Test & Evaluation Operator

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…
• Operate Class 8 autonomous and manual vehicles on closed course and public roads, to the full Vehicle Operator standard.
• Own in-seat execution of platform V&V and release testing including testing safety assurance limits, driver override response, supervised autonomy stability, and fault injection.
• Produce written evaluations precise enough for engineering to act on, separating baseline from novel behavior and stating whether it reproduces.
• Execute vehicle dynamics and characterization campaigns - tire evaluation, trailer stability, axle-weight verification - including offsite testing at partner proving grounds.
• Serve as the qualified evaluator for operator certification: administer Knowledge and Proficiency
• Checks and clear operators onto a platform.
• Author and maintain platform-specific operator documentation - start-up and shutdown sequences, known-behavior references, SOP input.
• Own the DOT and CVSA compliance read on new platforms.
• Train operators on new platforms and move platform knowledge between sites ahead of any handover.
• Escalate safety-relevant findings and stop testing when equipment or vehicle behavior warrants it. Document the basis for that call.

Qualifications

• 8+ years as a Vehicle Operator, commercial test driver, or in a technically equivalent Class 8 operations role, including 4 years on autonomous or ADAS-equipped vehicles.
• CDL Class A, current Medical Examiner's Certificate, and a clean driving record, background check, and drug screen.
• Strong technical aptitude with autonomy platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to characterize vehicle behavior precisely: consistent versus intermittent, reproducible versus one-off, with conditions and magnitude rather than impressions.
• Strong written communication skills, translating in-cab observation into reports operations, engineering and safety can act on without follow-up.
• Demonstrated familiarity with closed-course and proving-ground protocols, including edge-case and failure-mode testing.
• Solid understanding of FMCSA and DOT requirements for test and development vehicles - DVIR, Hours of Service, DOT annual inspection, CVSA out-of-service criteria, and 49 CFR Parts 393 and 396.
• Experience training, coaching, or certifying other commercial drivers is highly desirable.

Cvsa

• Enhanced Pre-trip certification, Proving ground experience or licenses, a strong plus.
• Comfort maintaining written documentation and willingness to learn the team's reporting tooling.
• Passion for self-driving technologies, solving hard problems, and building a culture of safety and operational excellence.
• Ability to work flexible shifts, including days, nights, and weekends.
• Travel to other operational sites and partner proving grounds will be required.

Day Shift Schedule and Flexibility

Base shift: 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM MT. Day shift crews are expected to be flexible.