VSO Job Description

Job 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 Fleet Operations Team Our Fleet Operations Team is responsible for maintaining the safety, performance, and operational readiness of Wayve's autonomous vehicle fleet — from routine servicing and diagnostics to urgent repairs and vehicle readiness for high-visibility events. The team keeps our fleet in peak condition to support testing, demonstrations, and real-world deployment, working closely with engineering, drivers, and operations teams to keep autonomy moving forward, every single day. 🧠 Your day-to-day If you're passionate about driving, technology, and the future of mobility, this role offers a rare opportunity to work at the forefront of autonomous driving development. As a Vehicle Safety Operator, you will support the development of next-generation AI driving systems by operating Wayve vehicles on public roads, evaluating vehicle behaviour, and providing operational feedback to engineering teams. You will act as a critical bridge between real-world driving conditions and the engineers developing Wayve's AI systems. 🧩 What you'll be working on - Support real-world autonomous vehicle testing operations across Japan. - Safely monitor autonomous driving systems during on-road testing and intervene whenever required. - Provide structured operational feedback to engineers and research teams to help improve AI driving performance. - Support data collection and validation activities that contribute to the training and improvement of Wayve's AI systems. - Maintain high operational and safety standards while accurately reporting vehicle, testing, or safety-related issues. 🙌 You should apply if Essential: - You hold a full, clean Japanese driving license, held for a minimum of 5 years. - You have strong driving experience in Japan and confidence operating in complex urban environments. - You have no blameworthy insurance claims in the past three years. - You have strong communication skills in Japanese and can remain calm and professional under pressure. - You're happy working alone and equally happy working within a team. - You're adaptable, reliable, and comfortable operating in evolving environments and processes. - You're proficient in Microsoft Office suite or equivalent (Google Suite). - You're comfortable using smartphones, tablets, and standard workplace software tools — connecting to Wi-Fi and managing settings (brightness, volume, Bluetooth), using basic apps (e.g., Safari, Mail, Photos, Calendar), and troubleshooting common issues (app crashes, restarts, network resets). Desirable: - You have an advanced driving background (ADI, Emergency Response Advanced Driver, or similar driving qualifications). - You have strong familiarity with driving across urban and highway environments in Japan. Additional requirements: - Operations run 7 days a week, including mornings, evenings, weekends, and occasional travel support. Shift schedules (rota) are issued at least 4 weeks in advance wherever possible. - Shift pattern: Monday to Sunday, 40 hours per week/weekend (must be able to work weekends) — 06:30–15:30 or 14:30–23:30. - Vehicle Safety Operators are expected to primarily work from one of our operational sites in Yokohama or Tokyo, with occasional travel to support operations (as much notice as possible will be given). Please consider your commute carefully to ensure you can consistently arrive on time. - All applicants are required to disclose any second job as part of the application process. - All applicants are subject to a health check before/after. - Employment is contingent on passing training, pre-employment checks and ongoing drug/alcohol testing, in accordance with our policy. 🌱 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 machin