Escalation Manager Lead

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 Operations exists to deliver the Waymo Driver to the world. We are a global team building and scaling the world's first and leading autonomous fleet and operations platform. From component sourcing to end customer management, we enable and create value for Waymo through scaled and orchestrated deployment of the Waymo Driver. At Waymo, we are dedicated to building a culture that promotes collaboration and celebration. We value our team members' unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences and support and encourage all team members to share their ideas to help Waymo better serve the communities in which we operate.

This role follows a hybrid work schedule and reports to the Head of Event Response.

You will:

• Directly manage, mentor, and develop a team of 24/7 Escalation Managers, ensuring consistent leadership across all shifts

• Design and optimize shift schedules, handover protocols, and fatigue-management strategies to maintain high team morale and prevent burnout

• Define event/incident protocols, manage external vendor performance, and ensure seamless collaboration between Emergency Response agents and internal teams

• Facilitate clear, concise, and timely communications to senior leadership and internal teams during ongoing events/incidents

• Serve as the ultimate point of escalation for high-severity events for Escalation Managers, stepping in to provide direction and guidance during critical, multi-domain emergencies

• Develop and refine standard operating procedures and emergency playbooks specifically tailored to autonomous system failures, human-in-the-loop interventions, and minimum risk condition triggers

You have:

• 7+ years of experience in Incident Management, Emergency Response, NOC/SOC operations, or high-severity Trust & Safety or Operations Center

• 3+ years of experience managing people leaders (managing managers) within a 24/7 operational environment

• Proven track record of managing external vendors, enforcing SLAs and KPIs for outsourced teams

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill highly technical, chaotic information into executive summaries

• Demonstrated ability to make high-quality, high-velocity decisions in emergency situations where data may be incomplete, prioritizing rapid stabilization and safety

• Proven track record of building, launching or optimizing for scale of a 24/7 Network Operations Center (NOC), Security Operations Center (SOC), or specialized Escalation/Operations/Emergency center

We prefer:

• Background in autonomous vehicles, robotics, aerospace, or safety-critical engineering environments

• Thrives in ambiguity, understands complex hardware/software ecosystems, and has a proven track record of preventing team burnout in a 24/7/365 environment

• Certifications in Incident Management (e.g., FEMA ICS, ITIL v4) or Project Management (PMP, Agile)

• Familiarity with regulatory compliance frameworks related to operational safety (e.g., NHTSA, OSHA)

• Lean Six Sigma (Green or Black Belt) certification, demonstrating a rigorous, data-driven approach to eliminating operational waste and reducing recovery time

• Experience managing highly publicized incidents where immediate media, public, or executive scrutiny is involved

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
$190,000—$234,000 USD