People Operations Associate

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 People Team

As part of our People team, you will help build and run the operational backbone that lets our people do their best work. Across the full employee lifecycle — from onboarding through to offboarding — you'll keep day-to-day People operations running smoothly and accurately, covering areas such as onboarding, working hours, social and labour insurance, employee documentation and compliance, working closely with the wider team and our external partners.

🧠 Your day-to-day

The most exciting part of this role is that you'll help shape our People foundations in Japan from an early stage. Rather than simply operating a finished machine, you'll be working in an environment with plenty of white space — where the way you work directly improves how our processes and systems evolve. There's real room here to make things better, and it's largely yours to shape.

In a fast-growing scale-up, we're looking for someone who enjoys more than just completing set tasks — someone who spots "this could work better" and turns it into reality. Partnering with employees, managers and external providers across a broad range of areas, you'll naturally develop a wide, cross-functional view of People operations in Japan.

🧩 What you’ll be working on

Onboarding: preparing offers and employment contracts, collecting required documents, Day 1 setup, and probation management.

Offboarding: supporting leaver processing and final pay, issuing separation and withholding certificates, equipment return and access removal.

HRIS administration: maintaining employee data, managing leave balances, producing reports, and monitoring PTO uptake.

Working hours: reconciling and operating attendance records, supporting monitoring of the 36-Agreement, and checking submissions and approvals.

Social & labour insurance: enrolments and withdrawals on hire and leave, employment insurance, standard and revised remuneration filings, and the annual labour insurance update (handled with our external providers), plus maternity, childcare and injury/sickness benefits.

Payroll & tax: monthly coordination with our external provider and payroll team, commuting and other allowances, resident tax updates, and supporting the year-end adjustment.

Benefits & health: liaising with benefits vendors, coordinating health checks and stress checks, arranging occupational physician meetings, and setting up and following through on worksite visits.

Letters & certificates: employment contracts and terms notices, employment and salary certificates, and similar documentation.

Compliance: maintaining the employee roster and wage ledger, tracking residence status, managing fixed-term renewals, and supporting audit preparation.

🙌 You should apply if

Essential:

You have at least one year of experience in a People Operations or HR administrative role, with a solid understanding of the full employee lifecycle.

You have knowledge and hands-on experience of Japanese HR administration, including payroll, social and labour insurance, and working-hours management.

You enjoy not just completing set tasks but spotting where things can be improved and making it happen.

You can manage several tasks in parallel, prioritising effectively to keep work moving.

You have strong, considerate communication skills, with the ability to build trust with employees, managers and external partners.

You can work in both Japanese (fluency essential, N1 or above) and English (able to work with stakeholders over written and verbal communication).

Desirable:

Experience in a start-up or fast-growth environment.

Experience supporting teams across multiple locations or geographies.

Experience using AI tooling to make workflows more efficient.

🌱 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 online with Talent Partner)

Competency Interview (1 hour online with local team)

Final interview : mission & values alignment (1 hour online with global hiring manager)

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

What’s in it for you:

• 💰 Salaries benchmarked against the market annually
• 📈 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

• 🤝 Inclusive & Fair Recruitment
• Wayve is committed to providing a fair and respectful recruitment process for all candidates, free from harassment and discrimination. The Company has zero tolerance for sexual harassment against job applicants or similar individuals.

All communications relating to recruitment activities are conducted through the Company's recruitment system or using an email address with the Company's domain. Employees do not use their personal email addresses or social media accounts for recruitment-related communications.

Employees do not engage in private communications unrelated to recruitment activities, invite applicants to private meals, request or seek a personal or romantic relationship, or otherwise initiate private contact with applicants.

Sexual remarks or conduct, physical contact, questions concerning sexual matters, and any other conduct constituting harassment are prohibited.

If you