System Disruption Manager

Waymo; Tempe (AZ); On-site; USD 159,000 - 196,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus program

Equity incentives

Benefits package

Job summary

Waymo is seeking an experienced Incident Commander to lead cross-functional response efforts for high-severity incidents across a global operations network. You will coordinate stakeholders and ensure rapid, safe resolution in time-critical situations.

This role requires 7+ years in incident management, strong technical understanding, and the ability to briefing executives in real time. The position offers 24/7 on-call flexibility and participation in Waymo's bonus and equity programs.

Qualifications

• 7+ years as Incident Commander or lead responder for high-severity cross-functional incidents.

Responsibilities

• Lead as Incident Commander during cross-functional disruptions and coordinate live response efforts.
• Manage and prioritize escalations with Legal, Ops, Safety, Policy, and Communications.
• Develop cross-functional partnerships and communicate post-incident learnings globally.
• Collaborate with global Operations teams to maintain 24/7 coverage.
• Drive incident retrospectives documenting timelines, root causes, and follow-ups.
• Deliver executive-level communications on incidents and outcomes.

Skills

Incident Commander

Cross-functional leadership

Root cause analysis

Executive briefing

Incident timelines

On-call readiness

Stakeholder comms

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 Operations exists to deliver the Waymo Driver to the world. We are a global team building and scaling the world's first and leading autonomous fleet and operations platform. From component sourcing to end customer management, we enable and create value for Waymo through scaled and orchestrated deployment of the Waymo Driver. At Waymo, we are dedicated to building a culture that promotes collaboration and celebration. We value our team members' unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences and support and encourage all team members to share their ideas to help Waymo better serve the communities in which we operate.

You Will

• Lead as the Incident Commander during cross-functional disruptions, orchestrating up to 100% of the live real-time response efforts, making decisive system-level decisions within critical timeframes (e.g., able to respond in under 5 minutes to critical events), and coordinating multiple cross-functional stakeholders to safely and efficiently resolve events.
• Manage and prioritize escalations - ensuring targeted stakeholder representation (e.g., Legal, Ops, Safety, Policy, & Communications) throughout the incident lifecycle.
• Develop robust cross-functional partnerships - to proactively understand stakeholder concerns during events and effectively communicate post-incident outcomes and learning opportunities to a global audience.
• Collaborate closely within global Operations teams - providing critical support and guidance during real-time incident response to maintain seamless 24/7 coverage.
• Drive continuous improvement - by leading thorough incident retrospectives for 100% of high-severity events to accurately document timelines, identify precise root causes, and track 100% of actionable post-incident follow-ups to implementation.
• Deliver executive-level communications - on active incidents and present comprehensive analyses of key outcomes, trends, and strategic learnings from past events.

You Have

• Professional experience in incident management, including a minimum of 7 years serving as an Incident Commander or lead responder for high-severity, cross-functional operational incidents within a complex engineering or logistics environment.
• Proven technical expertise & cross-functional leadership, apply technical understanding of complex engineering systems to drive incident response, root cause analysis, and remediation for live operational incidents, coupled with an exceptional ability to build and align diverse stakeholders (e.g., Engineering, Legal, Operations) during critical events.
• Demonstrated capability to remain calm and decisive under pressure, efficiently coordinating response efforts and making sound judgments in rapidly evolving, high-stakes situations.
• Experience briefing senior executives and leadership, in real-time, on complex, fast-moving incidents, articulating technical details, impact, and proposed resolutions clearly and concisely across various communication channels.
• Exceptional attention to detail with a track record of meticulously documenting incident timelines, contributing factors, and post-incident analysis to drive accurate reporting and continuous improvement.
• Willingness and operational capability to participate in a 24/7 on-call rotation, demonstrating flexibility to cover shifts as part of a global "follow the sun" incident response capability.

We Prefer

• Advanced degree in a relevant field such as Emergency Management, Business, Operations, Law, or a related discipline, demonstrating a deeper theoretical understanding of incident dynamics and organizational response.
• Experience leading crisis and incident response as an Incident Commander in a global organization covering AMER, EMEA, and APAC operations.
• Proven ability to effectively interact with and/or report to external stakeholders, including law enforcement, regulatory agencies, and legal counsel, during sensitive or high‑profile incidents.
• Experience in highly regulated industries such as Automotive, Maritime, Aviation, or similar sectors, providing familiarity with safety‑critical systems, compliance frameworks, and complex operational procedures.
• Certifications/alignment on relevant incident management best practices and frameworks (e.g., NIMS/ICS, ITIL Incident Management, or similar), indicating a structured approach to incident handling and continuous improvement.
• Experience with event mapping initiatives to enhance incident action planning, ensure congruence with response team actions, and promote stakeholder coordination.

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