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Waymo Driver Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

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 ...

Data Scientist

Mountain View, CA · On-site +1

$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 ...

Senior Data Scientist

Mountain View, CA · On-site +1

$204K - $259K/yr

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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Showing results 1-20

Waymo Driver information

See California salary details

$5

$15

$19

How much do waymo driver jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 27, 2026, the average hourly pay for waymo driver in California is $15.37, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $14.23 and $17.79 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Waymo Driver position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Waymo Driver, you need a clean driving record, attention to detail, and the ability to follow complex procedures, often backed by a high school diploma or equivalent. Familiarity with vehicle technology, ability to operate onboard computing devices, and sometimes completion of specialized Waymo training are important. Strong observational skills, reliability, and clear communication make someone stand out in this position. These skills ensure safe vehicle operation, accurate reporting, and effective collaboration with engineering teams in a technology-driven environment.

What does a typical day look like for a Waymo Driver, and who do they interact with?

A typical day for a Waymo Driver involves monitoring and manually operating advanced autonomous vehicles, recording detailed observations, and ensuring safety protocol compliance during real-world road tests. Drivers frequently interact with Waymo's engineering, safety, and operations teams to provide feedback on vehicle performance and road conditions. The role often includes multiple driving shifts, exposure to various road environments, and strict adherence to data collection standards. Teamwork and effective communication are important, as drivers play a critical link between front-line vehicle operations and ongoing technical improvements.

What is a Waymo Driver job?

A Waymo Driver job involves overseeing and testing Waymo's autonomous vehicles to ensure safe operation. As a trained autonomous specialist, you monitor the vehicle's behavior, take control if necessary, and provide feedback to improve performance. The role requires attention to detail, adherence to safety protocols, and collaboration with engineers. It is a crucial position in refining self-driving technology for future deployment.

What are the most commonly searched types of Waymo Driver jobs in California? The most popular types of Waymo Driver jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Waymo Driver jobs? Cities in California with the most Waymo Driver job openings:
Infographic showing various Waymo Driver job openings in California as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 67% Full Time, 30% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 96% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $31,970 per year, or $15.4 per hour.
Senior Software Engineer, Planner Reasoning

Senior Software Engineer, Planner Reasoning

Waymo

San Diego, CA

$130K - $171K/yr

Other

Posted 15 days ago


Job description

The Planner Reasoning Team builds technology that has an extremely broad impact across the Waymo organization and is the team most directly responsible for the Waymo Driver's behavior. We have wide reaching impact into both onboard and off-board system architecture, paving the way for future-looking deep-learning-based explorations. In this team, you'll have an impact on scaling our Waymo Driver's performance and maintaining and improving our excellent safety record as Waymo expands to more cities. 

In this hybrid role, you will report to an Engineering Manager.

You will:

  • Develop business logic software to evolve driving performance of the Waymo Driver
  • Work cross-functionally on safety, road rules compliance, and ride quality
  • Develop and implement methods to evaluate and improve Waymo driving behaviors
  • Evaluate new proposed changes utilizing a range of data-driven methods
  • Analyze large amounts of data of real world and simulated driving, understanding, characterizing and clustering the performance of the Waymo Driver
  • Interact with ML models to maximize their impact towards solving driving problems

You have:

  • Bachelors in Computer Science, Robotics, Math, Physics, Statistics (or similar technical field of study) or equivalent practical experience
  • 6+ years of Software Engineering experience in Python or C++
  • Experience debugging and improving live, production systems
  • Experience with designing scalable software architectures for complex systems
  • Demonstrated alignment with Waymo's Values and Behaviors

We prefer:

  • Proficiency in C++
  • Experience with large-scale data/ML applications
  • Evaluation experience, contributing to scalable evaluation workflows
  • Experience with autonomous systems