X is Alphabet’s moonshot factory. We are a diverse group of inventors and entrepreneurs who build and launch technologies that aim to improve the lives of millions, even billions, of people. Our goal: 10x impact on the world’s most intractable problems, not just 10% improvement. We approach projects that have the aspiration and riskiness of research with the speed and ambition of a startup.
About the team:
The Rapid Evaluation team serves a critical function within the factory: we generate and incubate new moonshots! We do not do scientific discovery. We do not build products. Instead, we are laser focused on learning, experimenting and prototyping - both in house and in collaboration with external experts - to develop the foundations upon which potentially groundbreaking products and business could be built.
We are seeking individuals who have strong scientific training at their core, but have varying backgrounds, expertise, and experiences — technical and entrepreneurial — and are motivated by a deep seated curiosity and a desire to to change the world for the better. We’re particularly interested in hiring people who have experience in taking ideas from concept stage to pre-product stage. People who thrive in this role are self-driven and motivated, bring passion to everything they do, are comfortable working in highly ambiguous environments where pivoting is normal and understand that flexibility is paramount.
This is not a time-delimited role, but the expectation is that Rapid Evaluators will hit upon projects that they launch into other parts of the Factory within two years.
About the role:
You will need to be open to new ideas and ways of thinking and humble about your own; comfortable getting out into the field early in order to learn and iterate; comfortable building a hypothesis, stating and testing your assumptions, identifying what you/we know to be true versus what we believe to be true and to then do the work to validate or test those beliefs and assumptions.
Nothing at X is done alone and being an expert in a specific field is only a starting point. We are looking for people who are open and curious to seek out and learn different perspectives, who can challenge their own thinking and who are excellent communicators and collaborators.
AT X WE BELIEVE IN:
- Iteration - It's in the nature of moonshots to not get things right the first time. We run thoughtful experiments to test and build on our ideas as quickly as possible.
- Dispassionate assessment - We passionately pursue our work with optimism and creativity, while pausing frequently to dispassionately and humbly assess the results of our experiments
- Shifting perspectives - We work together to arrive at “ah-ha!” moments that come from being as weird, brave and creative as we’ve ever been.
- Taking smart risks - No one likes to fail. At X, we embrace it because it helps us make impactful, high-value moonshots.
- Living up to our values - Cheering on those who live what we believe.
How you will make 10x impact:
- Use a combination of curiosity, critical thinking, networking, research, and prototyping to identify, propose, and assess potential breakthrough technology-enabled moonshot ideas.
- Roll-up your sleeves as you work to progressively de-risk your Moonshot idea both from a technical and business perspective.
- Continuously bring others along, aligning X, Alphabet, and/or partners to that shared project vision on an ongoing basis.
- Develop and research technical and business hypotheses. Transform those hypotheses into testable experiments.
- Rapidly execute multiple experiments, often in parallel, to help narrow down and select the most promising ideas to work on.
- Develop your Moonshot story and Moonshot pitch. Regularly share and refine your vision over time based on what you learned and feedback from our Pipeline Leadership team.
- Work closely with cross-functional teams (strategy, finance, HR, legal, partnerships)
- Navigate the unique advantages and constraints of a global tech company.
- Seek out and manage additional resources and virtual teams to achieve your audacious goals with scrappy yet scalable approaches.
What you should have:
- Completed Masters/PhD in science or hardware engineering; or equivalent practical experience.
- At least 2 years experience playing a key role in the successful development of a product based upon deep technology. You are biased to action and will “roll up your sleeves”
- Ability to execute your ideas, hands-on, and as part of a team.
- You are both a capable individual contributor and collaborative, team-based player.
- Thrive in ambiguity and possess the ability to manage your own work.
- Able to effectively communicate both technical and non-technical information to mixed audiences.
- Entrepreneurial or cross functional project management experience in a deeply technical field is a plus.
At X, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact us at: x-accommodation-request@x.team.