Automotive HVAC Systems Engineer

Waymo; Novi (MI); On-site; USD 196,000 - 242,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary annual bonus

Equity incentive plan

Generous company benefits

Job summary

Waymo is seeking a skilled HVAC Engineer to enhance vehicle cabin comfort and energy efficiency. This role requires a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering and at least 8 years of experience in automotive engineering, focusing on innovative HVAC system designs for electric vehicles.

The ideal candidate will engage with OEM partners to ensure comfort and performance meet Waymo's standards. A competitive salary range of $196,000 to $242,000 USD is offered, along with additional bonuses and benefits.

Qualifications

• 8+ years experience in automotive engineering with an OEM or Tier-1 supplier.
• Experience designing electric climate compressor-based HVAC systems.
• Understanding of automotive refrigerants and regulations.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate to define HVAC performance metrics.
• Establish HVAC energy-efficiency targets.
• Oversee verification of system performance.

Skills

Design of automotive HVAC systems

Thermodynamics of AC vapor-compression

Negotiating with OEMs

Education

Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver-The World's Most Experienced Driver to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo's fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider‑only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.

Hardware Engineering is a diverse, innovative, and collaborative group of electrical, mechanical, reliability, software and vehicle engineers. We design, build, and perfect the products which are the eyes and ears of Waymo's autonomous driving technology, and integrate those products into vehicle platforms. We're seeking curious and talented teammates to grow our team.

This role will report to a Vehicle Engineering Leader.

You will:

• Collaborate with internal partners to define HVAC performance metrics (cabin comfort metrics) for our future vehicles, based on Waymo's customer satisfaction targets and benchmark studies
• Establish class‑leading targets for HVAC energy‑efficiency standards through research of innovative technologies, benchmark, and physical properties
• Apply your extensive design experience of automotive HVAC systems to develop novel but practical, low‑risk solutions for unique vehicle configurations
• Drive Waymo's OEM partners to deliver against the comfort, performance and efficiency targets
• Define sign‑off requirements, and supervise the verification of the system performance through the OEM partners and through Waymo‑internal V&V Teams

You have:

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering (or similar qualification) and 8+ years of experience in automotive engineering with an automotive OEM or a Tier‑1 supplier
• Experience designing electric climate compressor‑based HVAC systems, from the concept phase, including requirements definition, to execution and verification
• Proven track record of designing an automotive cabin ventilation system, including vent placement, vent design, and specification of airflow requirements
• Deep understanding of the thermodynamics of an AC's vapor‑compression cycle
• Expert‑level know‑how of typical automotive refrigerants and regulatory requirements thereof (world‑wide)
• Ability to create and negotiate targets and requirements with OEMs and/or Tier‑1 suppliers

We prefer:

• Relevant experience specifying, designing, and verifying 4‑zone automatic climate control systems
• Experience in creating effective Design Verification Plans (DVPs) based on the system's targets and requirements
• Tangible evidence of innovating in the field of automotive HVAC systems, e.g. having worked with alternative refrigerants like R‑290, R‑744, or new component development, or designing innovative heat‑pump systems
• Experience with development of automotive thermal systems including conventional power‑train cooling, e‑power‑train, and battery cooling systems
• Experience working with standard automotive development processes including project gateways and phases

Travel:

• Required travel may include travel to Waymo partners to support requirement implementation or to Waymo test sites to support requirement verification.

The expected base salary range for this full‑time position across US locations is listed below. Actual starting pay will be based on job‑related factors, including exact work location, experience, relevant training and education, and skill level. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the role location or, if the role can be performed remote, the specific salary range for your preferred location, during the hiring process.

Waymo employees are also eligible to participate in Waymo's discretionary annual bonus program, equity incentive plan, and generous Company benefits program, subject to eligibility requirements.

Salary Range

$196,000 — $242,000 USD