Waymo · 18 hours ago
Staff Software Engineer, Simulator Evaluation
San Francisco, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Lead/Staff
$238K/yr - $302K/yr
8+ years expWaymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. They are seeking a Staff Software Engineer to act as the Technical Architect for their simulator evaluation team, focusing on building complex data systems and ensuring simulation fidelity aligns with product goals.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)TransportationAutomotiveAutonomous VehiclesSensor
Responsibilities
Architect the Eval Rubric: You will define the "Definition of Done" for simulation realism. You will look ahead at product goals (e.g., launching in snow, highway driving) and architect the evaluation roadmap that ensures our simulation fidelity matures in lockstep with onboard needs
The "Critic" for the System: You will design the comprehensive mathematical frameworks that validate our hybrid world. You will decide how we balance distinct evaluation needs—from verifying logical rules and dynamics to measuring the distribution quality of generative AI models
Build at Scale: You will lead the design of large-scale, extensible evaluation platforms (C++/Python). You ensure our metric pipelines are not just scripts, but robust distributed systems capable of providing clear, reproducible signals on petabytes of data
Strategic, Cross-functional Leadership You will act as the technical bridge between organizations. You will partner closely with AI research and other simulation teams, as the eval workflows you build will drive rapid innovation and research roadmaps
Qualification
Required
8+ years of industry experience, with a focus on building complex data systems, evaluation platforms, or back-end infrastructure
Expertise in designing systems that scale (C++, Python, distributed computing), with a strong focus on API design and maintainability
You don't just calculate metrics; you design frameworks
You can debate the merits of different statistical approaches (e.g., determining the right confidence intervals for safety-critical validation) and apply them to complex, non-deterministic systems
You have experience designing and implementing evaluation frameworks for complex systems or machine learning models
Experience creating technical strategies that span multiple teams
You can translate high-level product requirements into concrete engineering problems (e.g., 'To launch in snow, we need X specific friction metrics by Q2')
Preferred
Background in fields that blend code, math, and simulation: Autonomous Vehicles, Algorithmic Trading, AdTech/Search Ranking, Machine Learning, or Robotics
Familiarity with the validation of Generative AI (LLMs, Diffusion models) and/or classical simulation systems (Agent-based modeling, heuristics)
Experience driving technical roadmaps for large-scale systems or validation frameworks
Experience guiding a team or system through a major architectural shift
Benefits
Waymo’s discretionary annual bonus program
Equity incentive plan
Generous Company benefits program
Company
Waymo
Waymo is a mobility technology company that improves transportation by developing self-driving solutions for travelers and daily commuters. It is a sub-organization of Alphabet.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Waymo has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (231)
2024 (175)
2023 (268)
2022 (306)
2021 (298)
2020 (317)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$27.1BKey Investors
Alphabet,Dragoneer Investment Group,DST Global,Sequoia CapitalAlphabetFidelity,Perry Creek Capital,T. Rowe Price
2026-02-02Series D· $16B
2024-07-23Series C· $5.6B
2021-06-16Series B· $2.5B
Leadership Team
Tekedra Mawakana
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Annabel Chang
Director of U.S. State and Local Public Policy and Political Campaigns
Recent News
2026-02-08
2026-02-08
Company data provided by crunchbase