Operational Risk Manager

Waymo•San Francisco, WA

3d•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 live, predictive engine that actively shapes the product roadmap. The manager will embed directly with cross-functional teams to build the operational standards necessary for safe and seamless scaling. This position follows a hybrid work schedule and reports to the Head of Operations Safety & Readiness.

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

Mature & Publish Playbooks: Review, refine, and publish operational playbooks, ensuring they remain the accurate, optimized "source of truth."
Day-to-Day Risk Management: Oversee continuous monitoring of operational risks, lead root cause investigations, and ensure compliance with our Safety Management System (SMS) and risk frameworks.
Risk Register Ownership: Maintain, update, and govern the operational risk register, ensuring all tracked risks have clear owners, mitigation strategies, and regular status updates.
Product Liaison: Translate day-to-day operational risk data, predictive analysis, and trends into nuanced requirements that secure roadmap prioritization from Product teams.
Systems-Based Thinking: Analyze how daily workflows interact, identifying bottlenecks or weak points in current frameworks to optimize the entire ecosystem.