Machine Learning Engineer, Scenes

Waymo LLC; Mountain View (WY); On-site; USD 175,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary annual bonus

Equity incentive plan

Company benefits program

Job summary

Waymo LLC is seeking an Engineer in Driver Refinement and Validation (DRV) to bridge ML research and real-world vehicle performance. You will develop ML-powered systems, fine-tune models for perception and trajectory planning, and write robust production code to ensure safe autonomous vehicle behavior.

Qualifications include an MS in a relevant field or equivalent experience, hands-on deployment in production, and proficiency in Python/C++ with JAX or PyTorch.

Qualifications

• MS in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, or related field or equivalent practical experience.
• Hands-on experience deploying, evaluating, and maintaining ML-based systems in production.
• Proficient Python and/or C++ with strong debugging and analytical skills.
• Experience with modern ML frameworks (JAX, PyTorch).

Responsibilities

• Develop next-generation ML-powered systems to enhance the autonomous driver capabilities.
• Fine-tune, adapt, and benchmark state-of-the-art models for perception, motion prediction, and trajectory planning.
• Write high-quality, scalable production code and collaborate with engineers and product managers.
• Contribute to safe, reliable, and efficient autonomous vehicle behaviors.

Skills

Python

C++

ML frameworks

Education

MS in CS/ML

Tools

JAX

PyTorch

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.

Driver Refinement and Validation’s (DRV) mission is to build upon the high-quality ML Driver developed by Driver Intelligence, refining its performance to improve autonomous driving in specific, complex real-world contexts and problem areas (e.g., Ride-Hailing contexts). It aims to ensure that the Waymo Driver always computes safe, compliant, comfortable, and useful plans. As an Engineer in DRV, you will bridge the gap between cutting‑edge machine learning and real‑world vehicle performance, engineering the validation and onboard systems that ensure the autonomous vehicle reliably executes intelligent and predictable maneuvers.

You will:

• Develop next-generation, ML‑powered systems that enhance the capabilities of the ML driver and accelerate the rapid scaling of Waymo’s business
• Fine‑tune, adapt, and benchmark state‑of‑the‑art generative models to improve autonomous vehicle perception, motion prediction, and trajectory planning
• Write high‑quality, scalable, and thoroughly tested code to bring cutting‑edge ML into production
• Partner with world‑class engineers and product managers to deliver safe and smooth autonomous vehicle behaviors

You have:

• MS in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, or related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• Hands‑on experience deploying, evaluating, and maintaining ML‑based systems in real‑world, production environments
• Proficient programming skills in Python and/or C++, coupled with strong analytical and debugging abilities
• Expertise with modern deep learning frameworks, for example JAX or PyTorch

We prefer:

• Experience in deep learning, reinforcement learning, and ML systems
• Prior industry experience (e.g. internships) in applied ML or software development
• Publications in top‑tier conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, ICRA, IROS, RSS, CoRL, ACL, or EMNLP)
• Domain expertise in solving motion planning, prediction, or related robotics problems

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

$175,000 — $215,000 USD