Operational Risk Manager

Waymo•Washington, DC

4d•$159,000 - $196,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Waymo is seeking a systems-minded Operational Risk Manager to mature and scale its day-to-day risk and safety infrastructure. This role involves transforming operational data and playbooks into a predictive engine that influences the product roadmap. The manager will embed with cross-functional teams to establish operational standards for safe and seamless scaling. This position follows a hybrid work schedule.

Requirements

5+ years of Operational experience, with a focus on managing or maturing risk/operational workflows.
Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field or equivalent practical experience.
Direct experience with Jira and structured requirements tracking to manage operational priorities, action items, and cross-functional deliverables.
Practical working knowledge of Safety Management Systems (SMS) principles and their application in fast-paced, live operational environments.
Proven track record of evaluating complex workflows, identifying failure modes, and authoring clear, comprehensive operational documentation.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build trust, align diverse stakeholders, and influence without formal authority.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in the Autonomous Vehicle (AV) industry.
Operational risk or safety assurance experience within high-reliability and safety-critical industries (e.g., commercial aviation, defense, aerospace, rail/transit, energy, or complex fleet logistics).
Experience with root-cause analysis methodologies (e.g., 5-Whys, Fishbone/Ishikawa, FMEA) and developing predictive operational indicators.

Responsibilities

Review, refine, and publish operational playbooks, ensuring they remain accurate and optimized.
Oversee continuous monitoring of operational risks, lead root cause investigations, and ensure compliance with the Safety Management System (SMS) and risk frameworks.
Maintain, update, and govern the operational risk register, ensuring all tracked risks have clear owners, mitigation strategies, and regular status updates.
Translate day-to-day operational risk data, predictive analysis, and trends into nuanced requirements for Product teams to secure roadmap prioritization.
Analyze daily workflow interactions, identify bottlenecks or weak points in current frameworks, and optimize the entire ecosystem through systems-based thinking.