Principal Systems Engineer, Validation

Wayve; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI technology firm in London is seeking a Staff Systems Engineer – Validation to lead the design and execution of validation strategies for AI driving systems. The role includes working collaboratively across teams to ensure safety and performance of systems. Ideal candidates have a strong background in validating complex systems and can communicate effectively with diverse technical teams. This full-time position offers a hybrid working environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in validation or verification of complex systems, ideally in robotics or automotive.
• Strong systems engineering mindset with the ability to assess full-system behavior.
• Familiarity with SOTIF frameworks and machine learning validation.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver validation frameworks for system performance and safety.
• Develop test scenarios to evaluate end-to-end system behavior.
• Lead technical investigations into system failures and corrective actions.

Skills

Systems thinking

Validation of complex systems

Analytical skills

Excellent communication

Experience in machine learning validation

Job description

At Wayve we're committed to creating a diverse, fair and respectful culture that is inclusive of everyone based on their unique skills and perspectives, and regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding) or any other basis as protected by applicable law.

About us

Founded in 2017, Wayve is the leading developer of Embodied AI technology. Our advanced AI software and foundation models enable vehicles to perceive, understand, and navigate any complex environment, enhancing the usability and safety of automated driving systems.

Our vision is to create autonomy that propels the world forward. Our intelligent, mapless, and hardware-agnostic AI products are designed for automakers, accelerating the transition from assisted to automated driving.

In our fast-paced environment big problems ignite us—we embrace uncertainty, leaning into complex challenges to unlock groundbreaking solutions. We aim high and stay humble in our pursuit of excellence, constantly learning and evolving as we pave the way for a smarter, safer future.

At Wayve, your contributions matter. We value diversity, embrace new perspectives, and foster an inclusive work environment; we back each other to deliver impact.

Make Wayve the experience that defines your career!

The role

Wayve’s Engineering Validation team ensures our autonomy systems are safe, reliable, and ready for the real world. As a Staff Systems Engineer – Validation , you will lead the design and execution of system-level validation strategies that build confidence in Wayve’s end-to-end learned driving models.

You’ll collaborate across Autonomy, Product, Simulation, and Hardware teams to design validation frameworks and test scenarios that meaningfully assess system safety, performance, and scalability. This role is central to establishing trust in next-generation AI driving systems as the industry transitions from hand-coded autonomy to learned, adaptive behaviours.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and deliver validation frameworks that assess driving safety, system performance, and robustness.
• Develop and manage test scenarios using real-world and simulated data to evaluate end-to-end system behaviour.
• Partner with Autonomy, Product, and Architecture teams to ensure validation aligns with functional requirements and deployment readiness.
• Lead technical deep-dives into system failures, identifying root causes and driving corrective actions.
• Contribute to and uphold industry standards in AI trust, safety, and validation (including SOTIF, ISO 21448, and emerging ML validation practices).
• Mentor and guide engineers within the validation function, fostering cross-functional systems thinking.

About You

You are a systems thinker with deep technical curiosity and a track record of validating complex, adaptive systems. You understand how to break down and evaluate an autonomy stack, from perception to planning — and design rigorous validation strategies that build trust in AI-driven decision-making.

Proven experience in validation or verification of complex systems , ideally in robotics, autonomy, or automotive domains.

Strong systems engineering mindset: Able to decompose and assess full-system behaviour.

Skilled at designing and analysing simulation-based and real-world validation scenarios .

Excellent communicator with the ability to align diverse technical teams around a shared validation strategy.

Evidence-based decision maker with strong analytical and documentation skills.

Experience with machine learning validation , adaptive systems, or AI model performance evaluation.

Familiarity with functional safety and SOTIF frameworks.

Background in autonomous vehicles, automotive systems, or advanced robotics .

This is a full-time role based in our office in Sunnyvale - or 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. We operate core working hours so you can determine the schedule that works best for you and your team.

We understand that everyone has a unique set of skills and experiences and that not everyone will meet all of the requirements listed above. If you’re passionate about self-driving cars and think you have what it takes to make a positive impact on the world, we encourage you to apply.

DISCLAIMER: We will not ask about marriage or pregnancy, care responsibilities or disabilities in any of our job adverts or interviews. However, we do look to capture information about care responsibilities, and disabilities among other diversity information as part of an optional DEI Monitoring form to help us identify areas of improvement in our hiring process and ensure that the process is inclusive and non-discriminatory.

Wayve is an equal opportunity employer.