Lead Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) Engineer (Automotive)

Location: Mountain View, California; hybrid work schedule with on-site reporting

Salary: $230,000–$284,000 USD base salary, plus discretionary annual bonus, equity incentives, and company benefits.

Company

Waymo develops autonomous driving technology and operates a fully autonomous ride-hail service powered by the Waymo Driver.

What you will do

• Define and implement full-vehicle NVH strategies, from vehicle-level requirements through component targets and delivery tracking.
• Lead NVH integration of the self-driving system with the base vehicle platform, including body structures, powertrain mounts, suspension, tires, acoustic treatments, and isolation systems.
• Use CAE methods such as finite element analysis and statistical energy analysis to predict and optimize NVH performance.
• Plan, execute, and analyze vehicle- and component-level NVH tests in laboratories and on public roads.
• Develop innovative NVH measurement and diagnostic solutions, perform root-cause analysis, and implement engineering countermeasures.
• Collaborate with internal design teams, CAE specialists, and OEM partners to develop detailed NVH models and ensure compatibility with other vehicle attributes.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and at least 12 years of automotive NVH engineering experience, including full-vehicle design, analysis, and target setting.
• Deep knowledge of acoustics, vibration, modal analysis, and sound-quality metrics.
• Expertise with NVH CAE tools including Nastran, OptiStruct, and Abaqus.
• Experience building models with HyperMesh, SimLab, or Ansa and using NVH signal-processing tools.
• Proficiency with NVH test equipment and software such as B&K, Simcenter Testlab, and VIacoustics.

Nice to have

• Experience with electric-vehicle NVH challenges, including driveline whine, brake noise, and battery-pack isolation.
• Familiarity with global automotive NVH regulations and standards.
• Experience selecting and applying door seals, cabin interior trims, thermal-duct materials, and other acoustic materials.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work schedule with collaboration across vehicle engineering, design, CAE, and OEM partner teams.
• Eligibility for a discretionary annual bonus program and equity incentive plan.
• Generous company benefits program, subject to eligibility requirements.