About Tokyo

Applied Intuition entered the Japan market in 2019. The company has rapidly grown and established strategic relationships with major Japanese automotive OEM customers. Based in Otemachi area, the Tokyo site consists of more than 60 employees who previously come from Woven by Toyota, Mobileye, TIER IV, Google, Siemens and other renowned companies. We are hiring our first new graduate class - want to learn more?

About the role

As a Shift Lead on the Autonomous Vehicle Operations team, you will oversee frontline operators and ensure efficient execution of daily shift activities. You will serve as the key operational point of contact during your shift, directly managing vehicle assignments, triage escalations, and team performance. This role requires strong leadership and situational awareness to ensure safety, quality, and consistency in AV testing operations. You will also partner closely with the Site Lead to implement local strategy, uphold policies, and maintain alignment with broader organizational goals.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Lead and support a team of operators during your assigned shift, ensuring clarity of responsibilities and strict adherence to safety protocols.

• Oversee the maintenance, inspection, and general health of the vehicle fleet to ensure maximum uptime for testing.

• Manage end-to-end logistics including route planning, hotel arrangements for long-distance testing, and equipment transport.

• Develop daily shift plans based on testing priorities, vehicle availability, and personnel coverage; manage attendance and conduct.

• Own shift-level people management responsibilities, including attendance tracking, policy adherence, and coaching on performance or conduct

• Act as the primary escalation point for vehicle faults, on-road incidents, or workflow blockers, ensuring rapid triage and reporting.

• Monitor vehicle deployment execution and shift progress against planned testing metrics; summarize outcomes for handoff and reporting

• Ensure all operations comply with Japanese road laws and internal safety standards (serving as a certified Operation Manager/運行管理者).

• Provide fleet and program-level updates to the Site Lead and other stakeholders as needed

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of operational workflows, including post-shift reviews and root cause assessments

We're looking for someone who has:

• 3+ years of experience in operations, field team leadership, or vehicle/fleet coordination

• Certified Operation Manager (運行管理者) qualification in Japan (Freight or Passenger).

• Proven track record in managing vehicle maintenance, driver shifts, and complex logistical scheduling.

• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and make decisions under pressure

• Experience guiding frontline teams in a dynamic, tech-driven environment

• Familiarity with vehicle testing workflows, shift scheduling, and operations documentation

• A safety-first mindset with a track record of promoting safe operational practices

• Native level in Japanese and conversational level in English

Nice to have:

• Experience working with autonomous vehicles, automotive testing, or robotics systems

• Familiarity with Fleet Management Systems (e.g., Fleetio), Jira, Slack, Confluence, and Google Workspace

• Prior experience leading contract/contingent workforces in field environments

• Knowledge of basic telemetry systems, software deployment processes, or AV health tools

• Experience supporting multi-program vehicle operations in a cross-functional setting