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 Senior Operations Manager will play a pivotal role in translating our customer-focused on-road testing strategy into actionable, tactical plans. This role is essential for ensuring the continued successful deployment and scaling of our on-road development in Eastern North America.
Key responsibilities:
- Own the end-to-end process of deploying our on-road ADAS testing strategy in Detroit, MI, converting strategic milestones into detailed tactical plans.
- Responsible for delivering key testing outputs and on-road performance metrics, ensuring that goals are met efficiently and effectively.
- Optimise resource allocation by balancing fleet availability with team schedules, ensuring maximum productivity and operational efficiency.
- Directly manage, oversee and allocate work to team members including a group of operational Shift Leads, ensuring clarity of roles and responsibilities within the team.
- Regularly evaluate and adjust operational plans to align with changing customer needs, technological advancements, and strategic key results.
- Serve as a key liaison between strategic planning teams and on-ground operational staff, ensuring seamless communication and alignment.
- Implement continuous improvement practices to enhance testing procedures, safety protocols, and overall team performance.
- Collaborate with our Systems & Enablement Division to deliver on-road testing: our Fleet Servicing and Maintenance, Field Engineering, Operational Safety, Training, Systems and Insights and Quality Assurance functions in the US and Canada
In order to set you up for success as a Senior Operations Manager at Wayve, we’re looking for the following skills and experience.
Essential
- Proven experience in operational management, preferably in automotive testing, tech, or a related field.
- Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to translate high-level strategies into practical operational plans.
- Excellent leadership and people management abilities, with experience in managing diverse teams.
- Demonstrated capability in resource planning and allocation, including fleet and personnel management.
- Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively interact with various stakeholders.
- Ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, adapting quickly to changing priorities
Desirable
- A keen understanding of ADAS technology and on-road testing requirements is highly advantageous.
This is a full-time role based in Detroit, Michigan. This role is designed to be Monday to Friday, overseeing a division that operates seven days a week. It will include on-call responsibilities at times, including occasional evenings and weekends.
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.
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.
Skills Required
- Proven experience in operational management (automotive testing, tech, or related field)
- Strong strategic thinking with ability to translate strategy into operational plans
- Excellent leadership and people management experience
- Demonstrated capability in resource planning and fleet and personnel management
- Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and adapt to changing priorities
- Full-time, based in Detroit, Michigan with occasional on-call, evenings, and weekends
- Understanding of ADAS technology and on-road testing requirements
Wayve Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Wayve and has not been reviewed or approved by Wayve.
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Healthcare Strength — Private healthcare and access to therapy via Spill are part of the standard package. This indicates robust health support within the core offering.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid vacation, public holidays, and additional leave programs are explicitly listed. This breadth of time away supports work–life balance expectations.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Cash plus equity is standard in offers at this growth stage. This provides ownership alongside salary with perceived upside tied to company momentum.
Wayve Insights
What We Do
We're Wayve, a leading developer of embodied intelligence for autonomous vehicles. We use AI to pioneer a next-generation approach to self-driving: AV2.0, which enables fleet operators to unlock the benefits of AV technology at scale. Founded in 2017, Wayve is made up of a diverse team of experts in machine learning and robotics. We were the first to deploy AVs on public roads with end-to-end deep learning. Today, our teams are based in London and California, and we're testing AVs in cities across the UK. Inspired by our vision for a smarter, safer, more sustainable world, we're looking for people who are passionate about building breakthrough solutions to some of the world’s most important challenges. If you're looking for an exciting opportunity with a dynamic team, get in touch!
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