Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer, LLM/VLM Model Architecture & Optimization

Waymo · Mountain View, CA, USA

Pay

$298k–368k

Setting

On-site

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Why Waymo Working at Waymo Teams Early careers How we hire Open roles Visit Waymo.com Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer, LLM/VLM Model Architecture & Optimization MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES | SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES FULL-TIME SOFTWARE ENGINEERING 4979 Apply now Add to favorites View favorites 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 $298,000—$368,000 USD We appreciate your interest in Waymo. Waymo is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a culture of belonging and maintaining a supportive workplace for all employees. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, and employment decisions are based on a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and alignment with job requirements and business needs. Waymo does not discriminate against, and prohibits harassment of, any applicant or employee based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age, disability, military status, family status, pregnancy, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable law. Waymo will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. Waymo is committed to making sure our hiring process is accessible for all candidates. If you need assistance applying for a role or participating in the interview process due to a disability, please let the recruiting team know or email waymo-candidatesupport@google.com. (This email address is intended to be used only for requesting accommodations as part of the application process. Other inquiries will not receive a response.) Share Share Play Video Job Alerts Sign up to receive tailored job alerts delivered straight to your inbox! First Name (required) Last Name (required) Email (required) Choose departments and locations you're interested in: Finalize your job alert by selecting criteria from the dropdowns below. You can select multiple options from each dropdown by returning to the combobox and re-entering the list of options. Submit at the end to create your job alert. Departments SOFTWARE ENGINEERING Locations MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATESSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES Notify me By submitting your email address, you agree to our Candidate Privacy Policy. The data you enter will be retained for two years (four years in California), unless you delete it before that time. You may unsubscribe from job alerts or remove your data from the system at any time. Quick Links How We Hire Our Benefits Related Job Openings Staff Machine Learning Engineer – VLM/LLM Mountain View, California. San Francisco, California. New York City, New York Staff ML Engineer, Generative Model Performance & Efficiency Mountain View, California Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Computer Vision/VLM Mountain View, California Senior/Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Simulation Realism Mountain View, California Some of our Benefits Health and wellness Our people are at the heart of everything we do. At Waymo, you can enjoy top-notch medical, dental and vision insurance, mental wellness support, gym membership, and special wellness programs. Financial wellness Your financial peace of mind is important to us. At Waymo, we offer competitive compensation, bonus opportunities, equity, employees provident fund, and lots of other perks and employee discounts. Flexibility and time off Take the time you need to relax and recharge. Enjoy the flexibility to work from another location for four weeks per year. We support an on-site or hybrid work model and offer remote working opportunities, paid time off, bereavement, sick, and parental leave. Previous Next Learn more Ready to Apply? To ensure thorough consideration of each application, candidates may submit up to 5 job applications within a 60-day period. We encourage you to carefully review job descriptions and apply to positions that best match your skills. Applications beyond this limit will not be considered. First Name (required) Last Name (required) Email (required) Phone Number (required) Resume (required) Accepted formats: PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, ODT, XML, DOT, PNG, GIF, JPG, JPEG, ZIP Cover Letter Accepted formats: PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, ODT, XML, DOT, PNG, GIF, JPG, JPEG, ZIP Website LinkedIn Profile How did you hear about this opportunity? 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