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Autonomous Driving Jobs in New York (NOW HIRING)

Data Engineer - Autonomous Vehicle

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$126.20K - $151.60K/yr

Training World Models • The goal is to train world models for autonomous driving applications. • This involves forward prediction models for sensor data. • They need to ingest large amounts of ...

New

Software Engineer, Multiverse 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 ...

Brand Partnerships Lead

Manhattan, NY · On-site +1

$243K - $308K/yr

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 ...

ML Accelerator Architect

Manhattan, NY · Hybrid

$170K - $216K/yr

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 ...

ML Accelerator Architect

Manhattan, NY · On-site +1

$170K - $216K/yr

ML Accelerator Architect 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 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 ...

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 ...

We are a Series A company backed by top-tier venture capital investors in aviation and autonomous driving. Our customers include some of the world's largest airlines and ground handling providers.

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Autonomous Driving information

See New York salary details

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How much do autonomous driving jobs pay per hour?

As of May 28, 2026, the average hourly pay for autonomous driving in New York is $23.38, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $18.94 and $23.65 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in an Autonomous Driving Engineer role, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Autonomous Driving Engineer, you need a solid background in computer science, robotics, and engineering, often demonstrated by a relevant degree and experience in machine learning or computer vision. Proficiency with programming languages such as Python and C++, as well as familiarity with simulation tools, ROS (Robot Operating System), and sensor integration (e.g., LiDAR, radar), is essential. Strong problem-solving abilities, collaboration skills, and adaptability help you effectively tackle complex technical challenges and work within multidisciplinary teams. These skills ensure the development of safe, reliable, and innovative autonomous vehicle systems that meet rigorous industry standards.

What are some common challenges faced by professionals working in autonomous driving roles?

Professionals in autonomous driving often encounter challenges such as integrating complex sensor data, ensuring the reliability of AI algorithms in unpredictable environments, and meeting strict safety and regulatory standards. Collaboration is key, as teams typically work cross-functionally with hardware, software, and quality assurance groups to solve technical issues and validate system performance. Adapting to rapidly evolving technology and maintaining clear communication across disciplines are essential for success in this dynamic field.

What is autonomous driving?

Autonomous driving refers to the use of technology to enable vehicles to navigate and operate without direct human input. These vehicles use a combination of sensors, cameras, radar, and artificial intelligence to perceive their environment and make driving decisions. The goal is to improve road safety, reduce human error, and increase transportation efficiency. Autonomous driving systems are typically categorized by levels, ranging from driver assistance to fully self-driving vehicles. This field is rapidly evolving, with ongoing research and real-world testing by automotive and technology companies.

What is the difference between Autonomous Driving vs Autonomous Vehicle Software Engineer?

AspectAutonomous DrivingAutonomous Vehicle Software Engineer
Required CredentialsEngineering degrees, specialized training in AI, robotics, or automotive systemsComputer science, software engineering degrees, programming skills in C++, Python
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, automotive companies, testing facilitiesSoftware development teams, automotive tech companies, simulation environments
Industry UsageDeveloping and testing autonomous vehicle systemsDesigning and coding software for autonomous vehicle functions
Common Search/ComparisonYesYes

Autonomous Driving focuses on the overall development, testing, and deployment of self-driving vehicle systems, often involving hardware integration and real-world testing. Autonomous Vehicle Software Engineers primarily concentrate on coding, software design, and algorithm development for autonomous vehicle functionalities. Both roles require technical expertise, but Autonomous Driving is broader, encompassing system integration, while Autonomous Vehicle Software Engineers specialize in software development within the autonomous vehicle industry.

What are popular job titles related to Autonomous Driving jobs in New York? For Autonomous Driving jobs in New York, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What cities in New York are hiring for Autonomous Driving jobs? Cities in New York with the most Autonomous Driving job openings:
Research Scientist, RL for Autonomous Planning & World Modeling

Research Scientist, RL for Autonomous Planning & World Modeling

Waymo

Manhattan, NY • On-site, Remote

$204K - $259K/yr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 15 days ago


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.

The mission of the Waymo AI Foundations team is to develop machine learning solutions addressing open problems in autonomous driving, towards the goal of safely operating Waymo vehicles in dozens of cities and under all driving conditions. As part of our work, we also initiate and foster collaborations with other research teams in Alphabet. AI Foundations areas that we are currently focusing on include reinforcement learning, learning from demonstration, generative modeling, Bayesian inference, hierarchical learning, and robust evaluation.

In this hybrid role, you will report to a Principal Scientist.

You will:

  • Participate in Waymo's Foundation World Model post-training and evaluation
  • Research and develop cutting edge RL and Distillation techniques for Autonomous Vehicle Trajectory Planning
  • Integrate emerging research from the broader AI community into Waymo's internal RL infrastructure, conducting rigorous ablations to identify and scale the most promising methods
  • Partner with engineering and research teams across Waymo to share recipes, techniques, and post-training best practices to accelerate our collective know-how

You have:

  • PhD or Masters in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, or a similar technical field; with 3+ years of industry or post-doc research experience in Reinforcement Learning or Foundation Models
  • Demonstration of original contributions to the field through high-impact publications (ArXiv, peer-reviewed conferences like NeurIPS/ICLR/CVPR), technical blog posts, or significant open-source contributions
  • Proficiency in implementing model training flows in a scalable, distributed and performant manner such as Data parallel, FSDP and other sharding approaches
  • A willingness to work with complexity of globally distributed inference infrastructure

We prefer:

  • PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or Robotics, with a research focus on Reinforcement Learning, Foundation Models, or Multi-Modal learning
  • Extensive experience designing and deploying Reinforcement Learning infrastructure, specifically for on-policy learning or alignment with human preferences
  • A consistent history of original contributions to the AI community, evidenced by first-author publications at top-tier venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICLR, ICRA) or maintaining significant open-source ML projects
  • Experience with large scale (many-machine) training infrastructure and techniques for inference with large models such as model sharding/tensor-parallel

In accordance with Washington state law, we are highlighting our comprehensive benefits package, which is available to all eligible US based employees. Benefits for this role include:

  • Health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance
  • Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with company match
  • Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per year, accruing at a rate of 6.15 hours per pay period for the first five years of employment
  • Sick Time: 40 hours/year (statutory, where applicable); 5 days/event (discretionary)
  • Maternity Leave (Short-Term Disability + Baby Bonding): 28-30 weeks
  • Baby Bonding Leave: 18 weeks
  • Holidays: 13 paid days per year

Please note that Waymo may not be able to employ remotely in all locations. Please speak with your recruiter about your preferred location for remote work when you begin the interview process

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
$204,000—$259,000 USD