Vehicle Recovery, Safety, & Logistics - West

Waymo; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 159,000 - 196,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus program

Equity incentive plan

Benefits program

Job summary

Waymo is seeking an experienced leader to oversee recovery operations for its autonomous fleet in a hybrid role across multiple US markets. You will manage cross-functional teams, coordinate with law enforcement and regulators, and drive efficiency and safety in 24/7 operations.

You will leverage data to identify bottlenecks, uphold HV safety standards, and partner with external vendors to meet SLAs. The role offers a competitive compensation package and meaningful impact on mobility safety.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience leading large-scale commercial fleet operations, vehicle recovery, or high-stakes logistics.
• Deep understanding of EV platforms, including high-voltage safety.
• Experience managing complex SLAs with third-party partners.
• Ability to coordinate distributed teams across geographies in a fast-paced environment.
• Data-driven approach to reducing recovery costs and improving response times.
• Experience engaging with city officials and regulatory bodies on safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Recovery Operations: Drive end-to-end development and implementation of scalable roadside recovery framework across high-density markets.
• Vendor Performance Management: Manage relationships with third-party recovery partners, enforcing SLAs on response times and readiness.
• Incident Response & Safety: Serve as escalation point for complex recovery scenarios, ensuring HV safety and autonomous protocols.
• Drive Operational Throughput: Improve last-mile logistics with Depot Operations to reduce downtime and increase technician throughput.
• External Stakeholder Liaison: Coordinate with law enforcement, first responders, and municipal DOTs on roadside incident handling.
• Analyze & Innovate: Use data-driven insights to identify bottlenecks and provide executive-ready reporting for fleet-wide improvements.

Skills

Leadership

Fleet Operations

Vendor Management

Multi-Market

Data-Driven

Stakeholder Engagement

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.

In this hybrid role, you will report to the Head of Market Operations - East Region.

You will

• Strategic Recovery Operations: Drive the end-to-end development and implementation of a scalable operational framework for on-road vehicle recovery, ensuring seamless towing and roadside support services across multiple high-density markets.
• Vendor Performance Management: Manage relationships with third-party recovery partners (3PL), holding them to rigorous service-level agreements (SLAs) regarding response times, safety certifications, and equipment readiness.
• Incident Response & Safety: Act as the primary escalation point for complex recovery scenarios, ensuring all field maneuvers adhere to strict high-voltage (HV) safety standards and autonomous system protocols.
• Drive Operational Throughput: Optimize "last-mile" logistics by partnering with Depot Operations to streamline the arrival and staging of disabled vehicles, minimizing downtime and maximizing technician throughput.
• External Stakeholder Liaison: Lead coordinate with local Law Enforcement, First Responders, and Municipal DOTs to standardize how autonomous vehicles are handled during roadside incidents.
• Analyze & Innovate: Use data-driven insights to identify systemic trends and bottlenecks, providing executive-ready reporting that informs fleet-wide efficiency and safety improvements.

You have

• An Experienced Leader: You have 5+ years of experience leading large-scale commercial fleet operations, vehicle recovery, or high-stakes logistics.
• Technical & Safety Oriented: You possess a deep understanding of EV platforms, including high-voltage shutdown procedures and the complexities of towing heavy-battery vehicles.
• Vendor Management Excellence: Experience managing complex SLAs and driving third-party accountability through data-driven performance audits.
• Multi-Market Coordination: Demonstrated ability to lead distributed teams across multiple geographies in a high-velocity, 24/7 environment.
• Data-Driven: You thrive on analytical rigor, using operational metrics to reduce the cost-per-recovery and optimize response times.
• Stakeholder & Regulatory Engagement: Demonstrated success collaborating with internal cross-functional teams, city officials, and regulatory bodies to align operational goals with municipal requirements and safety standards.

We prefer

• Executive & Stakeholder Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills with a proven ability to engage and influence senior officials, municipal leaders, and strategic partners across multiple geographic markets.
• Operational Financial Acumen: Experience managing OpEx budgets and performing cost-benefit analyses for fleet infrastructure, with a focus on optimizing "total cost per recovery" and long-term asset ROI.
• AV Industry Experience: Direct experience with autonomous vehicle recovery, including the use of "ghosting" software, manual override tools, and calibration-safe transport.
• First Responder Training: Background in fire science, emergency management, or specialized towing (e.g., WreckMaster certification).
• Process Engineering: Experience implementing Lean or Six Sigma principles to reduce "roadside dwell time" and operational drag.
• Regulatory Experience: Familiarity with state-level DMV and DOT regulations regarding autonomous vehicle testing and commercial towing.

Travel requirement

• 45% of the time

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