Southwest Policy Manager

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 Waymo Policy and Government Affairs team has a front seat in this exciting moment in the evolution of autonomous driving technology, transportation and tech policy. Successful navigation of the policy landscape is critically important to deploying and scaling our business. Our team works directly with policymakers and third party groups at the national, state and local levels to help advance transportation policy, educate on the safety benefits of the technology, and advance consumer awareness and acceptance. Internally, our efforts support the innovative work of engineering, product, strategy, and partnerships teams, and we work closely with highly-skilled legal and safety experts.

The Southwest Policy Manager will be the face of Waymo as we preserve our freedom to operate in Texas and Arizona, particularly as we look to increase our public-facing service in these states. This role will help us strategize and navigate state and local policy and regulatory challenges particularly as the business faces increasing headwinds from a political environment. Who do we need to know, what do we need to know, and how do we need to conduct our business - in order to continue our existing, and grow our planned operations in the midwest. Day to day, the Southwest Policy Manager will manage a mix of internal meetings, reporting, strategic advising, managing external consultants and external meetings, and events representing and advocating for Waymo- specifically in state capitols and major metro areas. The role will require strong emphasis on internal collaboration and cross-functional team work, and strong emphasis on organizational skills.

While this position offers remote flexibility, we request a minimum of two days in the office. You will report to the Regional Head of State & Local Policy, West.

You will:

• Engage directly with Southwest state and local policymakers, regulators, industry stakeholders, and key opinion leaders to shape policy and political dialogue and serve as the “face of Waymo” throughout the region.

• Track current and emerging political activity in the region while executing policy strategy that benefits Waymo’s users and business.

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with Southwest state and local elected officials, their staff, regulators, and other key external stakeholders.

• Collaborate closely with internal cross-functional stakeholders including strategic advising.

• Work closely with other teams at Waymo to ensure up to date knowledge of company plans and reporting policy political developments with analysis.

• Collaboratively manage state consultant relationships and represent Waymo in local chambers and trade associations, state organizations, and national political organizations including 501C3 and 527 organizations.

You have:

• Reside in the Southwest/ Texas / Austin with ability to frequently travel to state capitols and Southwest cities.

• 5-7 years of experience of public policy experience within government, or relevant nonprofit, public interest groups, companies, lobbying firms or industry associations;

• A well-developed network of relationships with key figures across the Southwest legislative and policy landscape.

• Skilled and experienced at persuasively and diplomatically advocating complex policy positions before a wide variety of audiences

• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, and exceptional verbal and written communication skills.

• Hands-on legislative and regulatory analytics experience, including drafting and editing legislation.

We prefer:

• At least 2+ years working specifically on technology or transportation policy issues.

• Bachelor’s degree, MPP/MBA/JD preferred.

• Work experience in both state and local politics.

• Work experience in the private sector.

• Knowledge of the policy environment for autonomous vehicles.

• Knowledge of future of work, labor, and workforce development policy issues

• Knowledge of privacy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and other public policy issues related to data-driven industries

Travel Requirements:

• Must be able to travel within Texas and Southwest on a frequent basis and occasionally travel to California, DC, and other major U.S. cities for conferences.

((Please note that Waymo may not be able to employ remotely in all locations. Please speak with your recruiter about your preferred location for remote work when you begin the interview process.))

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—$221,000 USD