Embedded Software Engineer / Tech Lead, Wayve

Onboard Test Automation

$209.7-266.8k

+ Equity

Python

Linux

C++

Senior and Expert level

San Francisco Bay Area

2-5 days a week in office (Sunnyvale, CA)

Autonomous mobility driven by AI

Be an early applicant

Autonomous mobility driven by AI

501-1000 employees

B2CB2BArtificial IntelligenceCarsTransportBig dataDeep TechRoboticsFlexible workingComputer VisionMachine LearningSaaSCloud Computing

Be an early applicant

$209.7-266.8k

+ Equity

Python

Linux

C++

Senior and Expert level

San Francisco Bay Area

2-5 days a week in office (Sunnyvale, CA)

501-1000 employees

B2CB2BArtificial IntelligenceCarsTransportBig dataDeep TechRoboticsFlexible workingComputer VisionMachine LearningSaaSCloud Computing

Company mission

To reimagine autonomous mobility with embodies intelligence, aiming to lead the world into a new era of autonomy.

Job

Company

Role

Who you are

Experience testing embedded software systems, ideally on Linux or QNX-based platforms
Strong programming skills in Python, C++, or similar languages for test development and automation
Experience working with embedded hardware platforms and understanding hardware/software interactions
Proven ability to debug and triage complex issues across system layers
Understanding of software testing principles, including automation, integration testing, and system validation

Desirable

Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) testing environments
Familiarity with sensor systems or data pipelines (e.g., camera, radar, or similar)
Experience working with CI/CD systems (e.g., Buildkite) and test pipeline integration
Exposure to robotics, autonomous systems, or real-time software environments

What the job involves

As an Embedded Software Test Engineer / Tech Lead at Wayve, you will play a key role in validating onboard software systems before they reach full-vehicle testing
You’ll work across a range of embedded compute platforms and operating systems to ensure software is reliable, integrated, and ready for real-world deployment
This is a high-impact role where your work directly improves software quality and enables faster iteration across multiple teams
You’ll help scale testing by building automated tests and empowering developers to validate their work earlier in the development cycle
Design, develop, and execute automated tests for onboard software subsystems (OS, middleware, sensors, and integration points)
Validate software behavior on embedded hardware platforms within hardware-in-the-loop environments
Collaborate with software engineers to identify test gaps and build coverage for new and existing features
Debug and triage system-level issues across software and hardware boundaries
Enable developer self-service testing by contributing to CI pipelines and reusable test frameworks
Support expansion of test coverage by leveraging existing validation tests and shifting them earlier in the development cycle

Our take

Wayve is developing 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 (4.4)

Company

Funding (last 2 of 9 rounds)

Apr 2026

$60m

SERIES D

Feb 2026

$1.2bn

SERIES D

Total funding: $2.6bn

Company benefits

Private healthcare: Choose our optional health insurance for comprehensive coverage for you and your family.
Paid time off: Paid vacation plus public holidays and additional leave programs, ensuring you have time to unwind.
Mental health resources: Through Spill, you can access therapy and mental health support.
Community and socials: Join clubs or attend team socials to connect over hobbies, sports, or just for fun.
Competitive compensation: Our compensation package includes cash and equity, making you a true partner in our success.
Learning and development: Budgets for books, courses, and company-wide training to support your continuous growth.

Company HQ

London, UK

Leadership

Alex Kendall

(Co-Founder & CEO)

Alex has a PhD from Cambridge in Computer Vision & Robotics. Prior to Wayve, he was a Research Fellow at Trinity College, a Scientific Advisor at Scape Technologies, a Research Engineer at Skydio, and a Software Engineer at Beca.

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