Product Manager, AI Driver

Socket.dev; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 104,000 - 139,000; Full time

Job summary

Wayve is seeking a Product Manager, AI Driver, to own a critical work package within the AI Driver product in our offices in Europe (Germany/UK), and to lead a cross-functional team end-to-end. You will set the strategy, priorities and technical direction across engineering, AI research and program management.

You will translate customer needs and R&D progress into a clear product roadmap, and communicate with engineers, leadership and customers.

Qualifications

• Independently own a substantial work package and lead a cross-functional team.
• Strong technical depth in AI/ML, autonomy, or robotics.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proven track record in product management or similar roles on complex tech products.
• High autonomy with a bias for action and good judgment.

Responsibilities

• Own a substantial work package end-to-end and define strategy.
• Lead a cross-functional team of engineers, researchers and PMs without formal authority.
• Engage with AI/ML, autonomy and embodied AI; discuss trade-offs credibly.
• Translate R&D progress and customer needs into a clear roadmap.
• Communicate across technical reviews, executive updates, and customer conversations.
• Listen to engineers, partners and customers to improve decisions and alignment.
• Set, track and report KPIs and milestones; establish operating rhythm for delivery.

Skills

Ownership

AI/ML depth

Communication

Product management

Autonomy

Job description

The role

As Product Manager, AI Driver, based in our Germany office (London also considered), you will independently own a critical work package within Wayve's AI Driver product and lead a cross-functional team to deliver it end-to-end. You'll set the technical direction, drive priorities across engineering, AI research and program management. You will rally the team around clear, ambitious goals. This is a high-ownership, high-impact role for someone who pairs deep AI technical depth with the interpersonal skills to listen, motivate and align brilliant teams toward shared outcomes.

Key responsibilities:

• Independently own a substantial work package end-to-end. Define the problem, set the strategy, sequence the work, and lead the team to ship outcomes that move the AI Driver product forward.

• Lead a cross-functional team of engineers, researchers and PMs without formal authority. Give them clarity, remove blockers, and motivate them through hard, ambiguous problems.

• Engage deeply with technical detail across AI / ML, autonomy and embodied AI. Debate trade-offs credibly with senior researchers and engineers, and bring structured thinking to complex technical decisions.

• Translate R&D progress and customer needs into a clear product roadmap, sequencing capabilities to maximise impact and de-risk delivery.

• Communicate crisply across audiences, from deep technical reviews with engineers, to executive updates with leadership, to customer-facing conversations.

• Listen actively to engineers, partners and customers, and turn what you hear into better decisions and stronger team alignment.

• Set, track and report on clear KPIs and milestones, and establish the operating rhythm the team needs to deliver.

About you

In order to set you up for success as a Product Manager at Wayve, we’re looking for the following skills and experience.

Essential

• Demonstrated ability to independently own a substantial work package and lead a cross-functional team to deliver it. You take outcomes personally and don't wait to be unblocked.

• Strong technical depth, ideally in AI / ML, autonomy, robotics or another deep-tech domain, with the credibility to engage senior engineers and researchers as a peer.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. A careful listener, a clear writer, and someone who can motivate and energise a team through ambiguity.

• Proven track record in product management, technical program management or a similar role on complex, cutting-edge technical products.

• High autonomy, strong judgment and a bias for action. Comfortable making decisions with imperfect information and adjusting as you learn.

Desirable

• Domain experience in autonomous driving, ADAS, automotive or other safety-critical product areas.

• Hands-on background in AI / ML, for example research, applied ML, or shipping ML-powered products.

• Background working across global teams (UK / EU US and Japan) in a startup or scale-up environment.

This is a full-time role based in our office in Leonberg. 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.