Nuro

Head of Software Operations

Nuro$193K — $291K *
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of operational leadership experience, including 5+ years in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or complex ML operations
  • Proven experience in managing large-scale onshore and offshore vendor operations
  • Strong knowledge of AI systems and cross-functional collaboration with engineering and product teams
  • Exceptional analytical skills for identifying and resolving KPI gaps
  • Demonstrated ability to build and scale organizations in fast-paced, ambiguous environments

Responsibilities

  • Direct strategy and execution for the Software Operations department
  • Oversee data labeling vendors, managing quality and budgets
  • Manage domain specialists working on autonomy stack modules and scenario datasets
  • Set operational KPIs and quality standards across all processes
  • Efficiently run a multi-pillar organization, evolving structures to meet business needs

Benefits

  • Annual performance bonus
  • Equity participation
  • Comprehensive benefits package
Full Job Description
About the Role

Data is the foundation of autonomous driving. Every improvement in Nuro's autonomy stack depends on identifying the right real-world examples, transforming them into high-quality training and evaluation datasets, and rigorously validating that each software release is ready for the road.

As Head of Software Operations, you will lead the organization responsible for this critical development loop-from producing the data that trains and evaluates Nuro's AI models to identifying autonomy regressions and building confidence in every software release. Your work will directly influence how quickly our models learn, how effectively engineering teams resolve performance gaps, and how safely new capabilities reach the vehicle.

Sitting at the center of Nuro's autonomy organization, your team will work closely with machine learning, autonomy, simulation, onboard systems, data science, and product teams. You will also help Nuro take advantage of emerging technologies, including multimodal foundation models, LLMs to improve how training data is created and how system performance is evaluated.

We are looking for a proactive, technically fluent operational leader who can identify gaps across the autonomy development lifecycle and build the teams, systems, and partnerships needed to close them. You will define the long-term vision for software operations while developing an organization equally capable of navigating ambiguity, executing disciplined processes, and staying aligned with Nuro's broader technical roadmap.

About the Work
  • Direct the strategy and execution of the Software Operation organization, including providing high quality data for AI models, conducting triage and root cause analysis to support autonomy and system teams.
  • Own data labeling vendors as the extended software operation organization. Be responsible for quality, throughput SLAs, budgets, pricing negotiation.
  • Manage embedded domain specialists doing deep-dive work on autonomy stack modules, and partner closely with engineering and data science to build out scenario and evaluation datasets.
  • Set the operational KPIs, throughput metrics, and quality bar across all pipelines, and act as the main connective tissue between Software Operations, Engineering, and Product.
  • Run a multi-pillar organization efficiently, evolving the organization structure to align with the business needs.


About You
  • 10+ years of operational leadership experience, with 5+ years in AV, robotics, or complex ML operations including budget or P&L ownership
  • Proven track record managing large-scale onshore and offshore vendor operations (labeling/annotation), both operationally and commercially
  • Strong working knowledge of AI systems and cross-functional collaboration with engineering and product teams
  • Strong analytical skills to identify root causes of KPI gaps and drive execution to resolve them
  • Demonstrated ability to build and scale operational organizations in fast-paced, ambiguous environments

Bonus Points

  • Background in autonomous vehicles or physical AI
  • Experience with LLM or GenAI labeling pipelines

At Nuro, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. For this position, the reasonably expected base pay range is between $193,000 and $291,000 for the level at which this job has been scoped. Your base pay will depend on several factors, including your experience, qualifications, education, location, and skills. In the event that you are considered for a different level, a higher or lower pay range would apply. This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus, equity, and a competitive benefits package.

About Nuro

Nuro is a technology company that develops autonomous delivery vehicles. The company was founded in 2016 by two former Google engineers, Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu. Nuro's vehicles are designed to transport goods, rather than people, and are being used by companies such as Kroger and Domino's Pizza for deliveries. The company has raised over $1 billion in funding and is valued at over $5 billion.
Learn more about Nuro
Size
1,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2016

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