Technical Operations Lead

About Wayve

Founded in 2017, Wayve is a leader in Embodied AI technology. Our advanced AI software and foundation models enable vehicles to perceive, understand, and navigate any environment, enhancing the safety and usability of automated driving systems. Our vision is to create autonomy that propels the world forward. We are transitioning from an R&D focus to a delivery-grade commercial AV company, accelerating the adoption of automated driving for automakers.

The Role

We are seeking a Technical Operations Lead to join our Technical Operations function. You will act as a critical bridge between Science, Product, Engineering, and Operations, serving as a key execution partner for OEM customer programs. This role is ideal for individuals who excel in dynamic, high-growth environments and have proven experience in translating complex technical strategies into actionable field operations for safety-critical systems.

You will lead critical testing, demonstration, and validation programs globally, including roadshows, OEM program support, and on-road validation. You'll foster structured feedback loops between field operations and development teams, ensuring customer-grade operational rigor with clear readiness criteria, repeatable execution, and decision-ready reporting.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical and Operations Enablement: Convert program plans into actionable on-road plans, ensuring alignment on scheduling, safety, and operational feasibility, including OEM-specific constraints.
• Testing and Validation: Lead execution for internal and external programs, coordinating technical teams and operations to ensure seamless testing while maintaining safety and capturing feedback. Define clear entry/exit criteria and evidence for decisions.
• OEM Program Support & Milestone Delivery: Partner with OEM stakeholders to plan and execute program milestones, drive a predictable operating cadence, and ensure rapid alignment.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Connect model developers, researchers, product teams, and operations, ensuring visibility and structured feedback loops for faster iteration.
• Operational Readiness: Collaborate with Fleet Operations to maintain consistent experiment design, vehicle availability, and process quality for repeatable, high-quality delivery.
• Continuous Improvement: Partner with Systems and Enablement teams to leverage fleet data for problem-solving and refining testing processes.
• Innovation in Testing & Evaluation: Explore new experimental methods to uncover insights and drive breakthroughs, improving OEM-grade validation.
• Technical Collaboration: Build strong partnerships with model development teams to maximize the value of tests, datasets, and feedback loops.

About You

Essential:

• Experience supporting or operating within customer/OEM partnership programs (e.g., automotive, robotics, regulated industries).
• Demonstrable experience in technical program management or operations at the intersection of R&D, product development, and field testing in high-complexity environments.
• Proven track record of managing programs/demonstrations requiring tight coordination between technical and operational teams.
• Deep experience with test planning, operational readiness frameworks, and structured feedback loops.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder management skills, able to lead cross-functional workshops.
• Proven ability to influence across teams, including remote and international stakeholders.
• Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 30%.
• Strong problem-solving skills and comfort in ambiguous, rapidly evolving environments.

Desirable:

• Experience in autonomous vehicles, ADAS, or field robotics operations.
• Strong exposure to OEM partnership programs and customer delivery, including automotive testing/validation protocols.
• Experience scaling in global, distributed teams.
• Experience with data analysis and performance tracking.
• Comfort with project management tools (Confluence, Asana/Jira).
• Background in process improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma).
• Familiarity with vehicle commissioning, fleet management, or automotive safety protocols.

Location

This is a full-time role based in our office in either Sunnyvale/London. We operate a hybrid working policy.

Wayve is committed to creating an inclusive interview experience. If you require accommodations, please let us know. We encourage applications from individuals passionate about self-driving cars, even if they don't meet every listed requirement. We foster a diverse, fair, and respectful culture.