Mapping Operations Lead
Applied Intuition, Sunnyvale, CA, United States
About Applied Intuition
Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.
About The Role
Applied Intuition is seeking a technical lead to drive the day-to-day operations of our mapping team. Maps serve as a foundational interface with autonomous vehicle perception, planning, and localization systems. This is a hands-on leadership role at the intersection of data collection, map production, validation, simulation, and field operations. You'll own the production schedule, lead first-line triage of map and data issues, and serve as the connective tissue between mapping specialists, software engineering, and field operations teams. The right person thrives in a high-throughput environment, brings deep technical judgment, and knows how to keep a team organized and unblocked. You will directly impact AV stack performance. This is an excellent opportunity for professionals with a background in high definition (HD) map creation who are comfortable with technical workflows, iterative feedback cycles, and real-time prioritization in a startup environment.
Responsibilities
Lead a team of mapping specialists, setting priorities, managing workloads, and maintaining a clear production schedule across concurrent map build and update cycles
Own the weekly and sprint-level production calendar — balancing incoming requests for mapping new areas, improving map quality, and supporting field tests
Run daily standups and triage sessions; escalate blockers quickly and make real-time prioritization decisions based on operational impact to keep the pipeline moving
Mentor specialists, conduct technical reviews of their work, and establish standards for map labeling, QC, acceptance criteria, and documentation
Serve as the primary escalation point for map data issues flagged during map production, validation, or by downstream consumers, including initial triage, creating actionable followup tasks, and routing to maps and engineering teams for resolution
Build and maintain a triage playbook so the team can classify and resolve common issues consistently and quickly
Coordinate with engineers to validate HD map accuracy in simulation environments and close gaps before map releases
Close the loop with operations and safety teams so field feedback quickly improves map coverage and quality
Qualifications
3+ years of experience in HD map production, geospatial data operations, or a closely related field in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or mobility
Demonstrated experience leading or coordinating a team of technical contributors — you don't need a formal management title, but you know how to organize people around a shared workflow
Strong understanding of HD map data formats (e.g., OpenDRIVE, NDS, or proprietary lane-level map schemas) and annotation pipelines to label map elements
Experience working with point cloud data, 3D visualization environments, or lidar-based annotation tools
Familiarity with simulation environments (e.g., CARLA, LGSVL, or internal sim stacks) and how map data feeds into sim validation
Experience analyzing field reports or sensor data to identify map quality issues
Comfort with data tooling — SQL, C++, Python, QGIS, or similar — for pulling reports, querying map data, and building dashboards. AI skills a strong plus.
Excellent written and verbal communication; able to translate technical issues clearly for both specialists and cross-functional partners
Organized, calm under pressure, and energized by the pace of production operations.
Nice to have
Experience with LiDAR point clouds and camera-based feature extraction
Experience with standard definition (SD) street network data
Background in AV safety operations or working alongside safety drivers
Familiarity with JIRA or similar tools for tracking production backlogs and Slack for real time communication
Prior experience defining or improving QA/QC standards in a mapping team
Confident working across time zones
Compensation
Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment. The base salary range for this full-time position in the location listed is: $115,000 - $222,000 USD annually.
Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.
EEO and Legal Notice
Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their protected veteran status or disability, and prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. The parties also agree to comply with 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and to abide by Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A). These regulations require affirmative action to employ and advance individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.
About The Role
Applied Intuition is seeking a technical lead to drive the day-to-day operations of our mapping team. Maps serve as a foundational interface with autonomous vehicle perception, planning, and localization systems. This is a hands-on leadership role at the intersection of data collection, map production, validation, simulation, and field operations. You'll own the production schedule, lead first-line triage of map and data issues, and serve as the connective tissue between mapping specialists, software engineering, and field operations teams. The right person thrives in a high-throughput environment, brings deep technical judgment, and knows how to keep a team organized and unblocked. You will directly impact AV stack performance. This is an excellent opportunity for professionals with a background in high definition (HD) map creation who are comfortable with technical workflows, iterative feedback cycles, and real-time prioritization in a startup environment.
Responsibilities
Lead a team of mapping specialists, setting priorities, managing workloads, and maintaining a clear production schedule across concurrent map build and update cycles
Own the weekly and sprint-level production calendar — balancing incoming requests for mapping new areas, improving map quality, and supporting field tests
Run daily standups and triage sessions; escalate blockers quickly and make real-time prioritization decisions based on operational impact to keep the pipeline moving
Mentor specialists, conduct technical reviews of their work, and establish standards for map labeling, QC, acceptance criteria, and documentation
Serve as the primary escalation point for map data issues flagged during map production, validation, or by downstream consumers, including initial triage, creating actionable followup tasks, and routing to maps and engineering teams for resolution
Build and maintain a triage playbook so the team can classify and resolve common issues consistently and quickly
Coordinate with engineers to validate HD map accuracy in simulation environments and close gaps before map releases
Close the loop with operations and safety teams so field feedback quickly improves map coverage and quality
Qualifications
3+ years of experience in HD map production, geospatial data operations, or a closely related field in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or mobility
Demonstrated experience leading or coordinating a team of technical contributors — you don't need a formal management title, but you know how to organize people around a shared workflow
Strong understanding of HD map data formats (e.g., OpenDRIVE, NDS, or proprietary lane-level map schemas) and annotation pipelines to label map elements
Experience working with point cloud data, 3D visualization environments, or lidar-based annotation tools
Familiarity with simulation environments (e.g., CARLA, LGSVL, or internal sim stacks) and how map data feeds into sim validation
Experience analyzing field reports or sensor data to identify map quality issues
Comfort with data tooling — SQL, C++, Python, QGIS, or similar — for pulling reports, querying map data, and building dashboards. AI skills a strong plus.
Excellent written and verbal communication; able to translate technical issues clearly for both specialists and cross-functional partners
Organized, calm under pressure, and energized by the pace of production operations.
Nice to have
Experience with LiDAR point clouds and camera-based feature extraction
Experience with standard definition (SD) street network data
Background in AV safety operations or working alongside safety drivers
Familiarity with JIRA or similar tools for tracking production backlogs and Slack for real time communication
Prior experience defining or improving QA/QC standards in a mapping team
Confident working across time zones
Compensation
Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment. The base salary range for this full-time position in the location listed is: $115,000 - $222,000 USD annually.
Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.
EEO and Legal Notice
Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their protected veteran status or disability, and prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. The parties also agree to comply with 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and to abide by Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A). These regulations require affirmative action to employ and advance individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability.
#J-18808-Ljbffr