Distinguished Software Architect

As Distinguished Software Architect at Wayve, you define the architectural direction for scalable AI-driven software across vehicles and platforms. You work across onboard software, AI, simulation, training and Robotaxi systems to ensure long-term health and cross-team coherence. You influence multiple engineering organisations, balancing rapid delivery with robust, production-grade design. You help establish engineering culture and drive large-scale, safety-critical software and robotics initiatives. This role offers ownership of architecture at scale in a pioneering autonomy company.

• Salaries benchmarked to market
• Meaningful equity
• Relocation support and visa sponsorship
• Hybrid working with core hours
• Learning and development budgets
• Comprehensive benefits including health, dental, parental leave, retirement, wellbeing

• Define architectural direction for Wayve’s software ecosystem as AI Driver scales across platforms
• Create clear interfaces and abstractions between AI, compute and vehicle systems to prevent fragmentation
• Lead large, cross-team architectural changes
• Improve software development, integration, testing and deployment across hardware and vehicle platforms
• Collaborate across onboard software, computer vision, AI, simulation, training/inference, product engineering and Robotaxi systems
• Shape development platforms and engineering systems for deploying physical AI at scale
• Partner with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to support multiple production environments and hardware configurations
• Act as a technical decision-maker and tiebreaker on complex architecture decisions
• Foster a strong engineering and design culture for large-scale, safety-critical AI/robotics systems

• Experienced senior IC (Principal/Distinguished or equivalent) who has shaped architecture of large, complex software systems
• Track record of leading significant technical or architectural change across multiple teams or organisations
• Exceptional systems thinker capable of broad and deep technical understanding
• Experience building systems in computer vision, robotics, physical AI or domains where software and AI interact with the physical world
• Understanding of architecture for production-grade AI-software-hardware integration
• Experience evolving software platforms to operate reliably at significant scale and complexity
• Ability to influence senior engineers and leaders through technical credibility, not authority
• Strong focus on software design and engineering quality to enable faster delivery
• Ability to learn quickly in unfamiliar domains and translate direction into real engineering outcomes
• Bias toward execution and turning direction into tangible engineering changes
• Bonus: experience in autonomous driving, robotics or automotive systems
• Willingness to apply even if not all requirements are met

• Cross-functional collaboration
• Technical credibility and influence without formal authority
• Strategic thinking and architecture leadership
• Large-scale software architecture
• Production-grade AI/software integration across hardware
• Experience with AI/vision/robotics systems