Senior Software Engineer, Compute Software

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 is seeking versatile Software Engineers to join our Compute Software team in Bangalore. As part of a high-impact systems engineering team, you will design, build, and scale the critical software infrastructure and runtime components that connect our autonomous driving technology with next-generation custom silicon and compute platforms.

In this role, you will work across the compute system lifecycle, architecting robust C++ software, developing scaleable Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) automation harnesses, driving system qualification across hardware revisions, and optimizing software performance for autonomous vehicle platforms.

This role follows a hybrid schedule and reports to Staff ML Compiler Engineer.

You will:

• Software Architecture: Design, build, and maintain high-performance C++ software, runtime components, and diagnostic tools supporting custom silicon and compute platforms
• Test Infrastructure: Build and scale robust Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test harnesses, automated regression frameworks, and CI/CD pipelines across the compute stack (firmware, kernel, runtime, and compilers)
• Qualification and Reliability: Drive qualification workflows, automated regression suites, and release readiness verification across multiple hardware revisions and platform configurations
• System Debugging: Troubleshoot and root-cause complex software-to-hardware communication issues, concurrency bugs, and performance bottlenecks across physical lab hardware and emulation environments
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner closely with hardware design, silicon validation, compiler, and vehicle platform teams to translate technical specifications into production-grade software solutions
• Tooling & Velocity: Develop modular developer tooling, telemetry monitors, and automated workflows to accelerate qualification velocity and software reliability

You have:

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical field (or equivalent practical experience) with 5+ years of industry experience
• C++ Proficiency: Strong proficiency in modern C++, backed by solid software engineering fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, object-oriented design, and modular architecture)
• Systems & Infrastructure: Experience designing systems software, software testing methodologies, or scaleable test automation frameworks
• Development Environment: Hands-on experience with Linux/Unix environments, build systems, scripting (Python/Bash), and modern CI/CD / version control workflows
• Debugging & Problem Solving: Strong analytical and debugging skills, with a proven track record of diagnosing complex issues across software/system boundaries
• Adaptability: Demonstrated curiosity and willingness to learn low-level hardware interfacing, embedded systems concepts, or compiler optimizations on the job

We prefer:

• For the Silicon & Validation Track:
• Experience with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) setups, automated lab testbeds, or embedded test environments
• Prior experience in post-silicon validation, System-Level Testing (SLT), ASIC bring-up, or diagnostic software development
• Exposure to hardware-software interfacing (e.g., Memory-Mapped I/O, device drivers, firmware, POSIX APIs, bare-metal/RTOS)
• Knowledge of standard hardware communication protocols (e.g., PCIe, I2C, SPI, UART, JTAG) or compute IP blocks (DDR, DMA)
• For the Compiler & ML Track:
• Familiarity with compiler toolchains/frameworks (e.g., LLVM, MLIR, GCC) or experience optimizing runtime performance for machine learning workloads

The expected base salary range for this full-time position 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.  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.