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 Simulation Teams
As a software engineer in Wayve’s Core Simulation team, you will help develop the simulation system used to evaluate and improve Wayve’s driving intelligence. Wayve’s end-to-end driving stack creates unique simulation challenges: rather than testing independently specified modules, we need to reproduce the behaviour of a learned driving system across a complex combination of sensor data, model inference, routing, control and vehicle dynamics. Our simulator must be realistic enough to provide meaningful signal, reproducible enough for teams to trust the results, and descriptive enough to understand differences between simulated and on-road behaviour. Our open-loop and closed-loop simulation workflows share a common codebase, with different components executed and configured depending on the use case. You will initially work with the team focused on high-scale open-loop evaluation, while contributing to shared components and infrastructure used across the broader simulation system.
🧠 Your day-to-day
Work hands-on in the shared modern C++ and Python simulation codebase.
Implement scoped features and integrate driving-stack components, simulated robot systems and new vehicle-platform capabilities.
Support and test different simulation configurations, initially with a strong focus on high-scale open-loop evaluation.
Investigate differences between on-road and simulated execution, tracing issues across component interfaces, data flows, timing and configuration.
Improve automated testing, observability, reproducibility, reliability and developer tooling.
Profile simulator workloads and contribute performance and scalability improvements.
Collaborate with Simulation, Robotics, Autonomy, Evaluation, Platform and Data teams to clarify requirements and resolve integration issues.
🧩 What you’ll be working on
Develop and maintain production-quality components within Wayve’s simulation system using modern C++ and Python.
Integrate driving-stack components, simulated robot systems and new vehicle-platform capabilities into the shared simulation environment.
Support different simulation configurations and ensure components interact correctly across applicable workflows.
Investigate differences between on-road and simulated execution, identifying issues across data, inference and simulated components.
Improve simulation reproducibility, reliability and debuggability through automated testing, observability and better developer tooling.
Profile and improve simulator performance, helping us run increasingly large evaluation workloads efficiently.
Work with internal users and adjacent engineering teams to clarify requirements, resolve integration issues and deliver scoped improvements.
Contribute to technical designs and help evolve the quality and maintainability of the simulation codebase.
🙌 You should apply if
Professional experience developing, delivering and maintaining production software in a collaborative engineering environment.
Strong software development skills in C++ and Python, with depth in at least one and the ability to work effectively in both.
Relevant experience in simulation, robotics, autonomous systems or similarly complex systems involving multiple interacting software components.
Good understanding of software and data-oriented design, including how to build code that is maintainable, reusable and extensible.
Experience debugging complex systems and reasoning about interfaces, data flows, timing and failure modes.
Understanding of common software performance issues and the ability to make pragmatic design trade-offs.
Ability to independently deliver scoped features, communicate progress clearly and raise risks or blockers early.
Experience using GenAI development tools, such as coding assistants or agents, to improve productivity while carefully reviewing, testing and validating their output.
Strong communication and collaboration skills.
🌱 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 (Programming and hiring manager interview; 2 hours total)
Deep-dive technical interviews (Programming and domain-specific interviews; 2 hours total)
Final interview: Mission & values alignment (45 mins)..
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.