Google is now advertising dozens of jobs centering on manufacturing and marketing in order to expand the hiring process for its self-driving car project.
The job listings consist of 36 positions for people that will focus on robotics, motion control and displays and others who will manage materials, operations and marketing, according to VentureBeat.
Such positions include a manufacturing supplier quality engineer that will create and approve "manufacturing inspection processes, equipment, tools gauges and fixtures for raw material, mechanical components and mechanical assembles," while a mechanical global supply chain manager would focus on manufacturing development execution and other objectives.
The advert also lists a manufacturing process engineer job aimed at "designing factory assembly stations, optimizing production floor layout, automating critical manufacturing processes and approving fixture designs used in the assembly of electronic modules for the self-driving car," as well as a marketing manager position that will have the person who is hired "shape go-to-market strategy and storytelling to win hearts and minds of community members, influencers and governments."
While Google declined to comment on its future plans for autonomous vehicles and has denied any interest in such an initiative in the past, the search giant has talked about partnering with established global automakers, The Guardian noted.
"The biggest auto manufacturers [have] got a lot to offer," Chris Urmson, the technical lead for the Google X car project, said in an interview with Reuters last year. "For us to jump in and say that we can do this better, that's arrogant."
Mark Stevens, a former plant manager for General Motors, noted that most of the positions on the list require people with experience working in Asia, suggesting that Google will outsource the manufacture of tooling to build the cars.
However, he noted that he doesn't believe the adverts indicate that the tech giant will shift to mass manufacture anytime soon.
"Composites are typically not deployed on high volume vehicles," Stevens reportedly said.
John Krafick, president of the project, reportedly said in January that he wanted to form partnerships with well-known carmakers and suppliers this year to move the initiative forward, The International Business Times reported.
The release of the job listings comes at a good time for Google's self-driving car project, as the U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration recently ruled that the vehicle's artificial intelligence could be considered the driver under federal law, and the company recently made Washington the third state when it will test the cars, with the other two being California and Texas.
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