Jobs FAQ

Answers to some commonly asked questions about working here:

Who works at Willow Garage?

Willow Garage currently has about 25 full time employees, plus 14 interns over the summer. We come from many backgrounds, primarily academic or industrial research, and all share a love of building real systems, and a commitment to making our work have impact in the world.

Where are you located?

68 Willow Road in Menlo Park, California. We're 5 minutes walking from downtown Palo Alto, 5 minutes biking from Stanford, and about 45 minutes drive from both San Francisco and San Jose. The building itself has lots of windows and skylights, and open garden space, so you can enjoy the California weather.

I have academic commitments, can I still work with you?

Yes. We collaborate closely with academics at many institutions. Although we can't hire you if you're working full-time somewhere else, we would love to hear from you at collaboration@willowgarage.com, or just get in contact with anyone you know who works here.

What is the work environment like?

It's a great place to work. The weather is great here, the building is attractive, and the offices are spacious (no cubicles). People hang out in the common kitchens and play ping-pong or pool to relax, and when we sit down at lunch (frequently provided), we discuss the future of robotics, tell stories from battle-bots competitions, discuss local bike routes, or just shoot the breeze. Work hours are fairly flexible, but you'll find most of us here by 9:30, and someone will still be in the lab after midnight most nights.

I'm still in school, can I apply?

Yes. We're always interested in building relationships with strong candidates, even if you're not available right away. Just mention your plans in your cover letter so that we can figure out what will work best for you and your situation.

I'm happy in my current job, but this looks awesome.

We're looking for enthusiastic, motivated, and brilliant people, which means almost everyone we want to hire is already doing something they're good at and they love to do. There's no reason not to get in touch with us and learn a little more about what we're working on.

Do you offer internships?

Yes. Our internship program for summer 2008 is already started, but if you're interested in an internship during the year or next summer, just mention that in a cover letter.

Where can I find more information?

For more technical information, you can look around in the wiki, which includes instructions on checking out the latest code. There are no guarantees that it includes everything, but a lot of the work we do ends up discussed there. For other questions, just drop us a line, and we'll help you figure out what you need to know. Of course, if you know people here, you can always feel free to get in touch with them directly.

How do I apply?

Take a look at the list of jobs, see if there's something that lines up with your interests or experience, and send a resume to jobs@willowgarage.com. Your email should also serve as a cover letter to tell us who you are, what jobs you're interested in, why you're applying, and anything else you'd like us to know about you. You should expect to hear back from us within 2 weeks (usually sooner).

Willow Garage, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to the principles of workplace diversity