Principal Engineer, Embedded Vehicle Software

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.

The role

Wayve is building the next generation of autonomous driving technology: intelligent, adaptable, and software-defined. As Principal Engineer, Embedded Software Architecture, you will be the hands-on technical leader who defines and leads the architecture of our vehicle software platform, powering the AI systems that bring autonomy to life.

You will work with the most advanced embedded compute platforms from NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and other leading partners, defining how our operating systems, middleware, and hardware abstraction layers come together to enable scalable, efficient, and safe vehicle software.

This is a deeply technical role where you’ll stay close to the code, prototype solutions, review critical components, and directly influence system performance and reliability. You will also shape technical direction across teams and act as a senior representative of Wayve in external technical discussions with OEM and silicon partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and evolve the embedded software architecture for Wayve’s next-generation autonomy platform.
• Develop and guide hands-on prototypes and reference implementations that demonstrate key architectural decisions.
• Analyze and optimize system performance, reliability, and scalability across the embedded stack.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal AI, platform, and vehicle systems teams, and with external partners including NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and OEMs.
• Drive the adoption of modern development practices, tools, and standards for high-assurance embedded software.
• Mentor senior engineers through technical reviews and joint design work — leading through technical depth and influence, not headcount.
• Represent Wayve as the principal technical voice in discussions with partners and customers on software and hardware architecture.

About you

You are a seasoned systems architect with deep technical roots in embedded software, who still enjoys staying close to the technology. You’re comfortable diving into system-level details, whether debugging a performance issue, reviewing C++ code, or defining middleware interfaces, while also maintaining the architectural perspective to guide large-scale systems.

You’ve successfully delivered complex, high-performance, or safety-critical software systems into production, and you’re used to operating at the scale and rigor of Big Tech or high-end automotive programs.

Essential Experience

• 15+ years in software and systems engineering, with strong expertise in embedded systems for robotics, automotive, or similar domains.
• Demonstrated hands-on software development experience in C/C++, with familiarity in Python or Rust.
• Proven ability to deliver large-scale systems to production, with deep involvement in architecture, design, and code.
• Expertise in system performance analysis, optimization, and debugging.
• Experience leading through technical influence — shaping teams of 25+ engineers and impacting organizations of 100+ engineers.
• Ability to represent the company in external technical discussions with OEMs, chip vendors, and partners.

Desirable Experience

• Automotive or safety-critical software experience.
• Familiarity with NVIDIA Drive platforms (Orin, DriveOS, DriveWorks).
• Experience with automotive software frameworks (e.g. AUTOSAR).

This role is a full-time role based in Sunnyvale, CA (hybrid) and the reasonably estimated salary for this role ranges from $347,500 to $457,900, plus a competitive equity package. Actual compensation is based on the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience.

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.