Driverless Operations Command Center Manager

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 Driverless Operations Command Center (DOCC) Manager serves as the central command authority for real-time autonomous vehicle (AV) operations, ensuring safe, efficient, and scalable performance across both driver-assisted and fully driverless deployments. Reporting to the Director of Commercial Fleet Operations, the DOCC Manager acts as the operational nerve center, synthesizing live telemetry, environmental conditions, and incident signals to drive rapid, high-stakes decision-making under ambiguity and time pressure. This role is accountable for the on-mission operational management of fleet assets, orchestrating incident response, and coordinating cross-functional stakeholders to ensure swift containment and resolution of non-nominal events. Through disciplined Operational Design Domain (ODD) management and proactive intervention, this leader mitigates risk in real time, while also enabling continuous operational improvement. Success in this role directly underpins Motional’s ability to safely expand driverless operations at scale.

What You’ll Be Doing:

Real-Time Fleet Command & Control:

• Serve as the single-threaded owner for on-mission AV fleet health, operational continuity, and safety outcomes across all active vehicles.
• Monitor live fleet telemetry and operational signals to identify anomalies, degradation patterns, and emerging risks.
• Make rapid, high-consequence decisions under uncertainty to stabilize operations and minimize customer and safety impact.

Operational Design Domain (ODD) Management:

• Continuously assess and manage ODD constraints including weather, road closures, construction zones, and dynamic city events.
• Initiate and approve Pick-Up/Drop-Off (PuDo) restrictions, map overrides, and routing interventions to maintain safe operability.
• Partner with Mapping and Engineering teams to ensure real-time alignment between operational conditions and system capabilities.

Non-Nominal Event & Incident Management:

• Own end-to-end lifecycle of non-nominal events, ensuring every “stuck” or degraded AV is assigned a clear resolution path.
• Act as Incident Commander for high-severity events, driving structured escalation, containment, and recovery protocols.
• Own the end-to-end Incident Response Process (IRP); lead triage, escalation, and resolution of all operational and safety incidents.

Field Support & Dispatch Coordination:

• Identify, triage, and dispatch field support requests to On-Road Response Specialists (ORS) or third-party providers (e.g., towing).
• Actively manage SLA adherence, response times, and resource allocation across field support operations.
• Optimize field response coverage models based on demand patterns and incident trends.

Map & Operational Readiness Oversight:

• Review and validate active map restrictions and operational constraints within assigned markets.
• Ensure readiness for daily operations by aligning map state, fleet availability, and environmental conditions.
• Escalate systemic map or routing issues impacting service reliability

Cross-Functional & External Stakeholder Coordination:

• Serve as the primary liaison between Command Center, Remote Vehicle Assistance (RVA), Engineering, Safety, and Commercial Operations during live events.
• Coordinate directly with first responders, law enforcement, and municipal authorities during active incidents.
• Provide clear, structured communication during high-pressure scenarios to maintain alignment and control.

Continuous Improvement & Scalability:

• Identify recurring operational failure modes, drive root cause analysis, and implement corrective/preventive actions with Engineering, Data Analytics, and Safety teams.
• Translate incident learnings into process improvements, tooling requirements, and automation opportunities.
• Contribute to the development of scalable operational frameworks supporting full driverless expansion.
  
  

What We’re Looking For:

• Bachelor’s degree (Operations, Engineering, Business, Logistics)or equivalent practical experience.
• 5–8+ years of experience in real-time operations, command-and-control, or mission-critical environments (e.g., autonomous systems, aviation operations, emergency dispatch, military operations, logistics control towers).
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in ambiguity, balancing operational and strategic planning with tactical execution.
• Experience with incident command systems or structured emergency response frameworks.
• Proven ability to make high-quality decisions under pressure with incomplete or ambiguous data.
• Demonstrated experience in incident management, escalation frameworks, and real-time operational risk mitigation.
• Strong situational awareness and the ability to synthesize multiple data streams into actionable decisions.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams in high-stakes environments.
• Demonstrated ability to use data to drive performance and decision-making.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to provide clear direction during critical events.
• Proficiency with operational tools, dashboards, and data systems used in live monitoring environments.
• Ability to work flexible schedules, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
  
  

Bonus Points (not required):

• Direct experience in autonomous vehicle operations, robotics, or advanced mobility systems
• Familiarity with ODD frameworks and real-time geospatial decision-making.
• Experience managing field operations or dispatch logistics, including SLA performance oversight.
• Experience working with mapping systems, geofencing, or real-time routing tools.
• Track record of process standardization and operational scalability in high-growth environments.
• Experience in autonomous vehicles, driverless systems, or mobility platforms.
• Background in safety operations, emergency response, or reliability engineering. 
  
  

Physical Demands & Working Environment:

• This role requires the ability to interface with both office and field environments.
• The employee is occasionally required to remain stationary at times for up to 50% of working time.
• Operate and use office equipment.  
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.
  
  

This role is based in our Las Vegas office and requires in-office days each week.

 

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.

Salary Range$84,000—$109,459 USD

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.