Software Engineer, Applied Machine Learning, Planner Technology

Who you are

You hold a Master's or PhD degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a similar discipline — your academic background has equipped you with a strong foundation in the principles of machine learning and its applications in real-world scenarios. Proficiency in C++ or Python is essential — you have hands-on experience coding in these languages and understand their nuances in the context of machine learning. You have experience with machine learning models — you've worked on projects that required you to develop, evaluate, and optimize these models for various applications.

Desirable

Experience in autonomous driving technology or related fields would be a plus — you understand the unique challenges and opportunities in this domain. Familiarity with evaluation metrics for machine learning models is beneficial — you can define and implement metrics that accurately reflect model performance in complex scenarios.

What you'll do

In this hybrid role, you will report to a Technical Lead Manager and investigate driving behavior issues from logs — your analytical skills will help you understand the root causes of these issues. You will formulate deficiencies in driving behavior into crisp definitions of learning objectives — this will involve collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment on goals. Your work will focus on developing evaluation metrics for the planner’s ML models to achieve these objectives — you will be instrumental in improving the performance of state-of-the-art ML models in Planner.

You will develop foundational frameworks that help advance the Waymo Driver's capabilities — your contributions will directly impact the effectiveness and reliability of autonomous driving technology. Expanding the impact of ML models while preserving interpretability and behavioral guarantees will be a key focus of your role — you will ensure that the models are not only effective but also understandable and trustworthy. You will directly contribute to solving some of the most challenging driving situations in the long tail — your problem-solving skills will be put to the test as you tackle these complex scenarios.

What we offer

Waymo offers a competitive salary range of $170,000—$216,000 USD, along with eligibility to participate in the company's discretionary annual bonus program and equity incentive plan. You will also benefit from a generous company benefits program, subject to eligibility requirements. Joining Waymo means being part of a mission-driven team focused on improving access to mobility and saving lives through innovative technology. We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't match every requirement — your unique perspective could be a valuable addition to our team.