Design Studio Process Manager

Waymo
Mountain View, CA
Hybrid

Who this role is best for

Geared toward mid-level industrial engineers comfortable with cross-organizational collaboration and facility layout optimization. Requires hybrid work arrangement and experience in automotive or manufacturing domains.

Best fit for

  • Mid-level professionals with 10+ years in automotive manufacturing or logistics infrastructure design
    — “10+ years of industrial engineering, operations excellence, process improvement, manufacturing engineering, or related disciplines as they relate to automotive throughput
  • Candidates who have translated operational workflows into scalable facility design standards
    — “Analyze end-to-end operational workflows to identify bottlenecks... translating these findings into facility design requirements
  • Individuals with proven experience in lean methodologies and AI-driven workflow enhancements
    — “Experience developing and implementing process improvements... experience using AI tools to enhance workflows

Things to consider

  • Travel commitment of up to 25% time required despite hybrid work flexibility
    — “Up to 25% travel time
  • Hybrid work schedule necessitates in-office presence for key collaboration phases
    — “This role follows a hybrid work schedule

How to stand out

  • Highlight specific facility optimization projects in resume with quantified throughput improvements
    — “transforming our business needs and operation into standardized and efficient solutions
  • Demonstrate cross-functional partnership examples in interviews, emphasizing communication frameworks
    — “Partner with Architectural, Engineering, Product, Operations, Robotics, and Ops Excellence teams
  • Quantify impact of process improvements using lean metrics in application materials
    — “Experience applying Lean principles... improve facility design and business performance
  • Showcase simulation-based validation experience for infrastructure concepts in portfolio
    — “Evaluate facility concepts through simulations, pilots, and real-world testing
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · TeamLevel · Senior

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • optimized facility layout and workflow
  • developed and validated autonomous infrastructure concepts
  • influenced infrastructure planning with operational analyses
Typical background
10+ years of industrial engineering, operations excellence, process improvement, manufacturing engineering

Skills & requirements

Required

Industrial EngineeringOperations ExcellenceProcess ImprovementManufacturing EngineeringLean PrinciplesProcess Improvement MethodologiesOperational ModelingFacility DesignCross-functional Team CollaborationStructured Data AnalysisAI Tools For Workflow Enhancement

Preferred

Understanding Of Various Real Estate Typologies

About the role

Original posting from Waymo

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’s cars may be self-driving, but its preconstruction development standards are steered by experts like you.  Safety is our foundation and is at the heart of everything we do.  As Waymo’s Design Studio Process Manager, you will own the facility layout optimization by transforming our business needs and operation into standardized and efficient solutions in an extremely fast paced environment with high degree of ambiguity.  At every turn, process excellence, collaboration, and detailed cross-org communication are critical. 

This role follows a hybrid work schedule and reports to the Head of Project Delivery.

You will:

Analyze end-to-end operational workflows to identify bottlenecks, unnecessary motion and capacity constraints,  and ultimately translating these findings into facility design requirements within our depots, service centers and other fleet related infrastructure

Partner with Architectural, Engineering, Product, Operations, Robotics, and Ops Excellence teams to develop and validate autonomous infrastructure concepts, ensuring design standards support efficient, scalable, and future-ready operations

Continuously improve physical infrastructure design standards by applying Lean principles, industrial engineering methodologies, operational modeling, and real-world performance data to optimize facility layout and workflow

Evaluate facility concepts through simulations, pilots, and real-world testing to validate design assumptions, improve efficiency, and drive continuous improvement

Influence infrastructure planning by developing operational analyses, performance metrics, and scalability recommendations that support facility programming and design decisions 

You have:

10+ years of industrial engineering, operations excellence, process improvement, manufacturing engineering, or related disciplines as they relate to automotive throughput

Experience applying Lean principles, process improvement methodologies, and operational modeling to improve facility design and business performance

Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams during facility planning design, or operational improvements

Experience solving complex challenges through structured data analysis and forensics, applying methodical frameworks, practical experience, innovation, and sound judgment to make effective decisions even when information is limited

Experience developing and implementing process improvements and/or lean methodology to streamline the full project delivery cycle inclusive of a strong understanding of and experience using AI tools to enhance workflows  

We prefer:

An understanding of various real estate typologies (workplace, lab, industrial, manufacturing, automotive service, EV charging)

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification

A track record of proven objective analysis, having delivering projects in an atmosphere where speed, flexibility and frugality are the norm

Degree in Industrial Engineering, System Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field

Automotive, manufacturing, logistical warehouse, or distribution center design/ engineering experience

Drive to work in a startup environment, ideally in tech industry

Travel Requirements:

Up to 25% travel time

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

Source: Waymo careers

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