Brand Partnerships Lead

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. On the Waymo Marketing team, you will help to connect people with the magic and impact of Waymo's autonomous driving technology. Our team has the unique opportunity to not only grow Waymo's brand from the ground up, but to also build societal acceptance for autonomous driving technology for the first time in history. We build thoughtful marketing strategy, positioning, messaging and creative assets to deliver messages that matter to our audience, communicated through anything from video content, to social media interactions, to immersive physical experiences. We also shape Waymo's go-to-market initiatives, helping to transform Waymo into a thriving business with a growing user base. In this hybrid role, you will report to the Brand Marketing & Operations Lead. You will: Define Vertical Partnership Strategy: Architect the long-term vision for Waymo’s involvement in the Sports, Finance, and Hospitality sectors. Identify and secure cornerstone partners that position Waymo as a premium, indispensable utility for travelers, fans, and consumers . Lead Deal Negotiations: Drive end-to-end management of complex, multi-year agreements. You will lead the negotiation of high-visibility deals, ensuring Waymo secures best-in-class terms and media value. Drive Integrated Go-To-Market (GTM): Bring to life our partnerships and events in creative ways that resonate with audiences. Collaborate with internal cross-functional (XFN) teams and external agencies to ensure every activation drives measurable awareness and accelerates rider growth. Measure Impact : Establish a data-driven framework for ROI, focusing on increasing awareness, engagement, and advocacy for our service. You will help move the needle on how the world perceives autonomous transportation through clear, quantifiable metrics. Strategy & Planning: Translate overarching brand and business goals into actionable roadmaps. You will define the strategic approach for major programs, including high-impact stunt activations, international conferences, and global sponsorships.. Budget Ownership: Manage large-scale financial allocations for partnership fees and co-marketing spends. You will optimize deal structures to maximize ROI across all brand partnership efforts. You have: 15+ years of brand leadership experience, with a focus on strategic partnership identification, high-stakes negotiation, and large-scale activation. A proven track record of managing global brand portfolios within complex, matrixed organizations (e.g. Financial Services, Tech, Global CPG). Expertise in agency management, specifically across sports, venues, and title sponsorships, with a demonstrated portfolio of activations. A data-driven approach to marketing that effectively balances "big idea" creative vision with rigorous, specific ROI metrics. Operational flexibility, with the proven ability to pivot seamlessly between high-level strategic development and granular hands-on execution. Experience managing or mentoring team members, demonstrating people leadership. We prefer: Experience working in the autonomous vehicle, automotive, or high-growth technology industry. Experience collaborating deeply with product and technical teams, ensuring all marketing initiatives are grounded in the reality of the technology and product cap