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Wayve is building an AI platform for autonomous driving using end-to-end learning from real-world experience. This role leads the multi-year Driver Out programme—the initiative to take Wayve's autonomy technology from first eyes-off, driver-out demonstration to a productised service on public roads.
As Director of Technical Program Management for Driver Out, you will own the end-to-end programme spanning from initial driver-out demonstration through public-road product integration and scaling. You'll partner with engineering, science, safety, product, operations leaders and external partners (OEMs, Uber) to align scope, sequencing and readiness. Your responsibilities include:
- Driving the programme's critical path by translating complex technical, safety and operational requirements into clear commitments, managing dependencies, risks and trade-offs across workstreams.
- Building and leading the TPM team supporting Driver Out, coaching team members, setting expectations, managing performance and holding workstream leads accountable.
- Running milestone and launch-readiness reviews using KPIs and dashboards to assess progress, surface issues and drive timely decisions and escalations.
- Coordinating delivery across driving-model performance and safety, system architecture, verification and validation, vehicle hardware and software, remote assistance and operations.
- Assembling the safety case, behaviour validation, functional safety (ISO 26262), SOTIF (ISO 21448), cybersecurity and Safety Management System into a credible safety argument for driver-out.
- Representing Driver Out to the executive team, communicating progress, risk and readiness clearly and guiding the programme's most consequential decisions.
- Connecting Driver Out delivery to Wayve's commercial path to market, making strategic trade-offs that keep the transition from driver-in to driver-out safe, achievable and aligned with product outcomes.
Wayve operates a hybrid model with main hubs in London, Sunnyvale, Yokohama, Herzliya, Vancouver and Leonberg. The company is building generalisable driving intelligence that can power any vehicle anywhere, combining embodied AI with scalable deployment.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 10+ years delivering complex technical programmes, including director-level leadership. You've owned large, multi-year, cross-organisation programmes end-to-end with deep ownership and bias for action.
- Proven track record building and leading programme-management teams with direct responsibility for coaching, development and performance management. You grow high-performing teams and establish effective processes.
- Extensive experience delivering autonomous-vehicle or comparable safety-critical robotics programmes, ideally progressing towards driver-out or L4 operation. You understand the systems, safety and operational realities involved.
- Fluency in safety cases, behaviour validation, functional safety (ISO 26262), SOTIF (ISO 21448) and safety management systems, with ability to bring these together into a coherent safety argument.
- Technical strength across autonomy, machine learning, vehicle hardware and software, and systems engineering. You can engage credibly with engineers and scientists without writing production code, and understand how changes in one part of a safety-critical system affect others.
- Ability to align and influence engineering, science, safety, product, operations and external partners at senior levels, building shared ownership without relying on formal authority.
- Capability to stay objective under pressure and adapt in ambiguous, high-stakes environments, bringing structure and clarity without slowing delivery.
- Product-minded and commercially aware, connecting programme decisions to end users and Wayve's path to market. You prioritise by impact and define success through outcomes.
- Ability to set direction clearly, use right metrics to steer delivery and communicate complex risks and readiness decisions crisply to executives.
- Openness to feedback and continuous improvement of your own leadership, team capabilities and programme operations.
PLUS (valuable but not required):
- Experience taking an AV programme to eyes-off or driverless operation, or launching a comparable safety-critical service.
- Experience collaborating with OEMs and mobility partners, including ride-hail providers.
- Engineering or computer science degree, or experience working as an engineer.
