Dispatcher - Day Shift

Waabi, founded by AI visionary Raquel Urtasun, is the leader in Physical AI. With a world-class team, we're unlocking the next era of autonomous transportation with technology that's powering commercial autonomous trucks and robotaxis. Waabi is backed by and partners with world leaders in AI, automotive, logistics, and deep tech.   With offices in Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas, and Pittsburgh, Waabi is growing quickly and looking for diverse, innovative and collaborative candidates who want to impact the world in a positive way. To learn more visit: www.waabi.ai

Waabi is building generative AI for the physical world, starting with autonomous trucks. Our Texas road operations run both R&D testing and revenue freight out of our Lancaster terminal, and day shift is the core of that operation. The Dispatcher manages the missions and systems side of daily operations. You orchestrate the assignment of crews, trucks, and trailers, monitor real-time mission execution and fleet stability, and act as the operational nerve center and first line of response, bridging road testing crews, commercial operations, customers, and developers. On day shift you run the highest mission volume we operate, with engineering, triage, mapping, and leadership on shift alongside you. You still make real-time calls, and you have the support to escalate quickly when a call needs it. This role also carries people leadership: you manage Fleet Specialists.   You will… Curate and assign test and commercial missions to ensure optimal fleet utilization and alignment with daily objectives, and pivot as conditions and priorities change. Monitor mission execution, autonomy health, and mission status across all active crews to keep testing and commercial runs on plan with minimal downtime. Own the comms desk: maintain your live availability status, keep the desk reachable, hand off coverage deliberately, and answer the Waabi hotline during the shift. Serve as the first line of response for issues and incidents, provide remote troubleshooting, and partner with the Shift Supervisor when on-the-ground presence is required. Either role may escalate a Priority or Critical event, and both are expected to. Hold go / no-go authority on whether a truck departs in an unhealthy state, and confirm whether crews may proceed or re-engage after errors, weather, or policy-limit conditions. Pause autonomy operations when an event is identified as Critical, then notify the Test Operations Lead for verification. Act first; verify after. Act as point of contact for Operational Design Domain and policy calls, and raise and track exemption requests for approval. Interface with Maps, Release Coordination, Systems and Safety, and Fleet Readiness, and collaborate with developers and triage to troubleshoot system issues and provide feedback. Maintain the accuracy of mission records across Jira and the Waabi App, ensure logs are offloaded and missions verified complete before end of shift, and log and categorize delays with reason codes. Communicate with customer facilities, site contacts, and carrier partners, and arrange service recovery for delayed or aborted missions. Assign and adjust missions so crews can operate within FMCSA Hours of Service limits. Lead, coach, and develop Fleet Specialists, including assignments and testing schedules, observation and skills assessment, performance, and final on-road trainee sign-off following review and approval by the Test Operations Lead.   Qualifications: 2+ years of experience in dispatch, fleet operations, mission control, or a highly technical operations center environment. Demonstrated ability to lead or supervise others. Direct people-management experience is preferred, as this role carries direct reports. Strong coordination and problem-solving skills, with proven ability to manage complex real-time workflows and triage competing priorities under pressure. Familiarity with transportation regulations (DOT, FMCSA), particularly Hours of