Technical Program Manager
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
As a Technical Program Manager at Wayve, you'll lead complex, cross-functional programs across our engineering org - spanning AI, software, robotics, infrastructure, evaluation, validation, data, and product. You'll turn ambiguity into clear plans and keep multi-team delivery predictable in a fast-moving environment.
Working closely with engineering and cross-functional partners, your impact will be measured by your ability to deliver programs, drive efficiency, manage risk, and align execution with business goals. A successful TPM is a force multiplier - helping teams move faster, more effectively, and with purpose.
We hire TPMs across several areas - for example robotics, evaluation & validation, AI platform, and data operations - and we'll explore the best fit with you through the process.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Drive project delivery: Own the project lifecycle and improve delivery outcomes through structured execution and coordination.
- Boost efficiency: Identify bottlenecks, streamline workflows, and improve tooling and resource allocation to increase throughput.
- Enable cross-team collaboration: Improve alignment across teams through effective communication, shared goals, and faster decisions.
- Manage risk proactively: Anticipate issues, develop mitigation plans, and minimise impact on timelines and quality.
- Keep stakeholders aligned: Engage regularly with internal stakeholders, manage expectations, and deliver on commitments.
- Align with business goals: Ensure programs directly support Wayve's strategic priorities by making smart scope and resource decisions.
- Champion continuous improvement: Lead retros, encourage feedback, and implement changes to improve processes, team dynamics, and outcomes.
ABOUT YOU
We're looking for the following skills and experience. (The first three are our must-haves.)
Essential
- Bias for action / program delivery: 5+ years leading complex, multi-team software or technology programs in fast-paced or early-stage environments. You get things done.
- Technically strong: Comfortable working with engineers and reasoning about modern software, ML, and robotics stacks, even if you don't write code.
- Systems thinking: You reason about how the parts of a complex system fit together, and how a change in one area ripples into others.
- Stays neutral and adapts under pressure: Effective in high-tension, ambiguous situations; you flex your style to keep people aligned and moving.
- Strong project management: Skilled at planning, prioritising, managing risk and dependencies, and adapting as things change.
- Clear communicator: You explain complex ideas simply, surface risk early, listen well, and keep teams aligned.
- Collaborative leader: You bring people together, influence without authority, and create a positive team culture.
- Strategic thinking & problem-solving: You keep the bigger picture in mind, stay calm under pressure, and find creative solutions.
- Product-minded: You focus on outcomes and the people your programs serve - prioritising by impact and defining what good looks like, not just tracking activity.
- Growth mindset: Open to feedback and always looking to improve.
Desirable
- Ideally 8+ years as a Technical Program Manager.
- An engineering or computer science degree, or experience working as an engineer; excels in Jira (or similar).
- Exposure to autonomous vehicles, robotics, ML, simulation / evaluation, or other safety-critical or compute-heavy domains.
This is a full-time role based in our office in London. 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.
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.