Principal System Architect

Wayve; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Relocation & visa sponsorship

Hybrid working

Learning budget

Benefits package

Job summary

Wayve is seeking an experienced System Architect to own the end-to-end architecture for the Wayve AI Driver across L0–L4. You will define sensor/topology, ECU interfaces, and safety mechanisms while guiding integration with OEMs and partners.

The role involves leading cross-functional discussions and shaping deployment strategies for safe, scalable autonomous driving solutions. You will work closely with product and safety teams to translate high-level goals into concrete architectural

Qualifications

• Strong experience in system architecture, systems engineering or solution architecture for ADAS / AD, robotics or complex safety-relevant embedded systems.
• Broad understanding across system and vehicle-level architecture, sensors, compute and hardware, embedded software, vehicle integration and safety.
• Experience defining and owning product or integration architecture for complex, cross-functional systems end-to-end.
• Ability to translate high-level product or deployment goals into concrete architectural requirements and trade-offs.
• Experience working across multiple technical domains and aligning different engineering stakeholders.
• Experience leading technical discussions with OEMs, Tier 1s or other external partners.
• Working knowledge of ISO 26262 and ISO 21448 (SOTIF) and how they shape system architecture.
• Strong written and verbal communication, including architecture documents that others build from.
• Hands-on enough to support technical problem-solving, bring-up and integration trade-offs in practice.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end system architecture, interface contracts, assumptions of use and decision records.
• Lead technical discussions with OEMs, Tier 1s and partners, aligning internal architecture owners around a common direction.
• Define ECU and sensor requirements, guide system engineers and support integration planning, bring-up, triage and system-level debugging on vehicles and HiL/ViL benches.
• Shape how Wayve AI Driver is deployed across L0–L4, with near-term focus on L3 eyes-off and L4 driver-out.
• Translate use cases, ODD and operational constraints into reusable product, system and integration architecture.
• Define sensor and compute topology, vehicle interfaces, safety mechanisms, redundancy, fallback and minimal-risk manoeuvre assumptions with safety engineering.
• Define on-board/off-board architecture for connectivity, remote assistance and operation, and fleet operations, including latency, availability and Wayve/OEM/operator ownership.
• Distinguish core product changes from partner-specific integration so deployment needs strengthen one common architecture.

Skills

System architecture

ADAS/Autonomous driving

Safety-critical embedded systems

Cross-functional collaboration

ISO 26262 / SOTIF familiarity

OEM/partner engagement

Tools

HiL/ViL benches

Embedded software debugging

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 Engineering Teams

Product Architecture & Safety (PAS) defines, governs and validates the system and product architecture of Wayve AI Driver across programs, giving OEMs and partners one technical voice. Our growing system architecture team works across assisted driving through L4 driver-out.

Your day-to-day

• Own end-to-end system architecture, interface contracts, assumptions of use and decision records.
• Lead technical discussions with OEMs, Tier 1s and partners, aligning internal architecture owners around a common direction.
• Define ECU and sensor requirements, guide system engineers and support integration planning, bring-up, triage and system-level debugging on vehicles and HiL/ViL benches.

What you’ll be working on

Shape how Wayve AI Driver is deployed across L0–L4, with near-term focus on L3 eyes-off and L4 driver-out. The scope starts where Robotaxi needs are highest and grows with the business.

• Translate use cases, ODD and operational constraints into reusable product, system and integration architecture.
• Define sensor and compute topology, vehicle interfaces, safety mechanisms, redundancy, fallback and minimal-risk manoeuvre assumptions with safety engineering.
• Define on-board/off-board architecture for connectivity, remote assistance and operation, and fleet operations, including latency, availability and Wayve/OEM/operator ownership.
• Distinguish core product changes from partner-specific integration so deployment needs strengthen one common architecture.

You should apply if

Essential

• Strong experience in system architecture, systems engineering or solution architecture for ADAS / AD, robotics or complex safety-relevant embedded systems.
• Broad understanding across system and vehicle-level architecture, sensors, compute and hardware, embedded software, vehicle integration and safety.
• Experience defining and owning product or integration architecture for complex, cross-functional systems end-to-end.
• Ability to translate high-level product or deployment goals into concrete architectural requirements and trade-offs.
• Experience working across multiple technical domains and aligning different engineering stakeholders.
• Experience leading technical discussions with OEMs, Tier 1s or other external partners.
• Working knowledge of ISO 26262 and ISO 21448 (SOTIF) and how they shape system architecture.
• Strong written and verbal communication, including architecture documents that others build from.
• Hands-on enough to support technical problem-solving, bring-up and integration trade-offs in practice.

Desirable

• Experience with L3 eyes-off, L4 or robotaxi systems, including fail-operational and redundancy concepts.
• Experience with assisted driving (L0–L2+) functions and their system requirements.
• Experience with AI- or ML-based driving systems and their deployment on embedded platforms.
• Familiarity with automotive middleware, real-time operating systems, Linux and embedded platform integration.
• Experience with vehicle connectivity, remote assistance, remote operation / teleoperation, fleet operations, HMI or other robotaxi application-layer integration.
• Experience bridging internal product architecture and external customer integration.

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:

This full-time role is based in Sunnyvale (US) or London (UK). Travel to customer and partner sites is expected during integration phases. 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

Hiring manager screen

Specialist deep dives: System Architecture; System Engineering & Safety; Product Management; Software Architecture

Technical Leadership interview

Final leadership review

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

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

• Salaries benchmarked against the market annually
• Meaningful equity, sharing in the ownership and long term success of Wayve
• Relocation support and visa sponsorship where applicable
• 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.