Technical Program Manager

OpenDigital Limited; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

London & Sunnyvale offices

Job summary

Wayve is hiring a Technical Program Manager to lead complex, cross-functional programs spanning AI, software, robotics, vehicle hardware, and data platforms. You will turn ambiguity into clear execution plans, drive delivery, manage risks, and align work with business goals in a fast-paced environment.

The role focuses on collaboration across AV engineering, simulation, evaluation, and data teams, with a hybrid working policy across London or Sunnyvale offices and home-based days.

Qualifications

• 5+ years leading complex, multi-team software or technology programs in fast-paced or early-stage environments.
• Technically strong; comfortable with engineers and ML/robotics discussions even without coding.
• Systems thinking: understand how parts of a complex system fit together.
• Remain neutral and adapt under pressure in ambiguous situations.
• Strong project management: plan, prioritise, manage risk and dependencies.
• Clear communicator who explains complex ideas simply and surfaces risk early.
• Collaborative leader who unites teams and builds positive culture.
• Strategic thinking: keep the big picture in mind and solve problems.
• Product-minded: focus on outcomes and impact, not just activity.
• Growth mindset: open to feedback and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Drive project delivery across AI, software, robotics, vehicle hardware and platforms.
• Boost efficiency by identifying bottlenecks and improving tooling and resource allocation.
• Enable cross-team collaboration with effective communication and shared goals.
• Manage risk proactively and mitigate impact on timelines and quality.
• Keep stakeholders aligned through regular engagement and transparent commitments.
• Align programs with Wayve's strategic priorities and responsible resourcing.
• Champion continuous improvement through retros and process changes.

Skills

Bias for action

Systems thinking

Neutral under pressure

Project management

Clear communicator

Collaborative leadership

Strategic thinking

Product-minded

Growth mindset

Technically strong

Education

Engineering or CS degree

Tools

Jira

Job description

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

As a Technical Program Manager at Wayve, you'll lead complex, cross-functional programs across our engineering org - spanning AI, software, robotics, vehicle hardware and platforms, infrastructure, simulation, 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 AV engineering (robotics, perception, parking, ADAS), vehicle platforms (hardware, vehicle software, architecture), simulation, evaluation & validation, robotaxi, AI infrastructure, and data - 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.

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, perception, vehicle hardware / embedded, ML, simulation / evaluation, or other safety-critical or compute-heavy domains.

This is a full-time role based in our London or Sunnyvale office. 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, with time spent working from home.

Wayve is committed to creating an inclusive interview experience. If you require any accommodations or adjustments to participate fully in our interview process, please let us know.

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.

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.

For more information visit Careers at Wayve.

To learn more about what drives us, visit Values at Wayve

For US candidates only, please visit E-Verify Notice and Participation and Right to Work

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.