Technical Program Manager leading robotaxi programs in Japan, managing the lifecycle from vehicle readiness to market launch. You will bridge global R&D with local delivery, coordinating across autonomy, hardware, and operations teams using a data-driven approach to ensure safe and predictable deployment of Wayve’s AI Driver.
Compensation
Not disclosed
Location
Tokyo, Japan
Work setup
Hybrid
Seniority
Not specified
Employment
Not specified
Experience
5+ years
Category
Project management
Posted
Skills
ai
automation
machine-learning
program-management
Must have
5+ years leading complex, multi-team programs
Technically strong across software and hardware (autonomy, vehicle software/hardware)
Skilled at planning, prioritising, and managing risk and dependencies
Exceptional communicator & collaborator across distributed teams
Data-driven: comfortable defining and using metrics
Systems thinking: reasoning about complex system interactions
Nice to have
Robotaxi / AV operations, fleet, mobility, ride-hailing, or automotive experience
Experience launching or scaling a service in market
Exposure to ML, autonomy, or other compute-heavy / safety-critical domains
Japanese language skills
Engineering or computer science degree
Full description
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 Technical Program Management Teams
The Technical Program Management team sits within Engineering Operations & Technical Program Management. Our TPMs are force multipliers, helping teams move faster, more effectively and with purpose. In Japan, you’ll be the only TPM on the ground, bridging Wayve’s global R&D with local delivery.
🧠 Your day-to-day
As a Technical Program Manager for Robotaxi, you’ll own the programs that bring our robotaxi service to life, from vehicle and fleet readiness to on-the-ground launch and scaling in market. Based in Yokohama, you’ll work across autonomy, vehicle software, hardware, operations, safety and local partners to turn Wayve’s AI Driver into a safe, reliable robotaxi service, keeping complex, multi-team, cross-geography delivery predictable in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment. As the only TPM in Japan, you’ll also help support local vehicle hardware and software programs as needed.
🧩 What you’ll be working on:
Owning the lifecycle of robotaxi programs, from vehicle and fleet readiness to launch and in-market scaling, improving delivery through structured execution and coordination.
Tracking and managing dependencies, risks and trade-offs across autonomy, vehicle, operations and safety, and escalating early with clear options.
Keeping engineering, fleet operations, safety and local partner teams aligned, bridging Wayve’s global R&D with local delivery in Japan.
Providing hands-on program support for robotaxi launch and in-market operations, on the ground in Yokohama.
Supporting local vehicle hardware and software programs as needed, as the only TPM in Japan.
Running planning, stand-ups, reviews and retros that keep multi-team delivery predictable and reliable.
Communicating progress and risk to engineers, partners and senior leaders, tailoring updates to each audience.
Improving tooling, processes and ways of working, and sharing patterns across the TPM org.
🙌 You should apply if:
Essential
Bias for action: 5+ years leading complex, multi-team programs (or a strong record at this level). You lead high-complexity work across teams and get things done.
Technically strong across software and hardware: Credible with engineers across autonomy, vehicle software, and vehicle hardware; you reason about how the AI Driver runs as a robotaxi service on real vehicles - and can support vehicle hardware / software programs too - even though you won't write production code.
Technical Program Manager, Robotaxi at Wayve (Tokyo, Japan) — aijobsearch
Stays neutral and adapts under pressure: Effective in ambiguous, safety-critical environments; you flex your style and bring structure without slowing delivery.
Strong project management: Skilled at planning, prioritising, and managing risk and dependencies across teams.
Exceptional communicator & collaborator: Operating from a remote office, you keep distributed teams aligned across time zones - communicating with clarity, proactively and in writing - and influence without authority across all stakeholders.
Cross-cultural & on the ground: Comfortable working across geographies and cultures, and hands-on with vehicles and operations in Japan; Japanese language skills a plus.
Generalist range: As the only TPM in-country, comfortable flexing beyond robotaxi to support vehicle hardware and software programs; happy wearing multiple hats.
Data-driven: Comfortable defining and using metrics to steer delivery and decisions.
Growth mindset: Open to feedback and always looking to improve.
Systems thinking: You reason about how the parts of a complex system 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.
Desirable
Robotaxi / AV operations, fleet, mobility, ride-hailing, or automotive experience; experience launching or scaling a service in market.
Exposure to ML, autonomy, or other compute-heavy / safety-critical domains; experience working across global and local teams. Japanese language skills and/or based in (or willing to relocate to) Yokohama / Tokyo.
An engineering or computer science degree, or experience working as an engineer.
🌱 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 (TPM screen and technical & partnership interviews; 1 hour 45 mins total)
Final interview: mission & values alignment (30 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
Wayve is committed to providing a fair and respectful recruitment process for all candidates, free from harassment and discrimination.
The Company has zero tolerance for sexual harassment against job applicants or similar individuals.
All communications relating to recruitment activities are conducted through the Company's recruitment system or using an email address with the Company's domain. Employees do not use their personal email addresses or social media accounts for recruitment-related communications.
Employees do not engage in private communications unrelated to recruitment activities, invite applicants to private meals, request or seek a personal or romantic relationship, or otherwise initiate private contact with applicants.
Sexual remarks or conduct, physical contact, questions concerning sexual matters, and any other conduct constituting harassment are prohibited.
If you have any concerns, you can contact our consultation desk at peoplepartners@wayve.ai. All consultations are treated with strict confidentiality, your privacy will be protected, and no one will be subject to any disadvantageous treatment for raising a concern or cooperating with an inquiry.
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.