Sustaining Engineer, Powertrain & Thermal Systems

Foster City, CA on site Until 8/21/2026 8+ years exp H-1B sponsor history First posted May 13, 2026 Last posted May 13, 2026
Job description

At Zoox, we are developing a purpose-built autonomous robotaxi, and the Sustaining Engineering team plays a critical role in ensuring the long-term reliability, safety, serviceability, and availability of our fleet as it operates at scale.

As a Sustaining Engineer supporting Powertrain and Thermal Systems, you will independently own sustaining engineering for key subsystems supporting both the in service fleet and vehicles in current production. You will drive root cause investigations and corrective actions, making subsystem-level technical decisions and leading changes through design, validation, release, and fleet implementation.

This role requires close collaboration with Vehicle Development, Manufacturing, Service, Quality, Reliability, and Suppliers in a fast-paced and often ambiguous environment. You will prioritize work based on fleet and production impact, delivering solutions that improve safety, durability, fleet uptime, and manufacturing performance.

In this role, you will:

  • Own sustaining engineering and corrective action development for powertrain and thermal systems across the in service fleet and vehicles in current production, from root cause confirmation through fleet-wide implementation
  • Drive end-to-end resolution of field and manufacturing issues across electric drive systems, battery systems, power electronics, and thermal management systems
  • Apply fleet and production data, including MTBF, repeat failure rates, and downtime drivers, to prioritize work, validate solutions, and drive continuous improvement
  • Lead design updates and system improvements, ensuring robust performance, durability, efficiency, and serviceability in both fleet and production environments
  • Author and manage Engineering Change Requests and Change Actions, and develop and execute validation plans at component, system, and vehicle levels
  • Support and lead retrofit and rework campaigns, and partner with suppliers to resolve quality issues and improve reliability and manufacturability

Qualifications

  • BS in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or related discipline
  • 8+ years of experience in powertrain, thermal, battery, or EV systems within a product development, manufacturing, or sustaining environment
  • Demonstrated ability to deliver subsystem-level corrective actions that improve reliability, durability, manufacturability, or serviceability in production vehicles
  • Experience with root cause analysis, DFMEA, and product and process validation
  • Excellent communication and documentation skills with the ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple priorities

Bonus Qualifications

  • Experience in autonomous vehicles
  • Experience with Design for Manufacturing and Design for Service (DFM/DFS), and Lean, Six Sigma, or similar continuous improvement methodologies
  • Proficiency with 3D CAD tools, CATIA preferred, and familiarity with tools such as 3DX, DELMIA, SAP, JIRA, Confluence, or data analysis or visualization tools such as dashboards, SQL, and Python 

Compensation (from employer):
153000–184000 USD per year

About this role

Summary

Own sustaining engineering, lead root cause analysis, drive design improvements for vehicle systems.

Job title

Sustaining Engineer, Powertrain & Thermal Systems

Experience level

8+ years

Minimum experience

8+ years exp

Industry

automotive

Location requirements

Foster City, CA; on-site role

Salary

153000–184000 USD per year

Visa sponsorship

H-1B sponsor history

Management role

No

Skills & keywords

Required skills

mechanical engineeringelectrical engineeringroot cause analysisDFMEAvalidation

Preferred skills

autonomous vehiclesDFM/DFSLeanSix SigmaCAD

Specializations

powertrainthermal systemsEV systemsbatterythermal management
Locations

Structured locations inferred from the posting.

Foster City, CA, USA

On-site City