Staff Machine Learning Engineer (AI)

TL;DR

Staff Machine Learning Engineer (AI): Building and operating scalable machine learning systems and simulation workflows for the Waymo Driver with an accent on reinforcement learning and generative AI. Focus on leading the development of cutting-edge models for behavior evaluation, anomaly detection, and high-fidelity data generation to improve autonomous driving performance.

Location: Onsite in London, England

Salary: £155,000—£163,000 GBP

Company

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company dedicated to building the world's most trusted driver to improve mobility and safety.

What you will do

• Build scalable systems for training and fine-tuning large-scale generative models to simulate realistic driving behaviors.
• Lead the implementation and iteration of novel reinforcement learning algorithms and reward functions.
• Develop cutting-edge deep learning and generative AI solutions to automate high-volume workflows and analyze driving behavior.
• Oversee the production and optimization of machine learning models for a massive fleet of autonomous vehicles.
• Develop novel RLHF-based data collection and evaluation systems by assimilating industry best practices.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Prediction, Planning, and Research to deliver strategic technical initiatives.

Requirements

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, or a related field.
• 7+ years of hands-on experience in developing and applying machine learning models with a significant focus on reinforcement learning.
• Demonstrated expertise in deep learning, sequence modeling, and generative models.
• Proficiency in Python and standard ML frameworks such as JAX or TensorFlow.
• Experience with large-scale distributed training and data processing.
• Proven ability to lead complex and ambiguous technical projects from conception to completion.

Nice to have

• 10+ years of relevant experience in ML/RL research and application.
• Experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or complex simulation environments.
• Deep understanding of state-of-the-art RL techniques for fine-tuning large models.
• Familiarity with large-scale simulation platforms and their integration with ML training workflows.
• Track record of technical leadership and influencing senior stakeholders.

Culture & Benefits

• Participation in discretionary annual bonus program.
• Equity incentive plan eligibility.
• Comprehensive company benefits program.
• Opportunity to work on world-class autonomous driving technology.
• Collaborative environment with senior leadership and cross-functional technical teams.