Process Excellence Manager

Icehouseventures; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Wayve is seeking a Process Excellence Manager for its Systems & Insights team in Sunnyvale. This full-time position focuses on designing and scaling operational systems to enhance Fleet Operations globally. The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience in operational excellence roles, a Lean Six Sigma certification, and is skilled in SQL and process improvement. The role offers a hybrid work model, allowing flexibility in working from home and the office. Join us to drive impactful change in autonomous vehicle technology.

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ experience in complex operational environments.
• Skilled in SQL and data analysis.
• Certified in Lean Six Sigma or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Lead process mapping and design for Fleet Operations.
• Drive Lean Six Sigma improvement projects.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to standardize processes.

Skills

Process Improvement

Data Analysis

SQL

Leadership

Collaboration

Education

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification

5+ Years Experience in Operational Roles

Tools

Confluence

Jira

Lucidchart

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.

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

The role

We’re looking for a Process Excellence Manager to join Wayve’s Systems & Insights team, helping design and scale the operational systems that power our global Fleet Operations. This role is ideal for a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (or equivalent) who thrives in dynamic, high-growth environments and has a proven track record of driving measurable improvement in operational performance.

You’ll lead critical process improvement initiatives across our global test network—spanning the UK and international sites—working cross-functionally to reduce waste, improve process stability, and enable repeatable, high-quality delivery at scale. This role is key to our transformation from an R&D-focused operation to a world-class, delivery-grade AV test organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Process Mapping & Design Lead end-to-end analysis and documentation of core Fleet Ops workflows. Define AS-IS processes, identify gaps, and establish TO-BE standards using BPMN or equivalent notation.
• Lean Six Sigma Project Leadership Drive structured improvement projects using Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent methodologies (DMAIC, Kaizen, etc.) to improve efficiency, quality, and throughput.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration Work with regional teams and functional stakeholders to standardise operations, eliminate non-value-adding activities, and improve reliability of critical processes.
• Operational Frameworks Define and implement SLAs, SOPs, escalation procedures, and RACI/decision matrices across key workflows.
• Visual Management & Tracking Introduce KPIs, dashboards, and other visual tools to track process performance and drive accountability across the organisation. Use data analytics and SQL to monitor process performance, identify bottlenecks, and quantify improvements.
• Automation Readiness Partner with software, data, and infrastructure teams to scope and support automation of repetitive or high-volume tasks.
• Operational Scaling Advisory Serve as a strategic partner to Ops leadership, applying structured problem-solving to key growth and scalability challenges.
• Change Enablement & Coaching Champion continuous improvement across Fleet Ops. Coach teams on best practices in process design and operational excellence.

About You

You combine a systems-thinking mindset with hands‑on operational experience. You are rigorous, pragmatic, and action-oriented. You’re passionate about making complex systems work better—and have the skills to drive real change.

Essential Requirements

• 5+ years’ experience in process improvement, operations design, or operational excellence roles in high-complexity environments (e.g., tech, logistics, robotics, manufacturing, or mobility).
• Certified or equivalent experience running high-impact continuous improvement initiatives.
• Deep experience with workflow mapping, process documentation (BPMN), and standardisation.
• Strong facilitation skills: able to lead workshops and interviews with technical and frontline stakeholders.
• Skilled in SQL and data analysis; able to pull data and build or interpret dashboards and trackers.
• Familiar with incident management, readiness reviews, and risk/control frameworks.
• Proven ability to influence across teams and functions, including remote/global stakeholders.
• Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills (e.g. documentation, SOPs, presentations).
• Comfortable with tools such as Confluence, Asana/Jira, Lucidchart, or equivalent.
• Experience implementing task‑management tools and working with internal tools on operational product development.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 40% of the time, to support process design and change adaptation across all operational sites.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience in autonomous systems, robotics or field operations.
• Exposure to process mining tools (e.g. Celonis, UiPath Process Mining).
• Experience supporting scaling in global, distributed teams.
• Team management or mentoring experience.

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.

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

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.

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.