drive measurable improvements in safety, quality, and efficiency.
- Exceptional executive communication, public speaking, and stakeholder management skills.
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred (Engineering, Operations Management, or related field).
- One of the following certifications in PMP, PgMP, CSM, ISO 9001/45001, CSM (preferred).
- Flexibility to travel domestically up to 25%.
Physical Demands & Working Environment
This role requires the ability to interface with both office and field environments. While primarily office-based, the Director of Test Operations may be present at test facilities, requiring the ability to safely operate and ride in autonomous vehicles, oversee vehicle inspections, and engage in field operations as needed. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
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.
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 and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
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.
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What We Do
Our team is commercializing a world-class driverless system. The Motional team is behind some of the industry’s largest leaps forward in the last decade, 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 most-established public robotaxi fleet. Strategically formed by Hyundai Motor Group, one of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers offering smart mobility solutions, and Aptiv, a global technology leader in advanced safety, electrification, and vehicle connectivity, Motional is fundamentally changing how people move through their lives.
Why Work With Us
Our leadership team has been working in this industry for decades and includes renown early innovators in driverless technology. We are creating a future where transportation is safe, reliable, and accessible. Join our team in revolutionizing the industry that will change how the world moves.
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