Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Simulation Realism

Rocket Lab; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 238,000 - 302,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative company is seeking a talented engineer to join their Simulator Team, focusing on developing cutting-edge simulations for autonomous vehicles. This hybrid role requires deep expertise in machine learning, particularly in generative AI technologies, to enhance simulation realism and improve autonomous driving capabilities. You will manage the lifecycle of product innovations, collaborate with a diverse team, and contribute to transforming research into practical solutions. Join this forward-thinking organization and be part of a mission to revolutionize mobility and save lives through advanced technology.

Benefits

Discretionary annual bonus

Equity incentives

Comprehensive benefits

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in applied Deep Learning.
• Expertise in transitioning research into production environments.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to advancing ultra-realistic autonomous vehicle simulations.
• Collaborate with a team to transform research ideas into production solutions.

Skills

Deep Learning

System Design

Data Analysis

Data Science

Generative AI

Education

PhD 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 lives lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo One, a fully autonomous ride-hailing service, and can be applied to various vehicle platforms and use cases. It has completed over one million rider-only trips and driven tens of millions of miles on public roads across 13+ U.S. states, supported by simulation in virtual environments.

The Simulator Team at Waymo develops state-of-the-art simulations of realistic environments for testing and training the Waymo Driver. Our diverse, collaborative team of software engineers, ML engineers, and data scientists creates industry-leading simulation solutions using advanced ML algorithms. We model the real world, including agents like vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and weather conditions, to improve autonomous driving performance.

To enhance simulation fidelity and control, we employ the latest ML technologies such as large foundation models trained on our datasets and diffusion technology. We also invest in infrastructure that enables rapid setup and execution of multiple testing scenarios.

This is a hybrid role reporting to a Senior Engineering Manager.

You will:

• Contribute to a world-class applied ML team focused on advancing ultra-realistic autonomous vehicle simulations using Generative AI technologies.
• Apply deep ML expertise, especially in GenAI, to push the boundaries of simulation realism and autonomous driving capabilities.
• Manage the full lifecycle of product innovations, from prototyping to scaling simulations and data processing systems.
• Collaborate with a team transforming research ideas into production solutions.

You have:

• 7+ years of experience in applied Deep Learning.
• 7+ years of coding and system design skills.
• 7+ years of experience solving complex production problems with state-of-the-art ML techniques.
• Experience transitioning research into production environments.
• Expertise in Data Analysis or Data Science.

We prefer:

• A PhD in Computer Science or a related discipline.
• Direct experience with Generative AI, including multi-modal foundation models and diffusion models.

The expected base salary range for this full-time position across US locations is $238,000—$302,000 USD. Actual pay will depend on factors like location, experience, and skills. Waymo offers a discretionary annual bonus, equity incentives, and comprehensive benefits, subject to eligibility.