As the Team Lead for Base Operations, you will move beyond day-to-day fleet maintenance to own and evolve the operational backbone of Zoox’s Base Operations function. This role drives operational excellence, standardization, and scale-readiness across workshop operations while ensuring the holistic readiness, safety, and strategic deployment of Zoox’s Robotaxi vehicle fleet.
You will serve as a people leader, operational owner, and change driver, accountable for implementing and improving Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), enforcing EH&S and 5S standards, and building a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement. In partnership with cross-functional stakeholders, you will translate company-level objectives and future growth plans into actionable, scalable execution models for your team.
In this role, you will:
- Manage the full team lifecycle, including workforce planning, recruiting, onboarding, and performance management, to build high-performing teams rooted in safety and quality.
- Coach and develop technicians and leads by establishing clear expectations, providing consistent feedback, and creating succession plans to support organizational scaling.
- Own the development and enforcement of SOPs across all workflows (inspections, maintenance, upgrades), ensuring documentation is audited and aligned with real-world execution.
- Drive operational excellence by utilizing data, root cause analysis, and standard work methodologies to improve throughput, vehicle uptime, and process repeatability.
- Ensure operational readiness by verifying that tools, equipment, parts, and facilities are standardized, maintained, and fully available to meet operational demand.
- Champion EHS & 5S standards, maintaining a clean, organized, and compliant work environment while embedding safety into daily behaviors and decision-making.
- Proactively identify and mitigate risks, leading corrective and preventive actions to address safety concerns, near misses, and process gaps.
- Define and track critical KPIs related to fleet readiness, quality, and downtime, using data insights to drive accountability and prevent systemic failures.
- Partner with Engineering, Test, and Facilities teams to align operational execution with company roadmaps, testing milestones, and evolving requirements.
- Lead strategic scaling initiatives, translating high-level goals into practical plans for increased fleet size, new platforms, and expanded facility operations.
- Serve as the primary technical escalation point, overseeing complex maintenance and configuration changes to ensure strict adherence to quality standards.
- Provide data-backed communication to leadership and stakeholders regarding operational risks, constraints, and trade-offs to support agile decision-making.
Qualifications
- 6+ years of hands-on automotive technician experience.
- 3+ years of people leadership experience. Experience leading teams in technical, automotive, or high-volume service environments.
- High proficiency in CAN/LIN architecture, wiring diagrams, and soldering
- Proven experience implementing and improving SOPs, standard work, and operational processes in complex technical environments, with a track record of leading high-output teams.
- Strong understanding of EH&S compliance, safety programs, and 5S methodologies.
- Extensive knowledge of automotive systems, diagnostic methods, parts, and tools.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, drive initiatives to completion, and operate effectively in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
- Willingness and ability to travel locally and nationally (50%+), with a clean driving record.
Bonus Qualifications
- Bachelors degree
- Technical trade school certificate or Associate Degree in automotive repair
- Experience with autonomous vehicles or a similar safety-critical industry
- Experience working in R&D, testing, or pre-production environments, including engineering labs or prototype operations.
- Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies.
- Experience supporting scaling operations, new site launches, or fleet expansion initiatives.
- Strong understanding of EV architectures and high-voltage systems.
- Experience utilizing specialized test equipment (NVH, vehicle dynamics, thermal, durability).
