Lead Program Manager - New Platform Validation Operations

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced Driver™—to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.

Waymo Operations exists to deliver the Waymo Driver to the world. We are a global team building and scaling the world's first and leading autonomous fleet and operations platform. From component sourcing to end customer management, we enable and create value for Waymo through scaled and orchestrated deployment of the Waymo Driver. At Waymo, we are dedicated to building a culture that promotes collaboration and celebration. We value our team members' unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences and support and encourage all team members to share their ideas to help Waymo better serve the communities in which we operate.

In this hybrid role, you will report to a Head of Validation Operations

You will:

• Lead NPI Platform Program Execution: Drive end-to-end program structuring for onboarding new platform variants into validation fleets, managing the critical path from arrival and upfit to testing and fleet deployment.

• Executive Stakeholder Management & Influence: Serve as the primary operational partner to cross-functional leadership (Engineering, Product, Supply Chain, Safety), actively aligning dependencies, pushing back when necessary, and driving high-level decisions.

• Hands-on Operational Problem Solving: Bridge high-level program strategy with ground-level realities, stepping directly into depot/field operations as needed to unblock issues and validate processes.

• Align Planning with Execution: Spearhead operating plans that reconcile demand forecasts with field realities, dynamically adjusting for real-time vehicle online rates, upfit throughput, and operator constraints.

• Executive Reporting & Visibility: Formulate, automate, and present executive dashboards and operating metrics, effectively communicating operational readiness, program risks, and fleet bottlenecks to senior leadership.

• Optimize Fleet Efficiency & Yield: Partner cross-functionally to build capacity and forecasting frameworks that maximize validation yield and streamline vendor operational workflows.

You have:

• Operational & Program Leadership: 7–10+ years of experience leading complex technical programs or physical operations, with a proven ability to structure ambiguous initiatives from concept to execution.

• Executive Presence & Communication: Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders, communicate trade-offs clearly to executive leadership, and manage high-stakes cross-functional relationships.

• Hands-on / "Scrappy" Mindset: Willingness to engage directly with ground-level depot workflows and physical hardware when technical roadblocks require operational triage.

• Cross-Functional Orchestration: Proven track record aligning cross-functional teams (Engineering, Product, Supply Chain, Safety, Legal) across shifting timelines and competing priorities.

We prefer:

• Hardware / NPI Testing Experience: Direct experience launching or validating automotive, autonomous vehicle, or robotics hardware platforms.

• Vendor & Field Operations: Experience managing third-party vendor operations, staffing models, or depot operations.

Travel Requirements:

• 15–30% Domestic/International Travel: Required in addition to regular local depot and site visits.

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

$190,000—$234,000 USD