Policy Advisor

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.
The Waymo Policy and Government Affairs team has a front seat in this exciting moment in the evolution of autonomous driving technology, transportation and tech policy. Successful navigation of the policy landscape is critically important to deploying and scaling our business. Our team works directly with policymakers and third party groups at the national, state and local levels to help advance transportation policy, educate on the safety benefits of the technology, and advance consumer awareness and acceptance. Internally, our efforts support the innovative work of engineering, product, strategy, and partnerships teams, and we work closely with highly-skilled legal and safety experts.
This role is based in the SF Bay Area and will be based in either the SF or Mountain View offices and reports to the Regional Head of the West
You will:
Lead regional public policy strategy, legislative advocacy, and regulatory engagement across the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco, North Bay, East Bay, and Silicon Valley/San Jose).
Serve as the primary point of contact for city councils, county boards of supervisors, regional transit authorities, and local Departments of Transportation (DOTs).
Partner cross-functionally with Public Affairs, the First Responder Ambassador team, and Regional Policy leads to ensure aligned messaging and operational continuity.
Track, analyze and develop policy positions on relevant municipal ordinances and regional policy initiatives.
Represent the company at public hearings, council meetings, community roundtables, and industry coalition working groups.
Build coalitions with local business associations, civic leaders, and community groups to advance key policy priorities.
You have:
5+ years of experience in local government affairs, municipal public policy, or legislative advocacy in the SF Bay Area
Demonstrated track record of building effective relationships with elected officials, agency staff, and community stakeholders.
Deep knowledge of Bay Area municipal governance, local legislative processes, and regional transportation/infrastructure agencies.
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with experience aligning policy goals alongside operations, comms, and safety team
Exceptional written, verbal, and public-speaking skills with the ability to distill complex technical issues for civic audiences.
We prefer:
Background in mobility, autonomous vehicles, micromobility, logistics, or emerging technology policy.
Travel:
40% local travel across the greater San Francisco Bay Area for municipal meetings, stakeholder engagement, and community events, with occasional trips to corporate headquarters.
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
$144,000—$177,000 USD