Vehicle Product Engineer

Waymo; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 259,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus program

Equity incentive plan

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Waymo is seeking a senior quality engineering leader in Mountain View to drive vehicle quality across development and production. You will integrate APQP/PPAP, DFMEA, and reliability plans with OEMs, hardware, and manufacturing teams.

Lead 8D problem-solving, data-driven improvement, and lifecycle quality activities while guiding cross-functional partners and ensuring rigorous quality standards. Expect 20% travel, competitive pay, and a strong bonus/equity program.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Computer, or Mechanical Engineering.
• 10+ years in automotive vehicle design engineering focusing on Vehicle Quality.
• Proficiency with APQP, PPAP, FMEA, MSA, SPC, DOE and 8D problem-solving.
• Ability to analyze complex vehicle specifications for compliance during validation and manufacturing.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead APQP and PPAP for new vehicle launches and ensure ERS compliance.
• Guide DFMEA, design reviews, DFM/DFx to meet quality standards.
• Collaborate with OEMs, HW, Vehicle Integration, and Supply Chain to improve quality.
• Lead root-cause investigations using 8D, 5-Why, and Ishikawa methods.
• Analyze field data and warranty to drive corrective actions for reliability.
• Establish quality baselines, PFMEAs, and inspection SOPs for hardware freeze.

Skills

APQP

PPAP

FMEA

MSA

SPC

DOE

8D

Root Cause Analysis

Quality Planning

Leadership

Education

Bachelors in Electrical/Mechanical/Computer Engineering

Masters preferred in related field

Tools

MSA

DOE

SPC

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.

Hardware Engineering is an innovative and collaborative group of electrical, mechanical, reliability, software and vehicle engineers. We design, build, and perfect the products which are the eyes and ears of Waymo’s autonomous driving technology, and integrate those products into vehicle platforms. We’re seeking curious and talented teammates to keep us moving in the right direction.

This is an on-location role and you will report to the Product Quality Manager.

You will:

• Quality Planning: Lead Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and oversee the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) for new vehicle launches. Verify & ensure full compliance with the specification matrix to confirm adherence to the Engineering Requirement Specification (ERS). Provide end-to-end lifecycle quality support for Base Vehicle Hardware/Firmware and SDS vehicle components throughout the vehicle Product Development Plan (PDP).
• Ensure that the product design process, including activities like DFMEA, design reviews, DFM (Design for Manufacturing), and DFx, meets quality standards and results in a high-quality vehicle.
• Collaborate with OEM and cross-functional teams such as OEMs, HW engineering, Vehicle Integration, Supply chain, and other teams during product development to verify compliance with internal and external quality standards and requirements and improve product quality.
• Root Cause Analysis: Lead investigations into vehicle quality issues and manufacturing defects using problem-solving methodologies like 8D, 5-Why, and Ishikawa diagrams.
• Continuous Improvement: Analyze field warranty data and assembly line defect rates to identify trends and drive corrective actions that improve overall vehicle reliability.
• Baseline Requirements & Safe Launch: Establish initial quality processes, FMEAs, and dynamic inspection/testing protocols. Finalize and lock Control Plans, PFMEAs, and inspection SOPs to facilitate hardware freeze. Launch Safe Launch protocols and pinpoint critical systems that need heightened lifecycle monitoring.

You have:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Computer, Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• 10+ years of automotive industry experience in design engineering for vehicle product development, focusing on Vehicle Quality.
• Proficiency in evaluating and interpreting complex vehicle specifications to confirm complete compliance during both validation and manufacturing processes.
• Proficiency in core quality tools and methodologies: APQP, PPAP, FMEA, MSA (Measurement System Analysis), SPC (Statistical Process Control), DOE and 8D problem-solving.
• Experience with data analysis, statistical tools, and quality control systems
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills

We prefer:

• Master's degree in Electrical, Computer, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to leverage data forensics for resolving complex manufacturing assembly quality issues
• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas: New Product Introduction, Design Engineering, or Manufacturing Operations in consumer electronics
• Strong understanding of electronic assembly processes. & Solid grasp of statistical analysis and production control processes
• Proficient in data analysis and interpretation
• Experience collaborating with international contract manufacturers in mass production, including travel to manufacturing sites
• Highly motivated self-starter with innovative thinking, integrity, and meticulous attention to detail

Travel requirements

• 20% travel as needed

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

$210,000—$259,000 USD