Automotive Testing Lead, Japan

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. Waymo's Systems Engineering team works together to blend software and hardware systems in groundbreaking new ways. We set the high performance standards that ensure our vehicles run smoothly and keep passengers safe, then design and perform the tests that validate that performance. We're looking for talented teammates who’ll help us maintain strong teamwork and are passionate about driving results. This role follows a hybrid work schedule and reports to Systems Test Engineering Lead. You will: Act as Waymo's test engineering representative across a number of technical domains, helping partners develop test strategies for requirements, detailed test plans, scripts, and clear judgement criteria. Guide partners in the transition from manual testing methodologies to automated, data-driven approaches, partnering with internal infrastructure teams to build solutions that accelerate the test-to-reporting feedback loop. Spearhead cross-functional collaboration between Waymo and OEM stakeholders, identifying operational gaps, mentoring partner engineers, and building their expertise in complex, cross-system validation. Define, execute, and manage early vehicle smoke test campaigns, establishing strict entry/exit criteria to validate "SDS-Ready" software releases before upstream integration. Scale and lead in-territory vehicle-level testing operations, actively managing daily physical test execution alongside embedded vendor teams. Ensure strict traceability and logging standards are met across all external test executions to guarantee seamless integration into Waymo’s central data repositories. You have: Professional fluency in Japanese (N1 level or equivalent) Experience with physical hands-on testing of Autonomous Vehicles Strong background in systems engineering, test engineering, or automotive validation Demonstrated leadership experience with a track record of directly managing technical teams, providing mentorship, and driving engineering excellence Ability to navigate ambiguity and drive technical consensus across different organizational cultures We prefer: Experience managing external partners or suppliers in a technical capacity Experience with requirements management tools (e.g., Jama, DOORS) and issue tracking (e.g., Jira) Strong knowledge of Systems Engineering principles and experience developing verification coverage plans from system level requirements Proficiency in Python or SQL for test automation or scripting Travel requirements : Willingness to travel >50% of the time or relocate to the partner sites 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 $196,000 — $242,000 USD