Design Studio Process Manager

Socket.dev; Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 190,000 - 234,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Equity incentive

Benefits package

Job summary

Waymo is seeking a Design Studio Process Manager to own the optimization of facility layouts and workflows across depots, service centers, and fleet infrastructure. The role demands transforming business needs into standardized, efficient solutions in a fast-paced setting with ambiguity.

You will collaborate with Architecture, Engineering, Product, Operations, Robotics, and Ops Excellence teams to validate concepts, apply Lean principles, and drive scalable, future-ready operations.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of industrial engineering, operations excellence, or related disciplines in automotive throughput.
• Experience applying Lean principles, process improvement, and operational modeling to facility design.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams during facility planning and design.
• Experience solving complex challenges through data analysis and structured problem-solving.
• Experience using AI tools to enhance workflows in project delivery.

Responsibilities

• Analyze end-to-end operational workflows to identify bottlenecks in depots and service centers.
• Collaborate with Architecture, Engineering, Product, Operations, Robotics, and Ops Excellence teams on infrastructure concepts.
• Apply Lean and industrial engineering methods to optimize facility layout and workflow.
• Evaluate concepts through simulations, pilots, and real-world testing for continuous improvement.
• Develop analyses and metrics to guide infrastructure planning and design decisions.

Skills

Lean principles

Process improvement

Operational modeling

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

AI workflow tooling

Education

Industrial/Systems/Manufacturing Engineering degree

Tools

AI tools

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.

Waymo’s cars may be self-driving, but its preconstruction development standards are steered by experts like you. Safety is our foundation and is at the heart of everything we do. As Waymo’s Design Studio Process Manager, you will own the facility layout optimization by transforming our business needs and operation into standardized and efficient solutions in an extremely fast paced environment with high degree of ambiguity. At every turn, process excellence, collaboration, and detailed cross-org communication are critical.

This role follows a hybrid work schedule and reports to the Head of Project Delivery.

You Will:

• Analyze end-to-end operational workflows to identify bottlenecks, unnecessary motion and capacity constraints, and ultimately translating these findings into facility design requirements within our depots, service centers and other fleet related infrastructure
• Partner with Architectural, Engineering, Product, Operations, Robotics, and Ops Excellence teams to develop and validate autonomous infrastructure concepts, ensuring design standards support efficient, scalable, and future-ready operations
• Continuously improve physical infrastructure design standards by applying Lean principles, industrial engineering methodologies, operational modeling, and real-world performance data to optimize facility layout and workflow
• Evaluate facility concepts through simulations, pilots, and real-world testing to validate design assumptions, improve efficiency, and drive continuous improvement
• Influence infrastructure planning by developing operational analyses, performance metrics, and scalability recommendations that support facility programming and design decisions

You Have:

• 10+ years of industrial engineering, operations excellence, process improvement, manufacturing engineering, or related disciplines as they relate to automotive throughput
• Experience applying Lean principles, process improvement methodologies, and operational modeling to improve facility design and business performance
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams during facility planning design, or operational improvements
• Experience solving complex challenges through structured data analysis and forensics, applying methodical frameworks, practical experience, innovation, and sound judgment to make effective decisions even when information is limited
• Experience developing and implementing process improvements and/or lean methodology to streamline the full project delivery cycle inclusive of a strong understanding of and experience using AI tools to enhance workflows

We Prefer:

• An understanding of various real estate typologies (workplace, lab, industrial, manufacturing, automotive service, EV charging)
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification
• A track record of proven objective analysis, having delivering projects in an atmosphere where speed, flexibility and frugality are the norm
• Degree in Industrial Engineering, System Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field
• Automotive, manufacturing, logistical warehouse, or distribution center design/ engineering experience
• Drive to work in a startup environment, ideally in tech industry

Travel Requirements:

• Up to 25% travel time

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

The expected base salary range for this full-time position across U.S. 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.

• $190,000 — $234,000 USD