Head of Industrial Design
- 5304
- On Site
- Mountain View, California
- Design
- Full-Time
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.
Passionate about aesthetics and product innovation, Waymo’s Industrial Design Team is responsible for envisioning the future of mobility and autonomous driving technology. The Design Team develops and applies cohesive design language to the Waymo Driver, delivering an exceptional customer experience with best-in-class product quality.
The Industrial Design Team creates smart and elegant solutions that pave the future of mobility while prioritizing our riders’ needs & safety. We are involved in every step of the engineering and product development process to optimize Waymo’s technology and delight the rider’s journey. The team is a unique fusion of creatives and innovators with the opportunity to pioneer a new industry.
This role follows a hybrid work schedule and you will report to a Head of Design and Consumer Research
You will:
- Lead the Industrial Design studio across vehicle exterior, interior cabin, CMF, and hardware sensor integration programs
- Drive physical design execution from strategic vision through Class-A surfacing, physical prototyping, and production launch
- Interface and collaborate directly with automotive design studios to align design vision, vehicle packaging, and hardware integration
- Establish studio standards for physical quality, surfacing excellence, ergonomics, and brand identity across all vehicle programs
- Manage studio operations, resource planning, external vendor engagements, and program schedules
- Mentor and grow a world-class team of industrial designers, CAD modelers, CMF specialists, and Design Engineers
You have:
- Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Transportation Design, or Automotive Design
- 15+ years of industrial design experience, including 8+ years leading automotive design programs or OEM vehicle studio teams
- Proven track record of delivering production vehicle programs or complex automotive exterior and interior platforms from concept to volume manufacturing
- Deep technical mastery of automotive packaging, Class-A surfacing, CMF processes, and vehicle safety or regulatory compliance
- Demonstrated experience presenting design strategy and technical trade-offs to executive leadership and cross-functional engineering leads
- Strong leadership background with experience managing, mentoring, and scaling multi-disciplinary design teams
We prefer:
- Master's degree in Industrial Design, Transportation Design, or related field
- Experience integrating complex hardware suites, sensors, or perception systems into automotive platforms
- Track record of bridging consumer product design empathy with traditional automotive studio development cycles
- Expertise in modern studio tools, digital visualization, VR design reviews, and high-fidelity prototype fabrication
- Experience managing supplier relationships and studio operational budgets
- Strong passion for autonomous driving technology, public transit innovation, and future mobility
Travel requirements
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally approximately 20% of the time
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.
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.)
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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.
Supporting families
When it comes to growing your family or caring for your loved ones, you have our full support. Enhanced leave options include 26 weeks of paid leave for birthing parents and 18 weeks of paid leave for non-birthing parents.
Community and personal development
At Waymo, you'll find a range of opportunities to grow, connect, and give back. We offer education reimbursement, personal and professional development, mentorship, and other ways to connect through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), other internal groups, and even time off to volunteer.
Cool perks
Access to Google offices, cafes, wellness centers, massages, and so much more. To support your wellbeing at home, you can enjoy at-home fitness and cooking classes, and more.
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.
Supporting families
When it comes to growing your family or caring for your loved ones, you have our full support. Enhanced leave options include 26 weeks of paid leave for birthing parents and 18 weeks of paid leave for non-birthing parents.
Community and personal development
At Waymo, you'll find a range of opportunities to grow, connect, and give back. We offer education reimbursement, personal and professional development, mentorship, and other ways to connect through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), other internal groups, and even time off to volunteer.
Cool perks
Access to Google offices, cafes, wellness centers, massages, and so much more. To support your wellbeing at home, you can enjoy at-home fitness and cooking classes, and more.
