Head of Operational Safety at Wayve

Sunnyvale, California, United States

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Autonomous Vehicles, AI, AutomotiveIndustries

Requirements

Essential
Proven experience leading safety-critical operations in a fast-moving, high-complexity environment (e.g. transport, logistics, AV or aviation preferred)
Demonstrated ability to design best practice global incident response protocols, and manage adherence to protocols
Experience designing and building organizational structures which promote a world-class safety culture and efficient incident response mechanism
Experience investigating incidents, managing escalation and coordinating an appropriate response at a senior level
Experience developing and embedding safety policies, risk controls, and audit mechanisms at scale, ideally across more than one jurisdiction
Excellent stakeholder management skills — including the ability to lead in tense, high-stakes situations
Able to guide others through crisis and ambiguity with clarity and authority
Strong working knowledge of safety legislation, incident reporting frameworks, and duty of care practices
Comfortable working across cultures and geographies, with a proactive, hands-on leadership style
Desirable
Prior experience in designing and overseeing safety policies and incident response in autonomous vehicles
Formal qualifications in occupational safety, risk management, or crisis leadership
Familiarity with root cause analysis tools (e.g. 5 Whys, Fishbone/Ishikawa, fault tree analysis)
Experience in contributing to safety case documentation or regulatory engagement
Capability to grow and mentor a multi-regional safety team

Responsibilities

Leading and developing the global safety framework that underpins all Fleet Operations and incident response at Wayve
Overseeing Operational Safety Managers across the UK, US, Germany, and Japan
Ensuring that all on-road testing is delivered with world-class safety standards, consistent processes, and rapid response capability
Defining and embedding scalable safety governance practices
Leading incident response and resolution
Ensuring that every vehicle, site, and operator is aligned to the zero-incident ambition

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

Operational SafetyFleet OperationsIncident ResponseSafety GovernanceRisk ManagementOn-road TestingSafety StandardsGlobal LeadershipSafety Framework

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What is the salary or compensation for the Head of Operational Safety role?

This information is not specified in the job description.

Is this role remote or does it require working from specific locations?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What are the essential skills and experience required for this position?

Essential requirements include proven experience leading safety-critical operations in fast-moving environments like transport or AV, designing global incident response protocols, building organizational structures for safety culture, and investigating incidents with senior-level coordination.

What is the company culture like at Wayve?

Wayve fosters a diverse, fair, respectful, and inclusive culture that values unique skills and perspectives, embraces uncertainty and complex challenges, aims high while staying humble, and backs team members to deliver impact in a fast-paced environment.

What makes a strong candidate for the Head of Operational Safety role?

A strong candidate brings a clear head under pressure, high operational rigor, and the ability to lead calmly and decisively across global teams, with proven experience in safety-critical operations and incident management.

Wayve

Develops autonomous vehicle technology using AI

About Wayve

Wayve.ai develops self-driving technology known as AV2.0, which focuses on creating a smarter and safer approach to autonomous vehicles. Their technology uses embodied AI software that allows vehicles to learn from their experiences and adapt to different environments without needing detailed programming. This method is different from traditional self-driving technologies that often rely on expensive hardware and pre-mapped data. Instead, Wayve.ai employs end-to-end deep learning, making their solution more cost-effective for automakers. The company targets automakers and fleet operators, offering them adaptable and affordable solutions for driving automation. Wayve.ai has already partnered with major retailers in the UK to test its technology in delivery fleets, aiming to enhance mobility and sustainability in the automotive industry.

London, United KingdomHeadquarters

2017Year Founded

$1,272.3MTotal Funding

SERIES_CCompany Stage

Automotive & Transportation, AI & Machine LearningIndustries

201-500Employees