Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Team Lead

About the role

Waabi, founded by AI visionary Raquel Urtasun, is the leader in Physical AI. With a world-class team, we're unlocking the next era of autonomous transportation with technology that's powering commercial autonomous trucks and robotaxis. Waabi is backed by and partners with world leaders in AI, automotive, logistics, and deep tech.

• With offices in Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas, and Pittsburgh, Waabi is growing quickly and looking for diverse, innovative and collaborative candidates who want to impact the world in a positive way.
• You will...
• Lead Waabi's HIL program, owning the strategy, architecture, roadmap, and execution across Hardware and Software organizations.
• Define and deliver a tiered HIL architecture - from lightweight component-level benches (single ECU under test) through embedded-system benches to full-system integration benches - scaled across multiple vehicle platforms and OEM programs.
• Verification of critical electrical, timing, and fault-handling requirements from full-vehicle testing onto HIL benches, ensuring only mature software reaches the vehicle.
• Own safety-critical fault injection on real hardware: power loss, autonomy disconnect, redundant power failover, and other destructive or high-risk scenarios verified in a safe environment before track deployment.
• Validate real-time constraints (e.g., control loop update intervals) using hardware timestamping and instrumented measurement (oscilloscopes, high-speed DAQ).
• Integrate HIL testing into CI and the firmware/software release process, including automated smoke testing and test modality tracking.
• Partner closely with Embedded Systems, Systems & Safety, Autonomy, V&V, and Infrastructure teams to define requirements coverage and unblock development.
• Plan bench capacity, hardware resources (ECUs, actuators, harnessing), and headcount as the program scales; hire and grow the HIL team.
• Establish documentation, processes, and success metrics for the program (fault-injection coverage, release validation time, timing compliance).

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent industry experience.
• 7+ years of experience in HIL, embedded systems test, or V&V for safety-critical systems, with demonstrated experience building HIL programs or labs from early stages.
• Hands-on experience architecting and building custom HIL platforms as well as using OTS systems.
• Deep knowledge of automotive interfaces and debugging: CAN, automotive Ethernet, and related protocols.
• Strong understanding of simulation vs. stimulation approaches - plant modeling and vehicle dynamics simulation as well as message-level injection for logical state testing.
• Proficiency in Python and test automation frameworks; experience integrating hardware test into CI pipelines.
• Demonstrated technical leadership: leading engineers, driving cross-functional projects with high ambiguity, and communicating across hardware and software organizations.
• Excellent technical writing skills for effective communication and documentation.
• Passionate about self-driving technologies, solving hard problems, and creating innovative solutions.

Bonus

• Experience with functional safety standards (ISO 26262) and real-time safety-critical systems.
• Experience with heterogeneous compute platforms (e.g., NVIDIA DRIVE-class SoCs, safety MCUs) in HIL environments.
• Experience with fault-injection hardware, load boxes, and breakout/harness design for bench systems.
• Prior experience in autonomous vehicles, trucking, or other complex vehicle programs spanning multiple platforms.