Operational Safety Manager

Wayve; Detroit (MI); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity package

Hybrid working

Learning and development budget

Health insurance

Parental leave

Job summary

Wayve is seeking a senior Operational Safety professional in Detroit, MI to oversee on-road testing safety and risk management for autonomous vehicle operations. The role centers on incident investigations, risk assessment, and cross-functional safety improvements across engineering and fleet teams.

You will monitor safety performance, conduct root-cause analyses, and drive corrective actions within a fast-paced regulatory landscape, contributing to a strong safety culture and scalable safety

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience investigating incidents in a safety-critical environment.
• Experience in operational safety, risk monitoring, or safety assurance in fleet/field operations.
• Strong ability to interpret data, identify patterns, and present findings to technical and management audiences.
• Ability to operate independently and make sound safety judgments.
• Solid understanding of industry standards/guidelines relevant to AV/automotive domains.
• Experience with human factors: workload, attention, driver/operator interactions risks.
• Ability to develop and implement effective safety processes and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Monitor daily safety performance across fleet operations, R&D testing, and deployments.
• Track and analyze safety indicators, trends, and anomalies to influence controls and risk mitigation.
• Lead investigations into on-road incidents and near-misses with root-cause analyses and cross-functional reporting.
• Prepare actionable investigation analyses and integrate corrective actions into engineering and risk management.
• Support regulatory and partner reporting requirements as needed.
• Maintain and update operational risk registers and monitor effectiveness of controls.

Skills

Incident investigations

Safety analysis

Risk monitoring

Data interpretation

Cross-functional communication

Independent decision making

Regulatory/industry standards

Human factors

Safety process development

Job description

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.

About our Operational Safety Team

The Operational Safety Team ensures on-road testing and robotaxi operations are conducted to the highest standards of safety and compliance within the US regulatory landscape. This independent function provides proactive oversight to identify emerging risks, assure safe execution of deployments, and serve as a check and balance across engineering, fleet operations, and global safety initiatives. We work collaboratively to maintain Wayve’s reputation as a leader in autonomous vehicle safety and to champion a strong, company-wide safety culture.

Your day-to-day

• Monitor daily safety performance across fleet operations, R&D testing, and deployments

• Track and analyze safety performance indicators, trends, and anomalies, using findings to influence operational controls and risk mitigation

• Lead and support investigations into on-road incidents and near-misses, preparing structured root cause analysis reports and summarizing findings for cross-functional stakeholders

• Prepare and document actionable investigation analyses, ensuring corrective actions are integrated into engineering, operations, and risk management processes

• Support regulatory and partner reporting requirements as needed

• Carry out hazard identification and risk assessment activities in support of on-road operations

• Maintain and update operational risk registers; support and monitor the effectiveness of risk controls

• Work closely with engineers, operators, and global safety teams to ensure best practices and knowledge sharing

• Develop and deliver safety training programs, risk assessments, and promote a proactive safety mindset throughout the organization

• Advocate for strong safety outcomes and continuous improvement in all operational activities

What you’ll be working on

• Ensuring the validity of Wayve’s safety case through performance monitoring and risk analysis

• Leading and documenting incident investigations, including root cause analysis and corrective actions

• Supporting compliance with US regulatory frameworks (e.g., CA DMV, NHTSA) related to autonomous vehicle operations

• Developing operational safety processes and training to support a rapidly scaling fleet in a fast-paced environment

• Continuously improving the safety culture across field and engineering teams

You should apply if

• You have 5+ years experience investigating incidents in a fast-paced, safety-critical environment

• You have experience in operational safety, risk monitoring, or safety assurance in a fleet, logistics, field engineering, or operational environment

• You have a strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data, identify patterns, derive insights, and present findings to technical and management audiences

• You can operate independently and make sound safety judgments

• You have a good understanding of industry standards/guidelines relevant to AV, automotive, or similar domains

• You have experience with human factors: workload, attention, driver/operator interaction risks

• You can develop and implement effective safety processes and procedures

Nice to have:

• Experience with autonomous vehicle or ADAS testing and development

• Background in automotive, aviation, defense, or manufacturing safety management systems

• Understanding of US autonomous vehicle regulations (e.g., CA DMV, NHTSA)

• Familiarity with automotive systems, electronics, and related safety implications

• Experience supporting robotaxi or ride-hail operations

Not ticking every box? That’s totally okay! If you’re passionate about autonomy and keen to learn, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every requirement.

More about Wayve

Wayve is building the leading AI platform for autonomous driving. We are pioneering an end to end AI approach that enables vehicles to learn directly from real world experience, developing the ability to adapt, generalise and improve at scale. Instead of relying on hand coded rules or pre mapped environments, our AI Driver learns to drive by understanding the world around it. The result is technology that navigates complex urban environments with intelligence, precision and natural flow, unlocking meaningful advances in both safety and efficiency. We believe autonomy represents a once in a generation transformation in how people and goods move, comparable to the shift from horses to cars, and from human driven vehicles to intelligent machines.

Our ambition is to make autonomy universal. Wayve’s mapless and hardware agnostic AI platform integrates with global OEM partners, enabling continuous software evolution and unlocking advanced levels of automation from L2 plus through to L4 as our core AI model scales. In a race increasingly defined by intelligence and real world learning, Wayve is taking a distinct approach, building a generalisable driving intelligence that can power any vehicle, anywhere. By combining embodied AI with scalable deployment, we are creating technology that can be shaped to each OEM brand and driver experience, accelerating the transition to a safer, more intelligent future of mobility.

How we work - Locations & Flexible Working:

Our main hubs are in London, Sunnyvale, Yokohama, Herzliya, Vancouver and Leonberg. We operate a hybrid working model that combines in-person collaboration in our dedicated office spaces with focused time working remotely. This gives our teams the connection and energy of working together, alongside the flexibility to do their best work in a way that fits their lives.

The Interview Process:

Our process is clear and respectful of your time:

Initial call / recruiter screen (30 mins)

Competency Interviews (safety management and hiring manager interview; 2 hours total)

Deep-dive technical interviews (incident response and domain-specific interviews; 2 hours total)

Final interview: mission & values alignment (1 hour)

We’ll always explain the format and work around your availability.

What's in it for you (Location dependant):

Estimated salary range: $100,000 to $120,000 (Detroit, MI, hybrid), plus a competitive equity package. Actual compensation is based on your skills, qualifications and experience.
Meaningful equity, sharing in the ownership and long-term success of Wayve
Hybrid working, core hours and the chance to work hands on in vehicle workshops and labs
Learning and development budgets with support for training, conferences and growth
Comprehensive benefits including health insurance, dental, enhanced maternity and paternity leave, retirement or pension where applicable, access to therapists, wellbeing partnerships, team socials and more

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.
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

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.