Senior Product Manager, Mapping

The Senior Product Manager, Mapping at Waymo is crucial in shaping the future of our autonomous vehicle technology. You will maintain a strategic vision and roadmap for vital mapping initiatives, collaborates with ML/AI engineers to streamline automated mapping processes, and manage the quality and delivery of essential databases utilized by various stakeholders in the company. Additionally, you'll be working closely with product and systems engineers to ensure that the mapping content aligns seamlessly with our Driver capabilities, while also coordinating launches of innovative automated models and mapping software.

To qualify as a Senior Product Manager, Mapping with Waymo, candidates should have a minimum of 5 years of Product Management experience, or alternatively, 3 years in product management combined with 2 years in software engineering. Experience in managing critical databases, impactful project deliveries, as well as excellent stakeholder management skills are essential. Preferred experience includes expertise in mapping or geospatial projects, and familiarity with complex workflows focusing on AI/ML applications.

At Waymo, we prioritize the development of our team members, especially Senior Product Managers, Mapping. We offer a robust platform for mentorship and professional growth through engaging projects, training opportunities, and encouraging cross-functional collaboration. Our team's commitment to continuous improvement and innovation ensures that you’ll have the support needed to refine your skills while making substantial contributions to groundbreaking technology.

The Senior Product Manager role at Waymo stands out in the tech industry due to its focus on pioneering autonomous driving technology that has the potential to save lives and reshape mobility. You will be part of a mission-driven team working on first-of-their-kind projects, directly impacting how products and technology are integrated into society. The combination of strategic vision, technical depth, and collaboration with brilliant minds in the field creates a unique and rewarding experience.

As a Senior Product Manager, Mapping at Waymo, you will engage in impactful projects that involve enhancing our mapping capabilities to facilitate autonomous driving. This includes working on the development of automated mapping software, quality control processes that integrate human insights, and ensuring that the mapping initiatives align with the evolution of our products. Your contributions will help propel Waymo’s mission to provide safer, more efficient autonomous transportation.

When answering this question, highlight specific projects you’ve led or contributed to, focusing on the challenges faced and how you overcame them. Discuss your role in defining the project scope, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and any technical tools or methodologies you utilized that directly relate to mapping or geospatial work.

Illustrate your approach to prioritization by discussing frameworks like RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) that you’ve used. Provide examples of how you’ve weighed customer feedback, business objectives, and resource constraints to make informed prioritization decisions that align with the product vision.

Share your methods for keeping stakeholders engaged and informed. You could talk about setting clear expectations, regular updates, and utilizing tools for transparency and communication. Discussing real-life examples where you successfully navigated conflicting interests will showcase your skills effectively.

Choose an example that directly relates to your work in product management. Detail the challenges you encountered, how you navigated through them, and what the outcome was. Emphasize the lessons learned and how they influenced your approach to future projects.

Explain the metrics you focus on to gauge success, which could include user engagement, feedback, financial metrics, or operational efficiency. Talk about your experience with A/B testing, customer surveys, or analytics and how you use that data to inform your strategy moving forward.

Discuss your commitment to fostering a collaborative environment by instituting regular check-ins, utilizing collaborative tools, and encouraging a culture of open feedback. Provide examples of how these strategies successfully aligned the efforts of diverse teams towards a shared goal.

Select a specific instance where you successfully delivered against a tight timeline. Outline your planning process, how you collaborated with your team, and any adjustments you made along the way. This demonstrates your time management skills and adaptability.

Share your methods for staying informed, such as attending industry conferences, participating in professional groups, subscribing to relevant journals, or following thought leaders in the field. Discuss how you integrate this knowledge into your work and strategy.

Emphasize the importance of customer feedback as a cornerstone of your product management approach. Discuss your experience in gathering, analyzing, and utilizing feedback to drive product decisions, ensuring that you create solutions that genuinely meet user needs.

Illustrate your conflict resolution skills by discussing techniques like facilitating discussions, prioritizing by strategic alignment, or using data to inform decision-making. Provide a scenario where you successfully managed competing priorities to illustrate your expertise.