Operational Safety Manager

Before the detail, here's the challenge you'd help us solve.

We build the embodied intelligence that moves real vehicles safely, and the ecosystem a billion machines will run on in the future. Very few people in AI can say this. Every role here, whatever the team, plugs into that.

Here’s what this particular role covers.

🛠️ About our Operational Safety Team

The Operational Safety Team ensures on-road testing and robotaxi operations are conducted to the highest standards of safety and compliance within the US regulatory landscape. This independent function provides proactive oversight to identify emerging risks, assure safe execution of deployments, and serve as a check and balance across engineering, fleet operations, and global safety initiatives. We work collaboratively to maintain Wayve’s reputation as a leader in autonomous vehicle safety and to champion a strong, company-wide safety culture.

🧠 Your day-to-day

Monitor daily safety performance across fleet operations, R&D testing, and deployments

Track and analyze safety performance indicators, trends, and anomalies, using findings to influence operational controls and risk mitigation

Lead and support investigations into on-road incidents and near-misses, preparing structured root cause analysis reports and summarizing findings for cross-functional stakeholders

Prepare and document actionable investigation analyses, ensuring corrective actions are integrated into engineering, operations, and risk management processes

Support regulatory and partner reporting requirements as needed

Carry out hazard identification and risk assessment activities in support of on-road operations

Maintain and update operational risk registers; support and monitor the effectiveness of risk controls

Work closely with engineers, operators, and global safety teams to ensure best practices and knowledge sharing

Develop and deliver safety training programs, risk assessments, and promote a proactive safety mindset throughout the organization

Advocate for strong safety outcomes and continuous improvement in all operational activities

🧩 What you’ll be working on

Ensuring the validity of Wayve’s safety case through performance monitoring and risk analysis

Leading and documenting incident investigations, including root cause analysis and corrective actions

Supporting compliance with US regulatory frameworks (e.g., CA DMV, NHTSA) related to autonomous vehicle operations

Developing operational safety processes and training to support a rapidly scaling fleet in a fast-paced environment

Continuously improving the safety culture across field and engineering teams

🙌 You should apply if

You have 5+ years experience investigating incidents in a fast-paced, safety-critical environment

You have experience in operational safety, risk monitoring, or safety assurance in a fleet, logistics, field engineering, or operational environment

You have a strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data, identify patterns, derive insights, and present findings to technical and management audiences

You can operate independently and make sound safety judgments

You have a good understanding of industry standards/guidelines relevant to AV, automotive, or similar domains

You have experience with human factors: workload, attention, driver/operator interaction risks

You can develop and implement effective safety processes and procedures

Nice to have:

Experience with autonomous vehicle or ADAS testing and development

Background in automotive, aviation, defense, or manufacturing safety management systems

Understanding of US autonomous vehicle regulations (e.g., CA DMV, NHTSA)

Familiarity with automotive systems, electronics, and related safety implications

Experience supporting robotaxi or ride-hail operations

🌱 Not ticking every box? That’s totally okay! If you’re passionate about autonomy and keen to learn, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every requirement.

More about Wayve:

🚀 Wayve is building the leading AI platform for autonomous driving. We are pioneering an end to end AI approach that enables vehicles to learn directly from real world experience, developing the ability to adapt, generalise and improve at scale. Instead of relying on hand coded rules or pre mapped environments, our AI Driver learns to drive by understanding the world around it. The result is technology that navigates complex urban environments with intelligence, precision and natural flow, unlocking meaningful advances in both safety and efficiency. We believe autonomy represents a once in a generation transformation in how people and goods move, comparable to the shift from horses to cars, and from human driven vehicles to intelligent machines.

Our ambition is to make autonomy universal. Wayve’s mapless and hardware agnostic AI platform integrates with global OEM partners, enabling continuous software evolution and unlocking advanced levels of automation from L2 plus through to L4 as our core AI model scales. In a race increasingly defined by intelligence and real world learning, Wayve is taking a distinct approach, building a generalisable driving intelligence that can power any vehicle, anywhere. By combining embodied AI with scalable deployment, we are creating technology that can be shaped to each OEM brand and driver experience, accelerating the transition to a safer, more intelligent future of mobility.

How we work 💻- Locations & Flexible Working:

Our main hubs are in London, Sunnyvale, Yokohama, Herzliya, Vancouver and Leonberg. We operate a hybrid working model that combines in-person collaboration in our dedicated office spaces with focused time working remotely. This gives our teams the connection and energy of working together, alongside the flexibility to do their best work in a way that fits their lives.

🔍 The Interview Process:

Our process is clear and respectful of your time:

Initial call / recruiter screen (30 mins)

Competency Interviews (safety management and hiring manager interview; 2 hours total)

Deep-dive technical interviews (incident response and domain-specific interviews; 2 hours total)

Final interview: mission & values alignment (1 hour)

We’ll always explain the format and work around your availability.

What’s in it for you (Location dependant):

• 💰 Estimated salary range: $100,000 to $120,000 (Detroit, MI, hybrid), plus a competitive equity package. Actual compensation is based on your skills, qualifications and experience.
• 📈 Meaningful equity, sharing in the ownership and long-term success of Wayve
• ✅ Hybrid working, core hours and the chance to work hands on in vehicle workshops and labs
• 📚 Learning and development budgets with support for training, conferences and growth
• 🩺 Comprehensive benefits including health insurance, dental, enhanced maternity and paternity leave, retirement or pension where applicable, access to therapists, wellbeing partnerships, team socials and more

A quick, honest note before you apply.

Wayve is not a mature, fully-structured place with the playbook already written. Much of how we work is still being written, and if you join, you’ll help write it. That suits people who want real ownership more than people who need a settled structure from day one.

If that sounds like the kind of problem you want to spend your time on, we’d really like to hear from you.

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