Waymo

Regional Head of U.S. State and Local Policy, WEST

Waymo$210K — $259K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's in Public Policy, Political Science, Law, Communications, or a related field.
  • 10+ years in government affairs, public policy, or political advocacy, especially in tech or transportation sectors.
  • Expertise in state and local legislative processes and political dynamics in the Western U.S.
  • Strong ability to translate complex technical and regulatory concepts into persuasive strategies.
  • Exceptional skills in executive communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management.
  • Experience managing government affairs budgets and optimizing resources for policy success.
  • Background in overseeing contract lobbyists and compliance with lobbying regulations.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and mentor a team of regional public policy managers across the Western region.
  • Synthesize political intelligence and regulatory updates into strategic insights for leadership.
  • Collaborate with teams to align policy initiatives with business objectives and operational freedoms.
  • Develop and execute the policy roadmap and budget for the Western U.S.
  • Manage state consultant networks and represent Waymo in industry forums and coalitions.
  • Report directly to the Director of U.S. State and Local Policy and Public Policy Campaigns.

Benefits

  • Discretionary annual bonus program participation.
  • Equity incentive plan eligibility.
  • Generous company benefits program subject to eligibility requirements.
Full Job Description
As part of Waymo's Legal team, you will work on the exciting legal issues surrounding our transformational autonomous driving technology and help drive our business lines forward from technology ideation through scaled commercial deployment. We partner with our public policy, safety, security and privacy experts to define transportation policy for the autonomous driving world to come, advising on regulatory changes that support and protect our users around the world. We collaborate with our engineering, product, strategy and operations teams to develop and protect our intellectual property portfolio and drive our corporate and commercial transactions. We ensure compliance with an increasingly complex and dynamic range of global regulations. And we anticipate, mitigate, and litigate high-profile and precedent-setting legal matters.

In this hybrid role, you will report to an Assistant General Counsel.

You will:
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of regional public policy managers driving state and local legislative and regulatory goals across the Western region.
  • Synthesize regional political intelligence and regulatory developments into actionable, strategic insights for senior leadership and cross-functional teams.
  • Partner with cross-functional leaders (Legal, Communications, Product, Safety) to align policy initiatives with core business objectives and protect Waymo's freedom to operate in key markets (CA, AZ, TX).
  • Formulate and execute the comprehensive policy roadmap and strategic priorities for the Western U.S., including rigorous budget allocation and resource optimization.
  • Oversee state consultant networks and represent Waymo's interests as a leading voice in industry trade associations, coalitions, and public forums.
  • This role reports directly in the Director of U.S. State and Local Policy and Public Policy Campaigns.


You have:
  • Bachelor's degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Law, Communications, or a related field;
  • 10+ years of progressive experience in government affairs, public policy, or political advocacy, with a proven track record of managing policy issues in tech, transportation, or highly regulated sectors.
  • Expert knowledge of state and local legislative processes and political dynamics in the Western U.S., supported by a deep, established network of political stakeholders.
  • Demonstrated capability to diplomatically translate complex technical and regulatory concepts into persuasive advocacy strategies for diverse audiences.
  • Exceptional executive communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
  • Proven experience managing substantial government affairs budgets, optimizing resources to achieve strategic policy victories.
  • Extensive experience directing contract lobbyists and managing strict compliance with state and local lobbying disclosure and ethics regulations.


We prefer:
  • Direct experience in autonomous vehicle (AV) policy, emerging mobility, or advanced technology regulation.
  • Advanced degree
  • Proven track record of managing and coaching people managers or senior policy professionals.
  • Prior experience serving in government, legislative offices, or regulatory agencies.
  • Experience leading policy initiatives within a fast-growing, innovative technology company.
  • Expansive, active political networks and direct legislative advocacy experience across key expansion states in the Western, Southwestern, and Midwestern U.S.

Travel Requirements:
  • Up to 40%


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

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

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Waymo

More Education, Government & Non-Profit Jobs

Find similar Regional Head of U.S. State and Local Policy, WEST jobs: