Validation Manager – Landscaping Division

ASI is seeking a Validation Manager to lead testing and validation efforts for autonomous robotics systems within our Landscaping division. This role is responsible for owning and advancing validation strategy across lab, simulation, and live outdoor field environments, including recurring testing on active golf courses.

This is a hands-on leadership role for an experienced validation professional who has personally owned QA and testing outcomes and can immediately elevate a junior team by establishing clear standards, direction, and best practices. Success in this role requires technical credibility, sound judgment, and comfort operating in customer-facing field environments.

What You'll Do

• Lead validation strategy and execution across hardware, software, and integrated autonomous systems
• Own Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), System Acceptance Testing (SAT), and system integration test plans
• Establish and mature validation processes, methodologies, and documentation standards
• Mentor and develop Validation Engineers and Field Testers, raising overall team capability
• Conduct and oversee manual validation while identifying opportunities for test automation over time
• Support live field testing on golf courses, ensuring systems perform safely and reliably in real-world conditions
• Partner cross-functionally with engineering, autonomy, and production teams on issue resolution and continuous improvement
• Translate field and lab findings into actionable feedback that improves product quality and reliability

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in QA, testing, or validation, preferably in robotics, automation, or complex electromechanical systems
• Direct experience owning validation outcomes (not just supporting testing efforts)
• Proven ability to lead and mentor teams through technical credibility and hands-on guidance
• Strong understanding of validation methodologies, including:
  • Black-box testing
  • Regression and stress testing
  • Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing
  • FAT and SAT processes
• Experience working in real-world or field-based testing environments
• Strong professional judgment, communication skills, and attention to detail

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience validating autonomous or outdoor robotic systems
• Familiarity with testing labs, compliance processes, or regulated validation environments
• Experience with validation, simulation, or defect-tracking tools (e.g., JIRA, Jama, TestRail, Simulink, or similar)
• Prior exposure to customer-facing validation or field operations

Travel & Location

• Approximately once per month travel to St. George, Utah to support live field testing on golf courses
• Additional limited travel as needed (up to ~15%)
• Located in Cashe Valley or surrounding area is strongly preferred to support close collaboration with the Landscaping leadership team

Why This Role

You'll play a critical role in shaping how autonomous landscaping systems are validated in real-world environments-bridging lab testing and live operations while setting the standard for quality, reliability, and professionalism as the program scales.