Rapid Evaluator - X

Moonshot Factory; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 221,000 - 328,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

X's Rapid Evaluation team seeks engineers and scientists to identify and de-risk hundreds of potential moonshots. You will apply critical thinking, networking, research, and prototyping to propose new opportunities with global impact.

The role blends startup speed with frontier science, requiring comfort with ambiguity and leadership of diverse teams. Candidates bring deep experience from founding or leading frontier initiatives, broad technical expertise, and a track record of turning ideas

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience as a founder or leader within a frontier industry.
• A vast range of technical expertise (hardware, computer science, physics, biology, or chemistry).
• A track record of navigating extreme ambiguity to build viable businesses from the ground up.
• The judgment required to vet breakthrough proposals and identify high-upside technical bets.
• The ability to identify the primary failure modes of a new idea to focus on the biggest risks early on.
• Proven success as a force multiplier who effectively delegates and leverages internal and external teams to scale their own impact.

Responsibilities

• Identify, assess, and synthesize new X moonshots ideas.
• Roll up your sleeves to de-risk your moonshot ideas from both a technical and business perspective.
• Conduct independent and team-based early-stage technical and techno-economic assessments to develop and evaluate potential moonshots.
• Lead small technical teams (internal or external experts) to further the state of the art and build proofs of concept.
• Develop and refine your moonshot story and pitch, regularly sharing your vision and incorporating feedback from our leadership team.

Skills

Founder/leader experience

Broad technical expertise

Ambiguity navigation

Judgment to vet proposals

Risk identification

Delegation & scaling

Job description

X is Alphabet’s moonshot factory with a mission of inventing and launching “moonshot” technologies that could someday make the world a radically better place. We are a diverse group of inventors and entrepreneurs who build and launch technologies that aim to improve the lives of millions, even billions, of people. Our goal: 10x impact on the world’s most intractable problems, not just 10% improvement. We approach projects that have the aspiration and riskiness of research with the speed and ambition of a startup. As an innovation engine, X focuses on repeatedly turning breakthrough-technology ideas into the foundations for large, sustainable businesses.

The Team:

X’s Rapid Evaluation team has one goal: creating and incubating X’s next moonshots. We are a dynamic team of creative and collaborative engineers, innovative entrepreneurs and scientists that focuses on identifying and de-risking ideas. We develop the foundations upon which groundbreaking products and business can be built upon. We are particularly interested in hiring people who have experience in taking ideas from concept stage to pre-product stage.

The Role:

In this role as Rapid Evaluator, you will be working on a team applying a combination of critical thinking, networking, research, and prototyping to propose and assess hundreds of potential technology-enabled projects. The team's mission is to find or invent new opportunities that have a significant reach and global impact.

We are looking for individuals with an unorthodox mix of skillsets, ranging from entrepreneurial scientists to scientific entrepreneurs who are motivated to change the world for the better.

How you will make 10x Impact:

• Identify, assess, and synthesize new X moonshots ideas
• Roll up your sleeves to de-risk your moonshot ideas from both a technical and business perspective
• Conduct independent and team-based early-stage technical and techno-economic assessments to develop and evaluate potential moonshots
• Lead small technical teams (internal or external experts) to further the state of the art and build proofs of concept
• Develop and refine your moonshot story and pitch, regularly sharing your vision and incorporating feedback from our leadership team

What you should have:

• 10+ years of experience as a founder or leader within a frontier industry
• A vast range of technical expertise (hardware, computer science, physics, biology, or chemistry)
• A track record of navigating extreme ambiguity to build viable businesses from the ground up
• The judgment required to vet breakthrough proposals and identify high-upside technical bets
• The ability to identify the primary failure modes of a new idea to focus on the biggest risks early on
• Proven success as a force multiplier who effectively delegates and leverages internal and external teams to scale their own impact

It would be great if you also had:

• An experimental bias and the genuine enthusiasm to get your hands dirty in new domains
• The ability to communicate deep-tech complexity to both technical and non-technical audience
• A relentless sense of urgency and the tenacity to make things happen in fluid environments
• Direct experience as a startup founder who has built an organization from scratch

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $221,000 - $328,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits.

An Equal Opportunity Workplace

At X, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

This position is located in Mountain View, CA.