US - Technical Operations Manager

About the role

Before the detail, here's the challenge you'd help us solve.

We build the embodied intelligence that moves real vehicles safely, and the ecosystem a billion machines will run on in the future. Very few people in AI can say this. Every role here, whatever the team, plugs into that.

Here’s what this particular role covers.

Your day-to-day

• Serve as the key bridge between Science, Product, Engineering, and Operations, ensuring the alignment of technical programs and on-road activities.
• Lead testing and demonstration programs across global operations, including roadshow campaigns, customer programs, and on-road validation activities.
• Coordinate structured feedback between field operations and development teams, supporting faster iteration and technical advancement.
• Convert high-level strategies into clear action plans for on-road testing, working closely with Fleet Operations to maintain schedules, safety, and feasibility.
• Collaborate with Systems and Enablement teams to leverage fleet metrics for continuous process improvement and operational refinement.
• Foster innovation in field testing, proactively exploring new experimental methods and supporting a culture of curiosity and experimentation.

What you’ll be working on

• Technical and Operations Enablement: Converting program plans into actionable on-road operations in partnership with Fleet Operations leadership.
• Testing and Validation: Coordinating and leading execution of internal and external programs, ensuring the highest safety standards and capturing mission-critical feedback.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Acting as the connective tissue between development teams and field operations, enabling structured, two-way feedback loops.
• Operational Readiness: Ensuring consistent experiment design, vehicle availability, and process quality across all testing programs.
• Continuous Improvement: Partnering to utilize fleet data and systems for process refinement and quantifiable gains in operational performance.
• Innovation in Testing & Evaluation: Driving new experimental methodologies and supporting the discovery of novel operational insights.
• Technical Collaboration: Building strong partnerships with model development teams to maximize the value of data, tests, and operational feedback.

You should apply if

Essential

• Demonstrable experience in technical program management or operations roles at the intersection of R&D, product development, and field testing in high-complexity environments (e.g., autonomous systems, robotics, aerospace, or advanced mobility).
• Proven track record of managing programs, demonstrations, or operations requiring tight coordination between technical development and operational teams.
• Deep experience with test planning, operational readiness frameworks, and structured field-to-development feedback loops.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder management skills, leading cross-functional workshops and coordinating between technical and operational teams.
• Proven ability to influence across remote and international teams in fast-paced technology environments.
• Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills, with experience preparing technical documentation, SOPs, and stakeholder presentations.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 30% of the time to support cross-region testing and coordination.
• Strong problem-solving skills and comfort working in rapidly evolving, ambiguous environments.

Desirable

• Experience in autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems, or field robotics operations.
• Exposure to automotive testing protocols, validation frameworks, or OEM partnership programs.
• Experience supporting scaling in distributed, global teams with complex technical dependencies.
• Data analysis and performance tracking skills; able to work with dashboards and quantify operational improvements.
• Comfortable with project management tools (Confluence, Asana, Jira, or equivalents) and implementing operational tracking systems.
• Background in process improvement (Lean, Six Sigma) or operational excellence frameworks.
• Familiarity with vehicle commissioning, fleet management, or automotive safety protocols.

Additional information

Not ticking every box? That’s totally okay! If you’re passionate about autonomy and keen to learn, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every requirement.

More about Wayve

Wayve is building the leading AI platform for autonomous driving. We are pioneering an end to end AI approach that enables vehicles to learn directly from real world experience, developing the ability to adapt, generalise and improve at scale. Instead of relying on hand coded rules or pre mapped environments, our AI Driver learns to drive by understanding the world around it.

The result is technology that navigates complex urban environments with intelligence, precision and natural flow, unlocking meaningful advances in both safety and efficiency. We believe autonomy represents a once in a generation transformation in how people and goods move, comparable to the shift from horses to cars, and from human driven vehicles to intelligent machines.

Our ambition is to make autonomy universal. Wayve’s mapless and hardware agnostic AI platform integrates with global OEM partners, enabling continuous software evolution and unlocking advanced levels of automation from L2 plus through to L4 as our core AI model scales.

In a race increasingly defined by intelligence and real world learning, Wayve is taking a distinct approach, building a generalisable driving intelligence that can power any vehicle, anywhere. By combining embodied AI with scalable deployment, we are creating technology that can be shaped to each OEM brand and driver experience, accelerating the transition to a safer, more intelligent future of mobility.

How we work - Locations & Flexible Working

Our main hubs are in London, Sunnyvale, Yokohama, Herzliya, Vancouver and Leonberg. We operate a hybrid working model that combines in-person collaboration in our dedicated office spaces with focused time working remotely. This gives our teams the connection and energy of working together, alongside the flexibility to do their best work in a way that fits their lives.

Initial Call / Recruiter Screen (30 mins)

Competency Interviews: Focus on ability to be a key contributor across technical and operations programs.; 2 hours total

Deep-dive Technical Case Study Interviews: Deep dive and showcase ability to manage complex initiatives that considers technical and operational stakeholders; 1 hour total

Final Interview: Mission & values alignment; 1 hour

We’ll always explain the format and work around your availability.

What’s in it for you (Location dependant)

• Salaries benchmarked against the market annually
• Meaningful equity, sharing in the ownership and long term success of Wayve
• Relocation support and visa sponsorship where applicable
• Hybrid working, core hours and the chance to work hands on in vehicle workshops and labs
• Learning and development budgets with support for training, conferences and growth
• Comprehensive benefits including health insurance, dental, enhanced maternity and paternity leave, retirement or pension where applicable, access to therapists, wellbeing partnerships, team socials and more

Location & Salary

• This is a full-time role based in Sunnyvale, CA (hybrid).
• The reasonably estimated salary for this role ranges from $175,000 to $220,000, plus a competitive equity package.
• Actual compensation will depend on the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience.

A quick, honest note before you apply.

• Wayve is not a mature, fully-structured place with the playbook already written.
• Much of how we work is still being written, and if you join, you’ll help write it.
• That suits people who want real ownership more than people who need a settled structure from day one.

• If that sounds like the kind of problem you want to spend your time on, we’d really like to hear from you.
• For more information visit Careers at Wayve. To learn more about what drives us, visit Values at Wayve