Principal Software Architect

• Join Wayve as a Principal Software Architect, working hybrid from London. • Lead the technical architecture for integrating Wayve's autonomous driving technology with automotive OEM vehicle platforms. • Work at the boundary between the core AI Driver and external vehicle systems, turning product ambitions and customer needs into clear interfaces, requirements and technical decisions. • Cover everything from high-level architecture to implementation details, including sensors, middleware, ECU constraints, timing, diagnostics, safety assumptions, data logging and validation. • Own key decisions across customer programs and build alignment with engineering, product, safety, validation, program and commercial leaders. • Help shape how the team works, with real ownership in a company that is still writing its playbook.

• Bring 12+ years of experience in ADAS, autonomous driving, embedded software or vehicle systems, particularly at the software–vehicle interface. • Show architecture ownership for a complete product or multiple programs. • Define clear product boundaries, ownership models and interface contracts between internal software and external vehicle systems. • Know vehicle electronics and embedded software constraints, including ECU integration, real-time execution, timing and diagnostics. • Use automotive communication protocols and E/E architectures such as CAN, FlexRay, Automotive Ethernet, SOME/IP or AUTOSAR. • Work with automotive OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers and navigate their requirements, standards and integration constraints. • Run requirements processes across multiple teams or programs, turning ambiguous needs into traceable and verifiable specifications. • Lead architecture work across teams and influence senior stakeholders without direct authority.

• Mentor architects and senior engineers to build a shared architecture culture. • Communicate complex technical ideas clearly through specifications, diagrams and reviews. • Make sound technical decisions under uncertainty while keeping architecture consistent as programs evolve. • Apply even if you don't tick every box, as long as you are passionate about autonomy and keen to learn.

• Shape how Wayve software interfaces with OEM and Tier 1 vehicle systems, balancing customer program needs with the reusability of the core architecture. • Turn customer and partner discussions into clear interface contracts, ownership boundaries, assumptions, dependencies and open technical decisions. • Partner with Product and Engineering to develop technical specifications and decompose customer requirements into system and software requirements with allocation, traceability and change control. • Lead architecture reviews, maintain decision records and make the final technical call within your scope when consensus cannot be reached. • Assess feasibility, integration complexity, technical gaps and risks to support customer program planning. • Work with Safety and Validation teams to define safety assumptions, integration test requirements and evidence that customer requirements are met. • Lead technical discussions with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers using interface specifications, integration guides and architecture diagrams. • Coordinate architects and engineering teams, negotiate competing priorities, and mentor architects and senior engineers.

Wayve is one of the most exciting AI companies in the UK right now. They are tackling one of the hardest problems in technology, teaching machines to drive, and they are doing it with an approach that the rest of the industry is now converging towards. Backed by SoftBank, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Uber, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Stellantis, Wayve has raised $2.8 billion in total funding and reached a valuation of $8.6 billion. With over 1,000 employees across London, Silicon Valley, Vancouver, Leonberg, Herzliya, and Tokyo, Wayve is scaling fast while keeping its London HQ at the centre. What stands out on Glassdoor (4.4/5 from 112+ reviews) is how consistently employees praise the culture, the calibre of colleagues, and the quality of the technical work. People describe it as some of the most interesting work of their careers. Wayve also offers an on-site chef, private healthcare, competitive pay with equity, and a genuine learning environment where you work alongside world-class ML researchers and engineers. That said, some reviews flag that the pace can be intense and that working across global time zones can stretch working hours. If you are an engineer, researcher, or operator who wants to work on genuinely frontier technology with real-world impact, and you thrive in fast-paced, mission-driven environments, Wayve is a rare opportunity.

• Work in a hybrid model that combines time in Wayve's London office with focused remote working. • Share in the company's success through meaningful equity. • Benefit from salaries benchmarked against the market annually. • Get hands-on in vehicle workshops and labs. • Use learning and development budgets for training, conferences and growth. • Receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance, dental, enhanced maternity and paternity leave, and a pension. • Access therapists, wellbeing partnerships and team socials.

Wayve is building an AI platform for autonomous driving, using an end-to-end approach that lets vehicles learn directly from real-world experience. Its mapless, hardware-agnostic AI Driver integrates with global OEM partners and supports automation from L2+ through to L4. Wayve has hubs in London, Sunnyvale, Yokohama, Herzliya, Vancouver and Leonberg.