Waymo

Operations Controller Lead

Waymo$285K — $352K *
Tempe, AZ 85281In-Person
Transportation
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years in senior operational leadership
  • Experience directing real-time network operations and safety-critical decisions in high-pressure environments
  • Experience leading cross-functional event response with clear communication
  • Ability to maintain situational awareness across global markets
  • Expertise in aligning network priorities with regional and technical realities
  • Experience managing executive escalations and providing actionable guidance
  • Ability to identify risks and utilize data-driven insights for network resilience

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the on-shift operational authority for Waymo's network
  • Exercise operational control during incidents and disruptions
  • Align network-level priorities with market-level realities
  • Act as the central operational interface during high-risk periods
  • Balance global operational strategies with local compliance and performance
  • Communicate effectively during crisis situations to maintain confidence
  • Ensure consistent application of operational standards and governance
  • Support post-event analysis for continuous improvement in operations

Benefits

  • Eligible for discretionary annual bonus program
  • Participation in equity incentive plan
  • Generous company benefits program
Full Job Description
In this role, you will enable operations at scale, protect operational network integrity, and ensure operational resilience as the business expands across vehicles, miles, markets, and partners. This role provides a unified operational voice in crisis situations for Waymo in real time, aligning decision making and accountability to act in the company's best interest across the global network in the most critical moments. The role serves to accelerate resolution and continuous improvement across disciplined escalations and coordinated responses to disruptions and safety-critical events.

In this hybrid role, you will report to our Senior Director, Global Operations Center.

You will:
  • Command Network Oversight: Serve as the on-shift operational authority for Waymo's network, maintaining end-to-end situational awareness across all live markets.
  • Direct System Disruptionst: Exercise operational control during incidents, disruptions, and safety-critical events, making timely decisions to stabilize and recover service.
  • Synchronize Regional Strategy: Partner closely with Regional Market Leads, ensuring alignment between network-level priorities and market-level realities, representing local impacts, risks, and constraints in network-level decision-making to ensure balanced outcomes.
  • Bridge Technical Workstreams: Serve as the central operational interface during incidents and periods of elevated risk.
  • Optimize Global-Local Balance: Apply a network-first mindset while balancing local conditions and regulatory considerations to maintain compliance and performance.
  • Lead Crisis Communications: Communicate with clarity, authority, and a calm demeanor during high-pressure situations to maintain organizational confidence.
  • Enforce Operational Governance: Ensure consistent application of operational standards, escalation protocols, and decision frameworks across the fleet.
  • Drive Resilience and Evolution: Support post-event analysis and contribute to the continuous improvement of network operations and systemic recovery.


You have:
  • 8+ years in senior operational leadership.
  • Experience directing real-time network operations and safety-critical decisions in high-pressure, 24/7 environments.
  • Experience leading cross-functional event response with clear structure, decision discipline, and communication.
  • Ability to synthesize live signals to maintain situational awareness across all global markets.
  • Ability to align network priorities with regional market realities and technical engineering constraints.
  • Experience in managing executive escalations to provide immediate actionable guidance.
  • Ability to manage network resilience by identifying emerging risks and applying data-driven insights.


We prefer:
  • Operational leadership within aviation, emergency services, or autonomous operations.


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

$285,000-$352,000 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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