Machine Learning Engineer, Prediction & Planning

Mountain View, CA, USA; San Francisco, CA, USA; New York City, NY, USAPosted 5 weeks ago

Role Overview

Waymo is hiring a entry-level Machine Learning Engineer, Prediction & Planning. This is a full-time hybrid role, based in Mountain View, CA, USA; San Francisco, CA, USA; New York City. Part of Waymo's Data Science hiring. Full responsibilities, required qualifications, and the apply link are listed in the description below.

Salary Context

Salary is not disclosed in this posting. Market median for Junior-level Data Science roles is $130k-$160k (based on 24 comparable listings). Many employers share specifics during the interview process or after an initial screen.

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Job description

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 Predictive Planning team (PrePlan) develops and deploys state-of-the-art machine learning solutions that predict the future state of the world and plan the Waymo Driver’s behavior. Our mission is to transform Waymo's unprecedented scale of driving data into robust, generalizable, and performant deep neural networks. These models enable the autonomous vehicle to navigate complex environments safely and efficiently.

In this hybrid role, you will report to a manager on our PrePlan team. Team matching happens after you've completed your onsite interviews.

You will:

Develop the next-generation ML-powered prediction and planning system to enhance the performance and capabilities of the ML driver and support the rapid scaling of Waymo’s business.
Frame open-ended, real-world challenges as well-defined ML problems; research, develop, and apply cutting-edge ML techniques, including foundation models and reinforcement learning, for the planning and prediction tasks of autonomous vehicles.
Collaborate with world-class researchers, engineers and product owners to create safe, smooth planning behaviors for all road users and to meet product requirements.
Develop and evaluate large models, and integrate them into Waymo’s production planning software for real-world applications through close partnership with the Planner and Research teams.

You have:

BS in Computer Science, ML, Robotics, similar technical field of study
2+ years of experience in Machine Learning modeling and/or Autonomous Vehicles
Demonstrated contributions to the ML community through publications, open-source projects, or significant industry impact
Hands-on experience with modern deep learning libraries (eg: TensorFlow, JAX, Pytorch)
Proficient programming skills (eg: Python, C/C++)
Strong analytical and debugging skills

We prefer:

MS or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, or a related field
Publications in top-tier conferences such as ICML, NeurIPS, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, ICLR, IROS, CoRL, ACL, or EMNLP
General software engineering experience solving motion planning or related robotics problems
Experience applying or evaluating ML-based systems in production environments
Experience with performance optimization of deep models, including with respect to specific hardware architectures

#LI-Hybrid

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

$175,000—$215,000 USD

About Waymo

Waymo

waymo.com

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for the Machine Learning Engineer, Prediction & Planning position at Waymo?

Use the Apply button above to submit your application directly to Waymo. Most applications take less than 5 minutes if your resume and contact details are ready, and you'll be routed to the employer's official application system to finish.

Is the Machine Learning Engineer, Prediction & Planning role at Waymo remote or in-office?

This is a hybrid role based in Mountain View, CA, USA; San Francisco, CA, USA; New York City. Expect a mix of in-office and remote days, with the specific cadence set by the hiring manager.

What does a Machine Learning Engineer, Prediction & Planning at Waymo earn?

Waymo has not disclosed a salary range in this posting. Many employers share specifics later in the interview process; you can also ask during a recruiter screen if compensation transparency is important to you.

When was the Machine Learning Engineer, Prediction & Planning role at Waymo posted?

This role was posted on June 17, 2026 (36 days ago). It's still listed as actively hiring; we re-confirm openings against the source system multiple times per day and remove closed roles.

Is the Machine Learning Engineer, Prediction & Planning role at Waymo entry-level?

Yes. This is an entry-level position. Strong candidates typically have 0-2 years of relevant work experience, internships, or significant project work. Read the full description for any specific qualification requirements Waymo has listed.

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