AI Engineer Jobs at Waymo with Visa Sponsorship
AI Engineer jobs at Waymo sit at the intersection of machine learning research and autonomous vehicle deployment, spanning perception, prediction, and planning systems. Waymo has a strong track record of sponsoring international talent across multiple visa categories, making it a realistic target for skilled engineers who need work authorization.
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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 Perception team builds the system which learns the spatial-temporal representation and their semantic meanings of the surrounding environment of the autonomously driving vehicle (ADV), i.e., the system that “perceives” the world around the car. We work jointly with downstream teams on the optimization and integration into the Waymo Driver. We conduct our own research to address real-world problems and collaborate with research teams at Alphabet. We have access to millions of miles of driving data from a diverse set of sensors, enabling engineers like you to (1) develop methods for efficiently and continuously learning from large scale real-world data, to (2) develop models and model training at scale, to (3) analyze real-world behavior and develop systems for handling the complexities of interacting with the real-world, and (4) optimize models for our onboard and offboard hardware.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
You will:
- Design VLM/LLM model architecture and drive strong alignment between model architectures and hardware architectures.
- Optimize model performance for on-device use cases (memory, power, compute constrained environments).
- Engage directly with research, software engineering, hardware engineering, and product teams to deliver end-to-end solutions.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
You have:
- 7+ years of experience in Machine Learning, with a focus on large-scale model development (LLM, VLM, or similar foundation models).
- Proven expertise in low-latency on-device inference techniques and a deep understanding of hardware acceleration.
- Extensive experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g. PyTorch, JAX) and large-scale model training.
- A track record of operating effectively under ambiguity, setting direction amid rapidly evolving research and technical constraints.
- Experience applying large language models or foundation models in complex, safety-critical domains (e.g., autonomy, robotics, or other high-reliability systems).
- Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
We prefer:
- Familiarity with large-scale data curation and quality assurance processes for multimodal datasets.
- Background in autonomous vehicle perception, motion planning, or decision-making systems.
- Publications in top-tier machine learning or computer vision conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV).
- PhD in a relevant field.
COMPENSATION
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.
- Salary Range: $298,000—$368,000 USD
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.
LOCATION
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
JOB TYPE
FULL-TIME
FIELD
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
INTRODUCTION
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 Perception team builds the system which learns the spatial-temporal representation and their semantic meanings of the surrounding environment of the autonomously driving vehicle (ADV), i.e., the system that “perceives” the world around the car. We work jointly with downstream teams on the optimization and integration into the Waymo Driver. We conduct our own research to address real-world problems and collaborate with research teams at Alphabet. We have access to millions of miles of driving data from a diverse set of sensors, enabling engineers like you to (1) develop methods for efficiently and continuously learning from large scale real-world data, to (2) develop models and model training at scale, to (3) analyze real-world behavior and develop systems for handling the complexities of interacting with the real-world, and (4) optimize models for our onboard and offboard hardware.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
You will:
- Design VLM/LLM model architecture and drive strong alignment between model architectures and hardware architectures.
- Optimize model performance for on-device use cases (memory, power, compute constrained environments).
- Engage directly with research, software engineering, hardware engineering, and product teams to deliver end-to-end solutions.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
You have:
- 7+ years of experience in Machine Learning, with a focus on large-scale model development (LLM, VLM, or similar foundation models).
- Proven expertise in low-latency on-device inference techniques and a deep understanding of hardware acceleration.
- Extensive experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g. PyTorch, JAX) and large-scale model training.
- A track record of operating effectively under ambiguity, setting direction amid rapidly evolving research and technical constraints.
- Experience applying large language models or foundation models in complex, safety-critical domains (e.g., autonomy, robotics, or other high-reliability systems).
- Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
We prefer:
- Familiarity with large-scale data curation and quality assurance processes for multimodal datasets.
- Background in autonomous vehicle perception, motion planning, or decision-making systems.
- Publications in top-tier machine learning or computer vision conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV).
