Technical Operations Manager Sunnyvale, California USA

OpenDigital Limited; Sunnyvale, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 171,000 - 229,000; Full time

Job summary

Wayve, based in Sunnyvale, CA, is seeking a Technical Operations Manager for our hybrid, full-time role. You will bridge Science, Product, Engineering, and Operations, leading testing programs and ensuring safe, scalable delivery across global operations.

Ideal candidates have strong experience turning complex technical strategies into executable field programs, with remote/international stakeholder influence and a track record of improving operational performance.

Qualifications

• Experience in technical program management or operations at intersection of R&D, product development, and field testing in high-complexity environments.
• Proven track record coordinating between technical development teams and operational execution.
• Experience with test planning, readiness frameworks, and feedback loops between field ops and development teams.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder management for cross-functional workshops.
• Ability to influence across remote and international stakeholders in fast-paced tech environments.
• Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication with technical documentation skills.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 30% for on-site program coordination.

Responsibilities

• Technical and Operations Enablement: translate program plans into actionable on-road plans with Fleet Operations leadership.
• Testing and Validation: oversee internal and external program testing with safety and feedback capture.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: link model developers, researchers, product and operations for rapid iteration.
• Operational Readiness: ensure repeatable, high-quality delivery across testing programs.
• Continuous Improvement: use fleet data and metrics to refine testing processes and tooling.
• Innovation in Testing & Evaluation: explore new methods and edge cases to drive insights.
• Technical Collaboration: partner with model development to maximize value of tests and feedback.

Skills

Technical program management

Operations leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

R&D to field testing bridge

Global/remote coordination

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.

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

We're looking for a Technical Operations Manager to join Wayve's Technical Operations function, acting as the critical bridge between Science, Product, Engineering, and Operations. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in dynamic, high-growth environments and has proven experience translating complex technical strategies into actionable field operations.

You’ll lead critical testing and demonstration programs across our global operations—spanning roadshow campaigns, customer-specific programs, and on-road validation activities—working cross-functionally to ensure structured feedback loops between field operations and development teams. This role is key to our transformation from an R&D-focused operation to a world-class, delivery-grade commercial AV organization that can execute seamlessly with customers and partners.

Key responsibilities:

• Technical and Operations Enablement: Convert high-level program plans into clear, actionable on-road plans in partnership with Fleet Operations leadership, ensuring alignment on scheduling, safety, and operational feasibility across diverse testing requirements.
• Testing and Validation: Lead execution across internal-facing and external-facing programs, coordinating between technical teams and operations to ensure seamless testing and validation execution while maintaining safety protocols and capturing valuable feedback.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Act as the connective tissue between model developers, researchers, product teams, and operations, ensuring two-way visibility and structured feedback loops that drive faster iteration on features, releases, and model performance.
• Operational Readiness: Collaborate closely with Fleet Operations to maintain consistent experiment design, vehicle availability, and process quality across testing programs, ensuring repeatable, high-quality delivery at scale.
• Continuous Improvement: Partner with Systems and Enablement teams to leverage fleet data, systems, and metrics for collaborative problem-solving and refinement of testing processes and internal tooling, quantifying improvements in operational performance.
• Innovation in Testing & Evaluation: Proactively brainstorm and explore new experimental methods (e.g., adversarial route selection, edge case testing concepts), fostering a culture of curiosity and bold experimentation to uncover insights that drive novel breakthroughs.
• Technical Collaboration: Build strong partnerships with model development teams, combining strategic thinking with practical operational expertise to maximize the value of every test, dataset, and feedback loop in support of commercial objectives.

About you

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

Essential

• Demonstrable' experience in technical program management or operations roles at the intersection of R&D, product development, and field testing in high-complexity environments (e.g., autonomous systems, robotics, aerospace, or advanced mobility).
• Proven track record of managing programs, demonstrations, or operations that require tight coordination between technical development teams and operational execution.
• Deep experience with test planning, operational readiness frameworks, and structured feedback loops between field operations and technical development teams.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder management skills: able to lead cross-functional workshops and coordinate between Engineering, Science, Product, and Operations teams effectively.
• Proven ability to influence across teams and functions, including remote and international stakeholders in fast-paced technology environments.
• Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills with experience creating technical documentation, SOPs, and stakeholder presentations.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 30% of the time to support on-site program coordination across testing regions.
• Strong problem-solving skills and comfort working in ambiguous, rapidly evolving environments with competing priorities.

Desirable

• Experience in autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems, or field robotics operations.
• Exposure to automotive testing protocols, validation frameworks, or OEM partnership programs.
• Experience supporting scaling in global, distributed teams with complex technical dependencies.
• Experience with data analysis and performance tracking; able to build or interpret dashboards, identify operational bottlenecks, and quantify program improvements.
• Comfortable with project management tools such as Confluence, Asana/Jira, or equivalent, and experience implementing operational tracking systems.
• Background in process improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma) or operational excellence frameworks.
• Familiarity with vehicle commissioning processes, fleet management systems, or automotive safety protocols.

This role is a full-time role based in Sunnyvale, CA (hybrid) and the reasonably estimated salary for this role ranges from $171,000 to $229,000, 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. 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.

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

For US candidates only, please visit E-Verify Notice and Participation and Right to Work

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.