Waymo

Senior Technical Program Manager, Simulation

Waymo$196K — $242K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field or equivalent practical experience.
  • 3+ years of experience as a Technical Program Manager in software engineering or large-scale infrastructure.
  • 2+ years managing technical projects involving machine learning infrastructure or ML data pipelines.
  • Proven track record of owning complex technical programs with cross-stakeholder management.
  • Strong technical judgment with experience in design discussions and analyzing trade-offs.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to convey technical concepts effectively.

Responsibilities

  • Own and drive execution of large, cross-functional programs in the Simulation and ML Evaluation domain.
  • Partner with ML teams to integrate simulation and playback tools into their development processes.
  • Identify, track, and mitigate technical dependencies, risks, and blockers.
  • Contribute to tool/platform design discussions and evaluate architectural trade-offs.
  • Coordinate releases and manage tool deployment for high reliability of simulation platforms.
  • Implement process improvements to scale simulation capabilities and efficiency.

Benefits

  • Participation in Waymo's discretionary annual bonus program.
  • Eligibility for equity incentive plan.
  • Access to a generous company benefits program.
Full Job Description
Waymo's Technical Program Managers and Program Managers are accountable for Waymo's roadmap execution by providing thoughtful cross-functional planning, clarity, and proactive risk management. In the face of complex technical and operational challenges with no established playbooks to follow, we act with thoughtful urgency, driving conversations, discussions, and outcomes. Our team partners closely with every function of Waymo to structure, own and drive work towards real-world deployments of the Waymo Driver across platforms and geographies.

This role follows a hybrid work schedule and reports and you will report to a Director of Technical Program Management.

You will:
  • Program Execution: Own and drive the execution of large, cross-functional programs within the Simulation and ML Evaluation domain, translating technical roadmaps into structured project plans.
  • ML DevX Integration: Partner with ML Research, Perception, and Planner teams to integrate next-generation simulation and playback tools into their daily development loops, actively reducing friction and improving developer velocity.
  • Dependency & Risk Management: Proactively identify, track, and mitigate technical dependencies, risks, and blockers across onboard software and offboard infrastructure teams.
  • Technical Judgment: Exercise strong technical judgment to contribute to tool/platform design discussions, evaluate architectural trade-offs, and ensure deliverable quality.
  • Operations & Release Coordination: Coordinate releases, manage tool deployment, and oversee triage workflows for simulation platforms to ensure high reliability and usability for developer teams.
  • Process Scaling: Identify systemic bottlenecks in the offline evaluation loop and implement process or tooling improvements to scale simulation capabilities and efficiency.


You have:
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
  • TPM Experience: 3+ years of experience as a Technical Program Manager in a software engineering or large-scale infrastructure environment.
  • ML Experience: 2+ years of experience managing technical projects involving machine learning infrastructure, model training/evaluation loops, or ML data pipelines.
  • Program Ownership: Proven track record of owning and driving complex technical programs end-to-end, managing timelines, risks, and dependencies across multiple stakeholders.
  • Technical Judgment: Strong technical judgment with the ability to engage in design discussions with engineering leads and analyze technical trade-offs.
  • Communication: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to both research and infrastructure teams.


We prefer:
  • MLOps & Tooling: Experience with ML frameworks (JAX, PyTorch) and cloud-based ML training/evaluation platforms.
  • Simulation: Familiarity with autonomous system simulation, log playback infrastructure, or closed-loop model validation strategies.
  • Data Management: Experience with large-scale dataset management, data validation frameworks, or unified data solutions.
  • Developer Platforms: Experience building or managing developer tools or platforms that simplify complex developer workflows.
  • AV Domain Knowledge: Prior experience in the autonomous vehicle industry or robotics, understanding onboard/offboard dependencies.
  • Advanced Degree: Master's degree in a technical field, ideally related to AI/ML.


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

$196,000-$242,000 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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