External opportunity
Staff Software Engineer, Collision Avoidance Testing
$251,000–310,000
Posted 6 Aug 2026 · Engineering
Job description
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's Systems Engineering team works together to blend software and hardware systems in groundbreaking new ways. We set the high performance standards that ensure our vehicles run smoothly and keep passengers safe, then design and perform the tests that validate that performance. We're looking for talented teammates who’ll help us maintain strong teamwork and are passionate about driving results.
This role follows a hybrid work schedule and you will report to Systems Engineering Leadership.
You will:
Architect software and design systems that enable scalable and maintainable testing of autonomous vehicle collision avoidance capabilities
Establish strategic technical partnerships with the simulation team to co-design well-defined and extensible APIs
Integrate, test, and validate the latest state of the art simulation technologies with our collision avoidance testing framework
Develop new tools and capabilities to automate test quality and performance
Provide mentorship to junior engineers
You have:
BS in Computer Science or a related field
10+ years of experience in Software Engineering
Demonstrated ability to design robust, scalable, and maintainable software architectures and APIs
Strong C++ and Python coding skills
Technical leadership skills, with the ability to drive strategy, influence across teams, and mentor other engineers
We prefer:
Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science or a related field
Experience in autonomous vehicles or robotics
Experience with simulation systems
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
$251,000—$310,000 USD
Pay, skills & work eligibility
Compensation
$251,000–310,000
Pay basis not specified · Pay period not stated
Identified in listing text. No currency conversion or estimated salary.
View compensation wording
Salary Range $251,000—$310,000 USD
Location, eligibility & working hours
- Listed work location
- Mountain View, CA, USA; San Francisco, CA, USA / Mountain View, California, United States
- Visa sponsorship
- Not stated clearly
- Relocation support
- Not stated clearly
- Working hours / time zone
- Not stated clearly
Remote does not automatically mean work from any country. A location match does not confirm work authorization, sponsorship or relocation eligibility.
Requirements at a glance
Experience mentioned: 10+ years
Named skills identified in the listing. A mention is not always a requirement; read the full description and employer conditions.