Principal Vehicle Integration Lead
Wayve · Sunnyvale, California
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.
THE ROLE
Wayve is looking for an Vehicle Integration Lead to provide technical leadership for the electrical architecture, integration, validation, and delivery of our autonomous driving systems across vehicle platforms.
This role sits at the intersection of electrical and mechanical engineering, vehicle systems, autonomous driving hardware, software, and integration. You will lead the electrical integration of compute, sensing, power, communications, and supporting hardware into development and production-intent vehicles, ensuring systems perform reliably and safely in real-world environments.
You will work closely with Systems Engineering, Embedded Software, Autonomy, Safety, Vehicle Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, OEM partners, and external suppliers. You will provide technical direction while remaining close enough to the engineering to lead design decisions, troubleshoot complex integration issues, and drive programs through validation and vehicle readiness.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Lead the electrical architecture, mechanical design, and vehicle integration of Wayve's autonomous driving hardware across multiple development vehicle platforms.
- Own integration from early vehicle architecture and requirements through prototype builds, validation, production readiness, and deployment.
- Lead integration of:
- High-performance compute platforms
- Cameras and other perception sensors
- Radar, lidar, GNSS, IMUs, and supporting sensors
- Power distribution and power management systems
- ECUs and embedded electronic systems
- CAN, LIN, Automotive Ethernet, and other vehicle networks
- Wiring harnesses, connectors, and electrical interfaces
- Custom electronics and PCBAs
- Define system requirements, interfaces, architecture, and integration strategies for new vehicle platforms.
- Partner with software, systems, autonomy, OEMs, and assembly partners to ensure hardware and software interfaces are clearly defined and validated.
- Lead architecture and design reviews, making technical trade-offs across performance, reliability, safety, packaging, manufacturability, cost, and schedule.
- Drive vehicle-level integration, bring-up, commissioning, and validation.
- Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of complex integration issues across vehicles, hardware, and software.
- Develop verification and validation strategies to ensure systems meet performance, reliability, environmental, and safety requirements.
- Identify technical risks early and drive mitigation plans through development and vehicle launch.
- Partner with Functional Safety and Systems Engineering teams to ensure electrical architecture supports applicable safety requirements.
- Work directly with OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, contract manufacturers, upfitters, and integration partners to establish technical requirements and resolve integration challenges.
- Partner with Supply Chain and Manufacturing on component selection, supplier technical evaluations, production readiness, and engineering changes.
- Support prototype and vehicle builds, including issue triage and resolution during critical integration and test activities.
- Establish and continuously improve electrical engineering standards, design practices, documentation, and vehicle integration processes.
- Mentor electrical engineers and provide technical guidance across programs.
WHAT YOU’LL BRING
- Significant experience in electrical and mechanical engineering, vehicle integration, autonomous vehicles, ADAS, robotics, or advanced mobility.
- Deep understanding of vehicle electrical and electronic architectures.
- Demonstrated experience integrating complex electrical systems into development or production vehicles.
- Experience taking vehicle hardware from requirements and architecture through prototype integration, validation, and production readiness.
- Strong knowledge of:
- Vehicle power distribution and power management
- Automotive compute and ECUs
- Camera and perception sensor integration
- CAN, LIN, Automotive Ethernet, and vehicle communications
- Wiring harnesses, connectors, grounding, and electrical interfaces
- PCBAs and electronic hardware
- EMC/EMI, signal integrity, power integrity, grounding, and shielding
- Electrical verification and validation
- Strong hands-on debugging, bring-up, and root-cause analysis experience.
- Ability to diagnose issues that cross electrical hardware, embedded software, mechanical systems, and vehicle networks.
- Experience working with vehicle schematics, wiring diagrams, interface control documents, requirements, and diagnostic tools.
- Experience working with OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, upfitters, contract manufacturers, or vehicle integration partners.
- Understanding of automotive product development, engineering change management, configuration management, and release processes.
- Experience with structured engineering methods such as DFMEA, DVP&R, requirements management, and design reviews.
- Strong systems thinking and ability to balance technical requirements with program timelines and business objectives.
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical work across multiple teams without relying solely on organizational authority.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with engineers, suppliers, program leaders, and senior stakeholders.
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
NICE TO HAVE
- Direct experience developing autonomous driving or ADAS vehicle platforms.
- Experience integrating high-performance AI compute into vehicles.
- Experience integrating cameras, radar, lidar, GNSS, IMUs, or other perception systems.
- Knowledge of automotive functional safety, including ISO 26262.
- Familiarity with automotive cybersecurity and secure vehicle architectures.
- Experience with vehicle diagnostics, CAN tools, logging, telemetry, and automated validation.
- Experience with automotive EMC/EMI and environmental qualification.
- Experience transitioning vehicle systems from engineering prototypes into repeatable production builds.
- Experience supporting vehicle fleets and diagnosing issues observed during real-world operation.
- Experience working across multiple OEM vehicle architectures or adapting a common autonomous driving system to multiple vehicle platforms.
LEADERSHIP PROFILE
- You are a hands-on technical leader who understands both engineering design and the realities of integrating complex technology into vehicles.
- You can move comfortably between hardware architecture, vehicle-level systems thinking, design reviews, supplier discussions, and hands-on troubleshooting. When an issue occurs during vehicle bring-up, you can work across electrical, software, mechanical, and systems teams to isolate the problem, understand the root cause, and drive it to resolution.
- You lead through technical credibility, sound judgment, and collaboration. You create clarity across disciplines, challenge assumptions constructively, and make thoughtful trade-offs while maintaining a high engineering bar.
- Most importantly, you understand that successful autonomous vehicle integration requires the compute, sensors, power, communications, software, safety systems, and base vehicle to operate as one cohesive system.
This role is a full-time role based in Sunnyvale, CA and the reasonably estimated salary for this role ranges from $314,700 to 408,100, plus a competitive equity package. Actual compensation is based on the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. At Wayve we want the best of all worlds so we operate a hybrid working policy that combines time together in our offices and workshops to fuel innovation, culture, relationships and learning, and time spent working from home. We operate core working hours so you can determine the schedule that works best for you and your team.
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.