Lead Technical Program Manager

Who you are

• 8+ years in platform / infrastructure: Deep, hands-on experience delivering platform or infrastructure programs as a technical program manager - compute, ML infra, developer tooling, training or inference systems - including people and process leadership. You've built or scaled a program function and you get things done with ownership and a bias for action
• People leadership: You build, coach, and grow high-performing teams, and raise the bar on the craft
• Highly technical: Credible with engineers across ML infrastructure, compute, and embedded systems, even though you won't write production code. A genuinely technical TPM who can go deep with platform and systems engineers
• Strong understanding of Machine Learning, GPUs, and the training and inference of large (500M-20B+ parameter) models, plus the compute and orchestration that support them
• Embedded / on-vehicle systems experience - inference optimisation, model deployment to constrained edge / embedded compute, and the hardware-software trade-offs involved
• Familiar with compute management and ML platform tooling - e.g. Kubernetes, Ray, Flyte, Docker, cloud (Azure), Python - and model-development / experiment workflow tooling
• Proficient with AI Agents to accelerate execution: e.g. Cursor, Claude, Codex
• Stays neutral and adapts under pressure: Effective in ambiguous, fast-moving environments; you flex your style and bring structure without slowing delivery
• Systems thinking: You reason about how the parts of a complex platform / systems stack fit together, and how a change in one area ripples into others
• Product-minded: You focus on outcomes and the people your programs serve - prioritising by impact and defining what good looks like, not just tracking activity
• Exceptional cross-functional leadership: You align and influence across ML / research, infrastructure, embedded, and engineering without relying on authority
• Strategic & business impact: You link platform investment to measurable outcomes - developer velocity, compute efficiency, cost, and model performance
• Clear, data-driven communicator: You set direction with clarity and steer with the right metrics
• Growth mindset: Open to feedback and always looking to improve
• Working experience with a large-scale ML / compute platform used by 100s of engineers and researchers
• Embedded / edge inference, on-device model optimisation, or hardware-aware ML experience
• Background in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or another large-scale ML / infrastructure program
• An engineering or computer science degree, or experience working as an engineer

What the job involves

• As the Lead Technical Program Manager for AI Platform at Wayve, you'll build and lead the technical program management function for our AI Platform org - the data and compute infrastructure, model-development workflow tooling, training technology, compute management, and embedded / inference optimisation that get Wayve's models trained, iterated, and deployed onto the vehicle
• This is the platform the whole company builds on
• You'll be the delivery partner to engineering leadership across AI Platform, driving predictable, high-leverage delivery of the systems that determine how fast Wayve can train and ship models
• You'll lead flagship programs yourself while supporting and coaching a small, high-impact TPM team
• Your impact is measured in developer velocity, compute efficiency and cost, training and inference performance, and how reliably the platform lands. A successful TPM leader is a force multiplier - helping teams move faster, more effectively, and with purpose
• Lead the function: Build, coach, and grow a small TPM team; hire to fill gaps and raise the bar
• Own platform delivery: Partner with AI Platform leadership on planning, prioritisation, and execution across the platform roadmap - data & compute infra, dev tooling, training tech, compute management, and embedded / inference
• Trusted partner for Engineering: You are a leader in the org. You will maintain the partnership with Engineering leaders to land big outcomes, pushing teams to land impact with high leverage and hold leaders to account
• Drive flagship programs directly: Data & compute infrastructure, model-development workflow and tooling, training technology, compute management, and embedded / inference optimisation
• Establish scalable practices: Planning cadences, governance, KPIs and dashboards, escalations and operational reviews
• Align cross-functionally: Work with ML / research, infrastructure, embedded / on-vehicle, and engineering teams (and cloud / vendor partners); manage dependencies, risk, and trade-offs
• Connect to outcomes and represent AI Platform: Tie delivery to developer velocity, compute efficiency and cost, and training / inference performance, and represent AI Platform in company-level reviews

Benefits

• Private healthcare: Choose our optional health insurance for comprehensive coverage for you and your family.
• Paid time off: Paid vacation plus public holidays and additional leave programs, ensuring you have time to unwind.
• Mental health resources: Through Spill, you can access therapy and mental health support.
• Community and socials: Join clubs or attend team socials to connect over hobbies, sports, or just for fun.
• Competitive compensation: Our compensation package includes cash and equity, making you a true partner in our success.
• Learning and development: Budgets for books, courses, and company-wide training to support your continuous growth.