Software Engineer, Simulation, Limited Duration (Backend)

Waymo; Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 216,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in autonomous driving technology seeks a Software Engineer for its Simulation team. This hybrid role involves building tools that enhance virtual testing for the Waymo Driver. Candidates should have experience with Python or C++, and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. The position offers competitive pay and may include participation in an equity incentive plan.

Benefits

Participation in equity incentive plan

Generous company benefits program

Qualifications

• 1-5 years of experience in a full-time software development role.
• Strong proficiency in Python or C++.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to simulation-focused stack, building tools and systems for virtual testing and scenario generation.

Skills

Python

C++

Backend Challenges

Simulation Systems

Performance Optimization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Job description

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the 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 One, a fully autonomous ride-hailing service, and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over one million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving tens of millions of miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 13+ U.S. states.

The Simulation team at Waymo builds technology that supports the development of the Waymo Driver. Our tools help simulate complex real-world scenarios, promoting safer and smarter decision-making. If you're a software engineer passionate about Level 4 autonomous driving, we'd love to hear from you. This is a limited-duration, at-will role on the Simulation team, expected to last approximately 2 years.

In this hybrid role, you will report to a Simulation Engineering Manager.

You will:

• Be a core contributor to our simulation-focused stack, building tools and systems that support high-fidelity virtual testing, scalable scenario generation, learned agent simulation, sensor and environment modeling, and integrated evaluation pipelines—promoting robust development and validation of the Waymo Driver.

You have:

• 1–5 years of experience in a full-time software development role with strong proficiency in either Python or C++

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience

We prefer:

• Experience in product-focused software development, contributing to tools and infrastructure that support large-scale simulation and testing

• Interest in solving backend challenges in simulation systems, such as optimizing performance, building scalable distributed architectures, or working close to hardware and runtime environments

#LI-Hybrid

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.

This position may also be eligible to participate in Waymo’s equity incentive plan and generous Company benefits program, if applicable.

Salary Range $170,000 — $216,000 USD