Technical Operations Lead

Wayve•Sunnyvale, CA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

We're looking for a Technical Operations Lead to join Wayve's Technical Operations function, acting as the critical bridge between Science, Product, Engineering, and Operations, serving as a key execution partner for OEM customer programs. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in dynamic, high-growth environments and has proven experience translating complex technical strategies into actionable field operations in safety-critical, high-complexity systems. You'll lead critical testing, demonstration, and validation programs across our global operations, spanning roadshows, OEM program support and milestone delivery, and on-road validation activities. You will work cross-functionally to ensure structured feedback loops between field operations and development teams, while also helping ensure customer-grade operational rigor: clear readiness criteria, repeatable execution, and decision-ready reporting for internal leadership and external stakeholders. This role is central to our transformation from an R&D-focused organization to a world-class, delivery-grade commercial AV company that can execute seamlessly with customers and partners.

Requirements

Experience supporting or operating within customer/OEM partnership programs (e.g., automotive, robotics, or other regulated/safety-critical partners), including managing milestone delivery, stakeholder expectations, and on-site execution under real-world constraints.
Demonstrable' experience in technical program management or operations roles at the intersection of R&D, product development, and field testing in high-complexity environments (e.g., autonomous systems, robotics, aerospace, or advanced mobility).
Proven track record of managing programs, demonstrations, or operations that require tight coordination between technical development teams and operational execution.
Deep experience with test planning, operational readiness frameworks, and structured feedback loops between field operations and technical development teams.
Strong facilitation and stakeholder management skills: able to lead cross-functional workshops and coordinate between Engineering, Science, Product, and Operations teams effectively.
Proven ability to influence across teams and functions, including remote and international stakeholders in fast-paced technology environments.
Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills with experience creating technical documentation, SOPs, and stakeholder presentations.
Ability to travel internationally up to 30% of the time to support on-site program coordination across testing regions.
Strong problem-solving skills and comfort working in ambiguous, rapidly evolving environments with competing priorities.

Nice To Haves

Experience in autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems, or field robotics operations.
Strong exposure to OEM partnership programs and customer delivery, including automotive testing/validation protocols, acceptance-style testing, demo readiness, and handling program escalations and fast-turn issue resolution.
Experience supporting scaling in global, distributed teams with complex technical dependencies.
Experience with data analysis and performance tracking; able to build or interpret dashboards, identify operational bottlenecks, and quantify program improvements.
Comfortable with project management tools such as Confluence, Asana/Jira, or equivalent, and experience implementing operational tracking systems.
Background in process improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma) or operational excellence frameworks.
Familiarity with vehicle commissioning processes, fleet management systems, or automotive safety protocols.

Responsibilities

Convert high-level program plans into clear, actionable on-road plans in partnership with Fleet Operations leadership, ensuring alignment on scheduling, safety, and operational feasibility across diverse testing requirements, including OEM-specific constraints (ODDs, vehicle variants, hardware/software stacks).
Lead execution across internal-facing and external-facing programs, coordinating between technical teams and operations to ensure seamless testing and validation execution while maintaining safety protocols and capturing valuable feedback. Ensure plans explicitly define entry/exit criteria and the evidence required for go/no-go decisions.
Partner with Customer Programs / OEM stakeholders to plan and execute program milestones (e.g., integration validation, demos, acceptance candidates). Drive predictable operating cadence (readiness reviews, test execution, reporting) and ensure rapid alignment across Wayve teams when priorities shift.
Act as the connective tissue between model developers, researchers, product teams, and operations, ensuring two-way visibility and structured feedback loops that drive faster iteration on features, releases, and model performance.
Collaborate closely with Fleet Operations to maintain consistent experiment design, vehicle availability, and process quality across testing programs, ensuring repeatable, high-quality delivery at scale.
Partner with Systems and Enablement teams to leverage fleet data, systems, and metrics for collaborative problem-solving and refinement of testing processes and internal tooling, quantifying improvements in operational performance.
Proactively brainstorm and explore new experimental methods (e.g., adversarial route selection, edge case testing concepts), fostering a culture of curiosity and bold experimentation to uncover insights that drive novel breakthroughs, including improvements to OEM-grade validation (repeatability, coverage, comparability across platforms).
Build strong partnerships with model development teams, combining strategic thinking with practical operational expertise to maximize the value of every test, dataset, and feedback loop in support of commercial objectives.