Senior Safety Researcher - Evaluation & Standardization

The Waymo Safety team works to promote and help to continuously improve the safety of Waymo’s fully autonomous driving technology. Our experts develop safety goals and strategies, and conduct safety engineering analyses to ensure safety is being considered throughout the design and development of our vehicles. The team develops and promotes safety strategies and policies for autonomous vehicles for its work with regulatory authorities, lawmakers, law enforcement and public and non-profit organizations. Our Safety Team also helps advise on compliance with applicable environmental, health, and safety regulations.

In this role, you will report to our Head of Safety Management and Best Practices.

You will:

• Safety Case Investment: Lead research efforts to develop and refine safety case content specifically connected with evaluation methodologies and scenario-based testing frameworks.
• Standardization Engagement: Act as a primary representative in UK-specific standardization bodies (e.g., BSI) and international settings (e.g., ISO) to steer the debate on ADS safety.
• Evaluation Research: Investigate and direct internal workstreams to identify best practices for quantification of safety benefits and evaluation rigor.
• Regional Strategic Reach: Serve as the regional subject matter expert for UK/EU safety research trends, ensuring our global safety strategy accounts for European regulatory nuances.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner with Engineering and Product teams to translate research findings into actionable testing requirements and safety claims.
• Scholarly Production: Author white papers, research proposals, and conference publications to establish real-world impact on safety best practices.

You have:

• M.S. or Ph.D. in a technical field (Engineering, Data Science, Physics, Math, or related science).
• Minimum 5 years of experience in safety-critical research or evaluation (PhD counts toward this).
• Demonstrated experience with scenario-based testing methodologies for automated driving systems (ADS).
• Exceptional technical writing skills with experience contributing to safety cases or regulatory submissions.
• Ability to work independently and manage complex project priorities across different time zones.
• Track record of peer-reviewed publications in top-tier safety or robotics conferences.

We prefer:

• Proven track record of engagement with international standards organizations (e.g., BSI, ISO, SAE).
• Experience in validation of virtual testing toolchains (simulation credibility).
• Familiarity with the UK "Connected and Automated Mobility" (CAM) roadmap or EU ADS regulations.
• Training-based certification for any of ISO 26262, ISO 21448, ISO 5083, ISO 8800 or similar safety standards.

Travel:

• The Safety Management and Best Practices team is spread across multiple regions. Travel is required for team onsites as well as for project-based activities such as audits