Waymo

Escalation Manager Lead

Waymo$190K — $234K *
Tempe, AZ 85281In-Person
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years in Incident Management or Emergency Response in a high-severity environment
  • 3+ years in leadership roles managing managers in 24/7 operations
  • Experience in vendor management, enforcing SLAs and KPIs
  • Exceptional communication skills, able to synthesize technical information for executives
  • Proven ability to make rapid decisions in chaotic situations
  • Experience building or optimizing 24/7 operations centers, like NOC or SOC

Responsibilities

  • Manage and mentor a team of Escalation Managers across all shifts
  • Design shift schedules and strategies to enhance team morale and prevent burnout
  • Define incident protocols and manage vendor performance for effective collaboration
  • Communicate clearly and timely with senior leadership during incidents
  • Act as the primary point of escalation for high-severity events
  • Develop and refine emergency protocols for system failures and risk conditions

Benefits

  • Participation in annual bonus program
  • Eligibility for equity incentive plan
  • Access to a comprehensive company benefits program
Full Job Description
This role follows a hybrid work schedule and reports to the Head of Event Response.

You will:
  • Directly manage, mentor, and develop a team of 24/7 Escalation Managers, ensuring consistent leadership across all shifts
  • Design and optimize shift schedules, handover protocols, and fatigue-management strategies to maintain high team morale and prevent burnout
  • Define event/incident protocols, manage external vendor performance, and ensure seamless collaboration between Emergency Response agents and internal teams
  • Facilitate clear, concise, and timely communications to senior leadership and internal teams during ongoing events/incidents
  • Serve as the ultimate point of escalation for high-severity events for Escalation Managers, stepping in to provide direction and guidance during critical, multi-domain emergencies
  • Develop and refine standard operating procedures and emergency playbooks specifically tailored to autonomous system failures, human-in-the-loop interventions, and minimum risk condition triggers


You have:
  • 7+ years of experience in Incident Management, Emergency Response, NOC/SOC operations, or high-severity Trust & Safety or Operations Center
  • 3+ years of experience managing people leaders (managing managers) within a 24/7 operational environment
  • Proven track record of managing external vendors, enforcing SLAs and KPIs for outsourced teams
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill highly technical, chaotic information into executive summaries
  • Demonstrated ability to make high-quality, high-velocity decisions in emergency situations where data may be incomplete, prioritizing rapid stabilization and safety
  • Proven track record of building, launching or optimizing for scale of a 24/7 Network Operations Center (NOC), Security Operations Center (SOC), or specialized Escalation/Operations/Emergency center

We prefer:
  • Background in autonomous vehicles, robotics, aerospace, or safety-critical engineering environments
  • Thrives in ambiguity, understands complex hardware/software ecosystems, and has a proven track record of preventing team burnout in a 24/7/365 environment
  • Certifications in Incident Management (e.g., FEMA ICS, ITIL v4) or Project Management (PMP, Agile)
  • Familiarity with regulatory compliance frameworks related to operational safety (e.g., NHTSA, OSHA)
  • Lean Six Sigma (Green or Black Belt) certification, demonstrating a rigorous, data-driven approach to eliminating operational waste and reducing recovery time
  • Experience managing highly publicized incidents where immediate media, public, or executive scrutiny is involved


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

$190,000-$234,000 USD

About Waymo

Waymo LLC is a self-driving technology development company. It is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. Waymo develops autonomous driving technology and provides ride-hailing services through its Waymo One program. The company has been testing its self-driving technology on public roads since 2009 and has logged millions of miles of autonomous driving. Waymo has partnerships with several automakers and has been working on developing autonomous trucks for use in logistics.
Learn more about Waymo
Size
2,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2009

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