Chief Engineer Autonomous Trucking (m/f/d)

-world operations. As Chief Engineer Autonomous Trucking, you are the technical owner of the entire program and you identify yourself with the success of this product: you set the technical direction, shape the system architecture, and turn customer needs into an integrated, executable delivery plan. You orchestrate the complete system, from base vehicle and autonomy hardware to the autonomy software stack and full system integration, and you drive it to maturity, primarily for defense logistics applications in regulated environments. You work in an extremely tight partnership with Product Management: they own what the customer needs, you own how we achieve it technically and by when we deliver. Together you balance product ambition against engineering reality, make trade-offs consciously, and keep one integrated plan that the whole organization can execute against. This is a senior individual contributor role with maximum leverage: you align workstream leads, domain experts, truck OEM partners, and central functions into one integrated product and one executable delivery plan. You are the technical counterpart to Product, Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, external stakeholder (OEMs), and the credible engineering voice towards senior leadership. What is your Day to Day Mission: Own the Technical ProgramOwn the end-to-end technical orchestration of our autonomous trucking program with strong focus on integration, execution readiness, and delivery reliability.Define and maintain the integrated technical roadmap: milestones, dependencies, and critical path from development through deployment, performance, and certification goals.Identify integration gaps, decision bottlenecks, and execution risks early; escalate with judgement and propose solution optionsEnsure technical trade-offs are transparent and made consciously across product, engineering, and operations.Drive System Integration to series industrialisation and productionAlign technical integration and ensure convergence across base vehicle, autonomy hardware stack, autonomy software stack (modular and End2End planner approaches), verification and validation, ground operations and test, and systems engineering including safety and security.Drive technical maturity from subsystem status to validated system behavior; ensure interfaces are clear, owned, and validated between the teamsPush for integration planning with the right cadence of reviews, demos, test evidence, and decision points.Partner with Product ManagementWork in an extremely tight loop with Product Management: they own what the customer needs, you own how and by when we deliver it in lockstep alignment with engineering management.Translate product intent into technical execution clarity; challenge unclear scope, unclear priorities, or missing system implications early.Shape realistic sequencing between product ambition and engineering capacity.Build trusted, eye-level working relationships with truck OEM engineering teams and manage the joint technical interfaces, handovers, and delivery commitments.Act as the strong technical counterpart to Sales, Supply Chain, and Operations: connect program needs with sourcing timelines, service concepts, and operational readiness.Create alignment across internal engineering teams and domains on priorities, interfaces, and expected delivery contributions.Be a Senior Technical LeaderOperate with high autonomy and high judgement; represent the technical program in reviews up to C-level.Be a calm, credible, and sharp voice in high-stakes discussions, internally and towards partners and customers.Raise the bar on accountability, collaboration, and delivery discipline across workstream leads and domain experts, without creating unnecessary process overhead. What you bring to the team: Engineering degree in a relevant field (e.g. Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or comparable).10+ years of experience in autonomous driving or field robotics, ideally with several years in autonomous trucking.Outstanding technical depth across the full autonomous driving system: autonomy software (perception, planning, control, end to end planner architectures), autonomy hardware (compute, sensors, user interfaces), base vehicle hardware architecture, and system integration.Proven experience delivering complex systems in regulated environments; defense background is a strong plus but not mandatory.Outstanding technical project and program management skills: roadmapping, critical path management, risk management, and delivery steering of multi-team workstreams.Track record of working with vehicle OEMs, ideally truck OEMs, on joint development and integration programs.Outstanding communication skills: condensate complex technical discussions into actionable items per team.Systems thinker: you think in milestones and integration maturity, not in isolated component optimization.Fluent in English; German is a strong plus.High ownership, pragmatic, hands-on mindset; willingness to travel to OEM, partner, and test sites. Your Benefits Direct impact: See your contributions rapidly integrated from cutting-edge research into industrialized products, flying in the field within short development cycles.Culture & Environment: A dynamic, fast-paced, and collaborative startup environment with flat hierarchies, efficient collaboration, and a strong emphasis on continuous learning opportunities.Work-life Balance: We offer flexible work schedules, and 30 days of paid vacation each year to support your personal and professional life.Lunch Benefit: We promote healthy eating and the well-being of our employees with a monthly lunch budget.Health & Wellness: We support your physical well-being with a company-subsidized eGym Wellpass membership, giving you access to thousands of gyms and sports facilities. Skills: Software