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 Engineering Teams
The Application SW team sits within Application Engineering in Product & Delivery. We build the application-layer software that connects Wayve’s AI capabilities to real vehicle behaviour, working at the intersection of AI, ADAS and real vehicle systems. You’ll have the chance to help shape a new feature engineering capability in Japan.
🧠 Your day-to-day
As an ADAS Feature Engineer, you’ll develop C++ feature logic, validation tools and system behaviours that let AI-native driving technology operate robustly in real vehicles. You’ll work with ML, product, systems and vehicle teams to turn model outputs and vehicle data into reliable, testable and customer-relevant ADAS features. It’s a hands-on role close to the car: you’ll debug and tune features using logs, simulation, replay and vehicle testing, and validate ADAS and active safety behaviours in practical driving scenarios.
🧩 What you’ll be working on:
Designing, implementing and maintaining C++ application software for ADAS and active-safety-related vehicle features.
Building feature-level logic on top of AI / ML outputs, including validation, feasibility checks, state machines, fallback behaviours and safety-aware decision logic.
Working with ML engineers to understand model outputs, limitations and failure modes, and how these translate into vehicle behaviour.
Using logs, simulation, replay and vehicle testing to debug, tune and validate feature behaviour.
Defining and improving metrics, test cases and validation strategies for ADAS feature performance, robustness and quality.
Collaborating with product, systems, vehicle integration and OEM-facing teams to turn requirements and real-world constraints into engineering solutions.
Supporting field testing and iterative development, including investigating vehicle issues, edge cases and performance gaps.
Contributing to software architecture, code quality, tooling and engineering practices for feature development.
🙌 You should apply if:
Essential
Strong C++ software engineering experience, ideally in production or safety-relevant systems.
Hands-on experience in ADAS, autonomous driving, robotics, vehicle software, active safety or closely related domains.
A practical understanding of vehicle feature development, including real-world testing, simulation, replay, logs or prototype vehicle debugging.
The ability to reason about vehicle behaviour, sensor and model inputs, timing, failure modes and feature-level decision logic.
Experience working cross-functionally with teams such as ML, perception, planning, controls, vehicle integration, product or systems engineering.
Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to make pragmatic engineering trade-offs under ambiguity.
A quality mindset, with experience writing testable, maintainable software and using data to validate behaviour.
Desirable
Experience with ADAS features such as AEB, ISA, AES, ACC, lane keeping, collision avoidance, trajectory validation or active safety systems.
Experience at an automotive OEM, Tier 1 supplier, autonomous driving company, robotics company or vehicle technology startup.
Familiarity with ML or AI-based autonomy systems, including how model outputs are consumed by downstream software.
Experience with ROS, Linux, Bazel, CMake, Docker, QNX, protobuf, MCAP, CAN, calibration or vehicle logging systems.
Experience with vehicle test tracks, public-road testing, HIL/SIL, scenario-based testing or NCAP-style validation.
Familiarity with tools used in automotive development and testing, such as CANoe, Vector tools, MicroAutoBox or similar.
Japanese language skills (beneficial but not required).
🌱 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)
Competency Interviews (C++ programming; 1 hours total)
Deep-dive technical interviews (ADAS / AD domain knowledge, system design and, for more senior level, technical leadership; 2-3 hours total)
Final interview: mission & values alignment (1 hour).
We’ll always explain the format and work around your availability.
What’s in it for you (Location dependant):
💰 Salaries benchmarked against the market annually
📈 Meaningful equity, sharing in the ownership and long term success of Wayve
✈️ Relocation support and visa sponsorship where applicable
✅ 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
A quick, honest note before you apply.
Wayve is not a mature, fully-structured place with the playbook already written. Much of how we work is still being written, and if you join, you’ll help write it. That suits people who want real ownership more than people who need a settled structure from day one.
If that sounds like the kind of problem you want to spend your time on, we’d really like to hear from you.
At Wayve we're committed to creating a diverse, fair and respectful culture that is inclusive of everyone based on their unique skills and perspectives, and regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding) or any other basis as protected by applicable law.
For more information visit Careers at Wayve. To learn more about what drives us, visit Values at Wayve
DISCLAIMER: We will not ask about marriage or pregnancy, care responsibilities or disabilities in any of our job adverts or interviews. However, we do look to capture information about care responsibilities, and disabilities among other diversity information as part of an optional DEI Monitoring form to help us identify areas of improvement in our hiring process and ensure that the process is inclusive and non-discriminatory.