- PhD in a relevant field.
COMPENSATION
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.
- Salary Range: $298,000—$368,000 USD
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.
LOCATION
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
JOB TYPE
FULL-TIME
FIELD
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
Tips for Finding AI Engineer Jobs at Waymo
Align your portfolio to autonomy-specific ML problems
Waymo's AI Engineer hiring centers on perception, motion planning, and sensor fusion, not general-purpose ML. Tailor your resume and GitHub projects to show experience with real-world robustness challenges, large-scale model training, or safety-critical inference systems before you apply.
Target Waymo's research and applied teams separately
Waymo posts AI Engineer roles across distinct tracks: core research and production engineering. Research roles expect publications or conference work. Applied roles weight deployment experience. Applying to both without tailoring your materials reduces your chances at either.
Clarify your visa category before the offer stage
Waymo sponsors H-1B, E-3, and H-1B1 visas, and each has a different filing process and timeline. Know which category applies to your nationality before you reach the offer stage so you're not scrambling to educate a recruiter who assumes everyone goes through H-1B.
Confirm specialty occupation framing for your role
USCIS requires H-1B petitions to demonstrate the position qualifies as a specialty occupation. For AI Engineer roles, your offer letter's job duties should clearly reference theoretical and practical application of computer science or engineering, not just general software development language.
Use Migrate Mate to surface Waymo's open AI Engineer roles
Waymo's AI Engineer postings are scattered across multiple job boards and don't always surface through standard filters. Use Migrate Mate to find roles that explicitly include visa sponsorship, so you're applying to positions where authorization is already confirmed rather than guessing.
Account for LCA certification timing in your start date
Before Waymo can file your H-1B or E-3 petition, DOL must certify a Labor Condition Application, which typically takes seven business days but can run longer. Build this into your expected start date conversation so neither side is caught by a certification delay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Waymo sponsor H-1B visas for AI Engineers?
Yes, Waymo sponsors H-1B visas for AI Engineer roles and has a consistent track record of doing so across both research and applied engineering positions. Sponsorship is handled by Waymo's in-house immigration team in coordination with external counsel. You'll typically discuss visa support during the offer stage, though it's reasonable to confirm sponsorship availability early in the process.
Which visa types does Waymo sponsor for AI Engineer roles?
Waymo sponsors H-1B, H-1B1 visa, and E-3 visas for AI Engineer positions, along with Green Card pathways through EB-2 and EB-3 classifications. H-1B1 is available to Chilean and Singaporean nationals; E-3 visa is for Australian citizens only. If you're on OPT or STEM OPT, Waymo can bridge you through those work authorization periods before transitioning to a sponsored visa.
How do I apply for AI Engineer jobs at Waymo?
Applications go through Waymo's careers portal, where AI Engineer roles are listed by team and function. To find positions that include visa sponsorship, use Migrate Mate to filter specifically for Waymo roles open to sponsored candidates. Tailoring your application to the specific team, whether perception, prediction, or planning, improves your chances significantly over a generic submission.
What qualifications does Waymo expect for AI Engineer candidates?
Most AI Engineer roles at Waymo expect a graduate degree in computer science, robotics, electrical engineering, or a related field, along with hands-on experience in areas like deep learning, computer vision, or sensor fusion. Production-track roles also weight experience deploying models in low-latency or safety-critical environments. Strong candidates typically have either industry experience at a robotics or autonomous systems company or relevant academic research with real-world application.
How do I estimate the timeline from offer to work authorization at Waymo?
For H-1B, your start date is tied to the October 1 cap year unless Waymo files under a cap-exempt arrangement, which is uncommon for a for-profit employer. E-3 and H-1B1 visas have no lottery and can be filed year-round, with consular processing typically taking two to four weeks after DOL certifies the Labor Condition Application. Build at least six to eight weeks of buffer between offer acceptance and your target start date to account for LCA certification, petition preparation, and any consular scheduling delays.