Head of Application Software Architecture, Wayve

Salary not provided

Docker

Python

Linux

Abstract

C++

CMake

Bazel

Senior and Expert level

London

San Francisco Bay Area

More information about location

2-5 days a week in office

Autonomous mobility driven by AI

Be an early applicant

Autonomous mobility driven by AI

201-500 employees

B2CB2BArtificial IntelligenceCarsTransportBig dataDeep TechRoboticsFlexible workingComputer VisionMachine LearningSaaSCloud Computing

Be an early applicant

Salary not provided

Docker

Python

Linux

Abstract

C++

CMake

Bazel

Senior and Expert level

London

San Francisco Bay Area

More information about location

2-5 days a week in office

201-500 employees

B2CB2BArtificial IntelligenceCarsTransportBig dataDeep TechRoboticsFlexible workingComputer VisionMachine LearningSaaSCloud Computing

Company mission

To reimagine autonomous mobility through embodied intelligence.

Job

Company

Role

Who you are

8+ years of experience in embedded or automotive software development
Expertise in C++ (modern C++14/17), Python, and multi-threaded real-time systems
Deep experience architecting cross-platform software that runs on heterogeneous automotive platforms (e.g., NVIDIA Drive, Qualcomm Ride)
Solid understanding of automotive software architectures: Linux (with hypervisor/virtualization), QNX, and Adaptive AUTOSAR
Strong knowledge of automotive communication protocols (CAN, Ethernet, SOME/IP) and system-level integration topics (boot-time orchestration, inter-process communication)
Experience working within ISO 26262 environments and contributing to safety-relevant software design
Familiarity with Yocto, build systems (e.g., Bazel, CMake), and containerization tools (Docker, OCI)
Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to drive architecture decisions from concept to implementation

Desirable

Exposure to AI/ML system integration in embedded environments
Experience with BSPs, device drivers, and low-level OS configuration
Familiarity with OTA, secure boot, and automotive security standards (ISO/SAE 21434)
Track record of successful integration with Tier 1 or OEM partners

What the job involves

As Head of Application Software Architecture, you will play a key role in designing the software architecture and integration layers that enable our AI product to operate across a wide range of customer-provided hardware and software environments
You will work closely with the Director of Application Software to define a scalable, portable, and robust software framework for production deployment across different OEM platforms
You will also guide and mentor engineers, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and contribute directly to technical delivery
Design and maintain the application-level software architecture enabling integration of our AI stack into multiple target environments
Develop portable software libraries and adaptation layers for automotive platforms including Linux + hypervisors, QNX, and Adaptive AUTOSAR
Define clear APIs and software interfaces that abstract away platform-specific details while maintaining performance and safety
Collaborate with systems engineers, ML engineers, and product teams to capture integration and deployment requirements
Evaluate customer platform specifications and lead efforts to adapt the product for successful integration
Conduct hands-on development and code reviews, ensuring high code quality and alignment with functional safety and cybersecurity standards
Act as a technical liaison with OEM and Tier 1 partners during integration, debugging, and validation
Support the definition of application-layer safety mechanisms and contribute to safety analysis artifacts (e.g., SW FMEA, safety manual inputs)

Our take

Wayve is developing artificial intelligence (AI) that teaches cars to drive autonomously using reinforcement learning, simulation, and computer vision. Wayve’s core premise is that the big breakthrough in self-driving cars will come from better AI brains rather than more sensors or “hand-coded” rules which it believes are highly restrictive and not at all scalable.

The company said that it trains its autonomous driving system using simulated environments and then transfers that knowledge into the real world, where it emulates how humans adapt to conditions in real time. It ultimately relies on end-to-end deep learning AI rather than hard-engineered AI. This is one of the world's hardest problems to solve, but Wayve has made an exciting start and is taking a very different approach to competitors like Uber and Waymo, who are relying more on sensors.

Following a few years of innovative breakthroughs, Wayve now has backing from high-profile investors such as Microsoft and angels, including Uber's chief scientist Zoubin Ghahramani and Pieter Abbeel, a UC Berkeley robotics professor and pioneer of deep reinforcement learning. The company's strategic partnerships with outfits like Asda and Ocado to test-run autonomous deliveries, as well as publicity through the Minister is a show of confidence in the future of Wayve's solution to autonomous driving.

Kirsty

Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle

Insights

Top investors

28% female employees

24% employee growth in 12 months

Glassdoor (4.6)

Company

Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)

May 2024

$1.1bn

SERIES C

Jan 2022

$200m

SERIES B

Total funding: $1.3bn

Company benefits

Learning budget
In-house chef
Flexible Working
Private health insurance and therapy
Workplace nursery scheme
Onsite bar
Large social budgets
Enhanced parental leave

Company HQ

London, UK

Leadership

Alex Kendall

(CEO)

Has a PhD from Cambridge in Computer Vision & Robotics. Previously Research Engineer at Skydio and Advisor to Scape Technologies

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