Motion Systems Engineer, Actuators
Waymo
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.
Hardware Engineering is an innovative and collaborative group of electrical, mechanical, reliability, software and vehicle engineers. We design, build, and perfect the products which are the eyes and ears of Waymo's autonomous driving technology, and integrate those products into vehicle platforms. We're seeking curious and talented teammates to keep us moving in the right direction.
This role follows a hybrid work schedule and you will report to a Vehicle Systems Architecture Lead.
You will:
- Contribute to the decomposition and maintenance of technical requirements for motion control actuators, ensuring high-level Product, Safety, and Operational goals are accurately reflected in OEM specifications
- Analyze architectural trade-offs for motion control performance and reliability, ensuring designs are robust and meet functional safety concepts
- Review hardware specifications and internal software interfaces to identify integration gaps or requirement deviations early in the design phase
- Develop and modify Python scripts/tools to automate the analysis of large-scale fleet data, validating actuator performance against specifications
- Lead technical root-cause investigations for field issues using log analysis and simulation, coordinating resolutions between internal system leads, stakeholder teams, and the OEM
- Evaluate verification test results provided by the test team against technical requirements, performing initial failure triage and data review to support the technical lead’s final sign-off or failure disposition
You have:
- Bachelor's Degree in a relevant Engineering or a related field (including ME, EE, CS, Robotics, Controls, Aerospace, etc.) or equivalent practical experience
- 3+ years of experience developing and integrating complex, safety-critical systems in the automotive, autonomous vehicle, aerospace, robotics, or related industries, with a focus on vehicle motion controls, ADAS features, or the underlying electromechanical hardware
- Proficiency in Python for data analysis, scripting, or tool development (must be able to write scripts to process logs/data), with the ability to read and understand C++
- Experience writing and maintaining technical requirements for complex hardware/software systems, including familiarity with traceability and requirement management tools (e.g., DOORS, Jama, Polarion)
- Familiarity with systems engineering processes in a regulated environment, such as the V-Model, Interface Control Documents (ICDs), or Functional Safety concepts (ISO 26262 awareness)
We prefer:
- Experience developing L4 autonomous vehicle platforms, specifically understanding fail-operational architectures (e.g., redundant braking/steering) and how to validate them
- Native or Bilingual proficiency (e.g., TOPIK Level 6 or equivalent) in Korean, with the ability to navigate complex technical negotiations and review engineering documentation in both English and Korean
- Proficiency with automotive communication protocols and analysis tools (e.g., CAN, Ethernet, Vector CANoe/CANalyzer) for debugging hardware integration issues
- Experience with fleet-scale data analysis, using statistical methods to identify edge cases, component degradation, or environmental anomalies across a large population of vehicles
- Experience managing the technical interface with Tier 1 suppliers, including reviewing technical specifications, tracking defect resolution, and holding engineering reviews
- Knowledge of ISO 26262 (Functional Safety) or SOTIF (ISO 21448), specifically how to interpret safety concepts and verify that technical requirements meet ASIL targets
Travel requirements:
- Up to 8 weeks of travel. Typically 1 week trips. Could be international or within CA
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.
