Program Manager, Vehicle Platform Scaling

Waymo LLC; Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 159,000 - 196,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary annual bonus

Equity incentive plan

Company benefits package

Job summary

Waymo is seeking an experienced Technical Program Manager to help scale the Waymo Driver through expansion programs across new markets and vehicle platforms. This hybrid role reports to the Program Manager Lead, Commercialization and Expansion, and focuses on delivering end-to-end launches with cross-functional alignment.

You will coordinate across Product, Engineering TPMs, Operations, GTM, UX Research, Regulatory/Legal, and Policy, establishing repeatable workflows and managing risk to ensure

Qualifications

• 5+ years of program management experience leading cross-functional launches.
• Experience delivering large multi-disciplinary launch programs across technical and business functions.
• Proven ability to perform in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment with ownership.
• Clear verbal and written communication and decision-making under pressure.
• Strong leadership to influence engineers, operations, and executives.

Responsibilities

• Lead and launch expansion programs for new markets and vehicle platforms.
• Drive plans and critical paths for launch activities from testing to public launch.
• Coordinate deliverables across Product, Engineering TPMs, Operations, GTM, UX Research, Regulatory Legal / Policy.
• Establish workflows and playbooks to scale across vehicle generations.
• Identify and mitigate business risks using data and cross-functional teams.
• Communicate program status and provide regular reporting to leadership.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Launch planning

Communication

Problem-solving

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 Technical Program Managers and Program Managers are accountable for Waymo’s roadmap execution by providing thoughtful cross-functional planning, clarity, and proactive risk management. In the face of complex technical and operational challenges with no established playbooks to follow, we act with thoughtful urgency, driving conversations, discussions, and outcomes. Our team partners closely with every function of Waymo to structure, own and drive work towards real-world deployments of the Waymo Driver across platforms and geographies.

This role follows a hybrid work schedule and reports to the Program Manager Lead, Commercialization and Expansion.

You will:

• Lead and launch expansion programs for new markets and new horizontal / vertical capabilities, with a focus on new vehicle platform launches
• Drive and own plans and critical path for launch activities, from early testing to full public launch
• Orchestrate deliverables, scope and timelines across internal teams including Product, Engineering TPMs, Operations, GTM, UX Research, Regulatory Legal / Policy, and Operations to align on clear commercial launch plans and rider readiness criteria
• Establish new or improve existing workflows and repeatable playbooks to build a strong foundation for the org to grow and scale, specifically across multiple vehicle generations
• Proactively identify and reduce both short- and long-term business-critical risks and dependencies; resolve bottlenecks using data, operational metrics and cross-functional teams to drive solutions
• Communicate program status effectively and deliver regular reporting to maintain clear alignment across both working teams and executive leadership

You have:

• 5+ years of experience in Program Management with a track record of leading complex, cross-functional commercial launches from conception to scale
• Experience driving large, multi-disciplinary launch programs with a holistic understanding across technical and business functions to deliver cohesive end-to-end outcomes
• Demonstrated success in an innovative, fast-paced environment, characterized by excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, a growth mindset, and the ability to navigate ambiguity with a strong sense of independence and ownership.
• Clear verbal and written communication, alongside the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive decision-making in a fast-paced environment
• Strong leadership skills to manage both upstream and downstream dependencies. Proven ability to effectively connect and influence a wide variety of audiences, from engineers, to operations teams, to senior executives

We prefer:

• Experience designing and managing dogfood, early adopter, and/or commercial launch programs for complex consumer hardware products
• Expertise in external partner engagement and market expansion (e.g. scale, commercialization)
• Domain knowledge across the autonomous vehicle, automotive, ride-hailing, or mobility industries, including familiarity with physical fleet operations and regulatory permitting
• Experience scaling businesses
• Experience launching in national and international markets

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

$159,000—$196,000 USD