Technical Translator & ASPICE Specialist

Hello

Job Type: Contract-to-Hire (6-Month Initial Contract)

Location: Mountain View, CA (100% On-site, Monday Friday, 10:00 AM 7:00 PM PST)

Contract Duration: 6 Months

Target Start Date: Immediate

Key Role Summary: Technical Translator & ASPICE Specialist

This role acts as a Technical Translator and Process Bridge-turning high-level product vision into actionable, step-by-step engineering blueprints while ensuring strict automotive quality and compliance.

• Primary Function: Receives product requirements from Product Managers / TPM, cross-references them with existing APIs, and writes detailed Technical Requirement Documents (TRDs). They work closely with PMs to resolve scope gaps so that incomplete requirements are never handed directly to developers (which currently causes bottlenecks and drops engineering velocity).
• Coding Expectations: Zero production coding. The focus is purely on architecture, API mapping, sequence diagrams, and technical documentation.
• Collaboration Boundaries: Works alongside Technical Project Managers (TPMs) to map out technical and system dependencies. The System Engineer does not manage project schedules or run timeline meetings-the TPM owns scheduling.

Core Pain Points & "Why This Role Exists"

1. The ASPICE Bottleneck (Major Pain Point):
   • As a Honda Motor Co. subsidiary, Drivemode must comply with ASPICE (Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination), which is essentially a heavy, compliance-focused modification of the traditional Waterfall model.
   • Drivemode is actively struggling with ASPICE compliance and audit tracking.
2. Bridging ASPICE to Agile:
   • The team is struggling to transition toward Agile while maintaining strict ASPICE standards.
   • This engineer will be responsible for translating rigid ASPICE V-Model requirement gates (SYS.1 5 and SWE.1 6) into fast-paced, executable Agile user stories and sprint backlogs for the engineering team.

Updated Key Qualifications Checklist

Area	Client Expectation
ASPICE Track Record	CRITICAL BONUS: Hands-on experience helping teams navigate ASPICE compliance, document evaluation gates, and organize audit evidence.
Process Hybrid Expertise	Proven ability to bridge traditional automotive process gates (ASPICE/Waterfall) with modern Agile/Scrum execution.
API & Technical Specs	High proficiency in REST, OpenAPI/Swagger, gRPC, and sequence diagrams to author complete TRDs.
Troubleshooting	Log-level debugging experience using tools like DataDog and AWS CloudWatch to pinpoint root causes for integration test failures.

About the Opportunity

Our client, a global automotive leader operating in Mountain View, CA, is seeking a proactive, detail-oriented Senior Technical System Analyst / System Engineer to drive technical feasibility, architecture-aligned requirement definition, and execution readiness for their cloud-native software platforms. Sitting at the intersection of Product Management, Software Engineering, and Project Management, you will act as the crucial technical translator-converting high-level product vision into robust technical specifications, mapping API contracts, and ensuring delivery across structured software engineering processes.

Key Responsibilities & Deliverables

• Technical Requirement Translation & TRDs: Author clear Technical Requirement Documents (TRDs), define precise API specifications/contracts (OpenAPI 3.0/Swagger), draw sequence diagrams, and map cross-module software dependencies to bridge product vision and engineering execution.
• Feasibility & Scope Analysis: Review incoming product requirements, run technical feasibility verifications using cloud-native concepts, surface edge/error cases, and align directly with Product Managers to eliminate scope ambiguities before development begins.
• Process Alignment (ASPICE V-Model & Agile): Help bridge high-reliability automotive software process gates (SYS.1 SYS.5 Requirements through Qualification Testing) with fast-paced Agile sprint planning and backlog execution (SWE.1 SWE.6).
• Integration Debugging & Root Cause Analysis: Actively investigate integration test failures and system anomalies by analyzing logs and performance traces (DataDog, AWS CloudWatch) to pinpoint root causes and accelerate resolutions with backend teams.
• Estimation & Project Scheduling: Partner with engineering teams to gather high-level effort estimates and collaborate with Project Managers to construct end-to-end delivery schedules.
• Gate Review & Evidence Management: Document test results, organize verification artifacts, and compile evidence packages required to clear formal evaluation gates.

Required Skills & Experience

• Education & Professional Experience: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field with 5+ years of hands-on experience as a System Engineer, Technical Business Analyst, Solution Architect, or Technical Program Manager for cloud-native software.
• API & Observability Expertise: Expert proficiency in API specifications (REST, GraphQL, gRPC) and hands-on experience troubleshooting integration issues via logging platforms (DataDog, AWS CloudWatch).
• Tooling Proficiency: Direct experience with modern issue-tracking, API, and logging platforms including Jira, Confluence, Postman, Swagger, Jama Software, and AWS CloudWatch.
• Automotive / V-Model Track Record: Prior experience with automotive software development, ASPICE lifecycle processes, or V-Model compliance is highly preferred.
• Language Proficiency: Business English fluency is required. Japanese language proficiency (JLPT N2+ or equivalent) is highly desired for cross-regional team collaboration (candidates with fluent Japanese will be given strong priority).

Internal Notes

• Client / Location: Drivemode - Mountain View, CA.
• Work Schedule: 5 days/week on-site (10:00 AM 7:00 PM PST daily). Minor flexibility requires prior approval.
• Candidate Sourcing Priority: Japanese language capability is the top priority. Manager noted that for strong Japanese-speaking candidates, there is additional flexibility on secondary technical/ASPICE requirements. If no Japanese speaker is found, candidates must strictly satisfy all core ASPICE/VSpice and technical criteria.
• Interview Process (3 Rounds):
  1. Round 1: Behavioral Interview.
  2. Round 2: System Design Interview with Backend/Staff Engineers.
  3. Round 3: Final Leadership Interview (VP of Engineering).