Director AI Integration and Applications

Wayve; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 296,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Wayve in Detroit or Sunnyvale, CA, seeks an Engineering Director to lead integration of our AI stack into production automotive platforms, ensuring seamless embedding, adaptation, and validation across embedded software, deployment workflows, and OEM processes.

This leadership role demands deep embedded software and automotive integration expertise, plus hands-on knowledge of AI model training, distillation, and tuning. You will define scalable templates and global deployment approaches.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in embedded software or AI systems integration.
• 5+ years in technical leadership roles.
• Strong embedded development with C++, Python and real-time OS (Linux, QNX, Adaptive AUTOSAR).
• Deep familiarity with end-to-end AI workflows including training, distillation, tuning, and deployment in embedded environments.
• Experience interfacing with automotive data pipelines, perception or planning models, and validation tooling.
• Strong system thinking and problem-solving, able to lead multidisciplinary initiatives and deliver.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end software integration of our AI stack into customer vehicle platforms, from development to production.
• Inform global product strategy by capturing regional deployment insights and best practices.
• Lead OEM production programs, aligning capabilities with safety targets and platform constraints.
• Guide adaptation, tuning and validation of end-to-end AI models for specific OEM environments.
• Create reusable application components and playbooks from regional integrations for global reuse.
• Serve as bridge between application software, AI research, system integration and release engineering.
• Contribute to evolution of global deployment strategy with program insights and upstream improvements.
• Build and lead a high-performance team focused on embedded AI application software and system-level integration.
• Represent the company in technical discussions with OEMs and Tier 1s on integration assessments and roadmaps.

Skills

Embedded software

AI systems integration

C++

Python

RTOS

Linux

QNX

Adaptive AUTOSAR

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

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.

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 Director of AI Integration & Application, you will lead the integration of our AI stack into production automotive platforms and programs. Your primary focus will be to ensure seamless embedding, adaptation, and validation of our end-to-end AI model on customer systems, working across embedded software layers, AI deployment workflows, and OEM integration processes.

This is a strategic and execution-oriented leadership role. It requires strong embedded software and automotive integration expertise, as well as practical knowledge of AI model training, distillation, and tuning. Success in this role will not only deliver production programs but will also define templates and frameworks for scalable global adoption. Your work will directly influence how our product evolves to meet the complexity of diverse regional needs while aligning with a unified global architecture and deployment strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end software integration of our AI stack into customer vehicle platforms, ensuring delivery readiness from development to production.
• Capture best practices, performance insights, and technical solutions from regional deployments to inform and influence global product development strategy.
• Serve as the technical integration lead for OEM production programs, aligning system capabilities with platform constraints, safety requirements, and functional targets.
• Guide the adaptation, tuning, and validation of our end-to-end AI models for specific OEM environments—including dataset preparation, model distillation, and performance calibration.
• Translate regional or program-specific integrations into reusable application-layer components and playbooks that can be applied globally.
• Act as the connective tissue between application software, AI research, system integration, product management, safety, and release engineering.
• Contribute to the evolution of our global deployment strategy by feeding insights from program work and collaborate into upstream architectural and operational improvements.
• Build and lead a high-performance team focused on embedded AI application software and system-level integration.
• Represent the company in technical discussions with OEMs and Tier 1s, supporting early-stage integration assessments, roadmap alignment, and field performance reviews.

About you

In order to set you up for success as an Engineering Director at Wayve, we’re looking for the following skills and experience.

Essential

• 10+ years of experience in embedded software engineering or AI systems integration, with 5+ years in technical leadership roles.
• Proven track record of integrating complex software or AI systems into production automotive platforms.
• Proficiency in embedded development with C++, Python, and real-time OS environments (Linux, QNX, Adaptive AUTOSAR).
• Deep familiarity with end-to-end AI workflows including training, distillation, tuning, and deployment in embedded environments.
• Experience interfacing with automotive data pipelines, perception or planning models, and validation tooling.
• Strong system thinking and problem-solving skills; ability to lead multidisciplinary initiatives and balance technical depth with delivery focus.
• Excellent communication skills for cross-functional collaboration and customer-facing engagements.

Desirable

• Experience in delivering AI-enabled or perception-based systems in production automotive programs.
• Knowledge of ISO 26262, ISO/SAE 21434, UN R155/156, and other standards relevant to safety and security in automotive software.
• Experience working with customers across multiple regions and templating integration solutions for broader reuse.
• Background in creating architectural feedback loops from program execution into product evolution.

This is a full-time role based in Detroit or Sunnyvale, CA (hybrid). 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.

The reasonably estimated salary for this role ranges from $295,500 to $350,000, plus a competitive equity package. Actual compensation is based on the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience.

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.

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.

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