Software Engineer Jobs at Waymo with Visa Sponsorship
Software Engineer jobs at Waymo span autonomy stacks, perception systems, simulation, and infrastructure. The company has a consistent track record of sponsoring work visas for engineering talent and supports both nonimmigrant and immigrant visa pathways, making it a realistic target for international candidates in the autonomous vehicle space.
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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 at Waymo builds technology that powers the Waymo Driver. Our software allows the Waymo Driver to perceive the world around it, make the right decision for every situation, and deliver people safely to their destinations. We conduct 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 software engineers like you to develop multi-modal models and techniques at scale.
Our mission is to build a stable foundation for a high-level Perception pipeline and the overall self-driving system. We act as the crucial interface between Waymo's hardware teams and the rest of the self-driving engineering organization, defining sensor requirements, providing critical feedback to hardware teams, and abstracting away system complexities.
The Multi-Platform Team's purpose is to abstract away superfluous differences between various sensor hardware and encapsulate hardware-specific logic so that downstream Perception is as portable as possible. Our work allows a single parameterized Perception software stack to run on all sensor hardware platforms, to remain easily maintainable across N platforms with much less than N times the effort, and to rapidly adapt to new platforms. We bring up the overall Perception software stack on new sensor and vehicle platforms.
This role follows a hybrid work schedule and reports to a Technical Lead Manager.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
You will:
- Work with a creative team of people who are responsible for the bring-up of Perception SW on new hardware platforms (vehicles, sensors, compute).
- Evolve existing SW to abstract away superfluous differences between various sensor hardware and encapsulate hardware-specific logic, by writing design docs, gathering feedback, implementing the change and testing it and monitoring its continued health and maintaining it during its lifespan.
- Rapidly prototype and run de-risking experiments for the next-generation Perception SW stack that is designed to be more portable to the new sensor HW.
- Maintain and run evaluations of existing or hypothetical new sensor hardware to help make decisions on sensor HW options. Write up analyses that summarize high-level recommendations using the evidence from these evaluations.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
You have:
- BS in Computer Science, Robotics, similar technical field of study, or equivalent practical experience
- Strong experience programming in C++ with robust and efficient code
- Strong software architecture skills
- Experience with sensor data processing (Lidar, camera, or Radar)
- Experience with building, integrating, debugging and evaluating ML-based systems
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
We prefer:
- MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, similar technical field of study, or equivalent practical experience
- Experience with autonomous vehicles (L4) or ADAS systems (L2/L3)
- Experience with bring-up of new sensors or vehicle platforms
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: $213,000—$263,000 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.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Software Engineer Jobs at Waymo
Align your resume to autonomy stack domains
Waymo's engineering teams are organized around specific technical domains like perception, mapping, and motion planning. Tailoring your resume to one of these areas signals depth over generalism and directly matches how their hiring managers filter candidates.
Verify your degree field matches specialty occupation standards
USCIS requires a direct relationship between your degree field and the Software Engineer role. A computer science, electrical engineering, or closely related degree carries the cleanest case. A business or unrelated degree with no supporting coursework can create issues at the LCA stage.
Target teams filing LCAs for your visa type
DOL's OFLC disclosure database lists certified Labor Condition Applications by employer, job title, and visa type. Search Waymo's filings to identify which engineering teams have sponsored E-3, H-1B, or H-1B1 visa petitions and target your applications to those hiring areas.
Clarify your visa category before the offer stage
Waymo sponsors H-1B, H-1B1 visa, and E-3 visas for Software Engineers. Each has different timelines and filing mechanics. Knowing which category applies to your nationality lets you flag timeline constraints to recruiters early, before offer letters are drafted and deadlines become urgent.
Use Migrate Mate to surface active Software Engineer openings
Not all of Waymo's sponsored Software Engineer roles are easy to find across general job boards. Browse Migrate Mate to filter specifically for Waymo positions that include visa sponsorship, so you're applying to openings where sponsorship is already confirmed rather than guessing.
Prepare for the I-140 stage if targeting permanent residence
Waymo sponsors EB-2 and EB-3 Green Card petitions for Software Engineers. If long-term U.S. residence is your goal, ask the recruiter about the company's PERM process timeline during negotiations. Indian and Chinese nationals should also factor in priority date backlogs when evaluating the offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Waymo sponsor H-1B visas for Software Engineers?
Yes, Waymo sponsors H-1B visas for Software Engineers. The company has a well-established sponsorship process covering both the initial H-1B petition and subsequent renewals. Because H-1B selection is subject to the annual lottery, the timing of your offer relative to the April filing window matters. Waymo also sponsors H-1B1 visa and E-3 visas for eligible nationalities, which bypass the lottery entirely.
How do I apply for Software Engineer jobs at Waymo?
Applications go through Waymo's careers portal, where roles are listed by team and location. The process typically involves an initial recruiter screen, technical phone interviews, and a multi-stage onsite or virtual loop covering algorithms, systems design, and domain-specific knowledge relevant to autonomy. You can also browse current Waymo Software Engineer openings filtered by visa sponsorship on Migrate Mate.
Which visa types does Waymo commonly use for Software Engineer roles?
Waymo sponsors H-1B, H-1B1 visa, E-3, and Green Card pathways including EB-2 and EB-3 for Software Engineers. Australian citizens can pursue the E-3, which has no lottery and allows two-year renewable stays. Chilean and Singaporean nationals may qualify for the H-1B1. For candidates seeking permanent residence, Waymo engages the PERM labor certification process through the DOL.
What qualifications does Waymo expect for Software Engineer roles?
Waymo's Software Engineer roles typically require a bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related field. Most open positions expect hands-on experience with systems programming, distributed infrastructure, or machine learning, depending on the team. Roles in perception or simulation often favor candidates with exposure to robotics, sensor fusion, or real-time systems in addition to core software fundamentals.
How does the visa sponsorship timeline work when joining Waymo as a Software Engineer?
Timeline depends on your visa type. E-3 and H-1B1 visa petitions can be filed year-round and typically take two to four weeks to process, allowing faster start dates. Cap-subject H-1B petitions must be filed in April for an October 1 start, so offers extended in winter or spring may involve a waiting period. USCIS premium processing is available for H-1B petitions and can reduce adjudication to 15 business days.