The role
Wayve is looking for an experienced Regulatory Counsel to help build and lead a new regulatory legal function within the company. This is a senior position that will play a critical role in shaping Wayve’s approach to regulatory strategy and engagement as we scale globally and bring embodied AI technology into real-world deployment.
This role is ideal for someone who thrives in fast-moving, highly regulated environments and enjoys working at the intersection of technology, regulation, and commercial innovation. While experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or AI would be valuable, it is not essential. We are more interested in candidates with strong foundational regulatory skills, sound judgement, and a proven ability to navigate complex regulatory landscapes within consumer-facing or highly regulated industries.
We are looking for a proactive, commercially minded self-starter who is comfortable operating independently, building new processes and frameworks from the ground up, and partnering closely with senior stakeholders across the business. This role will initially operate as an individual contributor but is expected to evolve quickly into a people management position, including cross-border management responsibilities as the team expands internationally.
Key responsibilities:
This broad role will support the legal and leadership teams on a wide range of regulatory matters, including:
Advising the business on regulatory strategy and compliance across multiple jurisdictions, with a focus on emerging and evolving technology regulation, including AV, AI and automotive
Monitoring, interpreting, and communicating developments in laws, regulations, and government policy relevant to Wayve’s products and operations
Supporting engagement with regulators, government bodies, industry groups, and external stakeholders
Advising on product, safety, consumer protection, and operational regulatory issues associated with deploying advanced technologies in real-world environments
Partnering closely with engineering, policy, communications, commercial, and operational teams to provide practical and commercially focused regulatory advice
Developing scalable processes, policies, and governance structures to support the company’s growth
Managing external counsel and coordinating cross-border regulatory advice where required
Supporting strategic initiatives, market expansion, and new product deployments from a regulatory perspective
Helping to build and shape Wayve’s broader regulatory legal capability, including mentoring and managing future team members as the function grows
Educating and enabling the business on regulatory risk and compliance matters
About you
In order to set you up for success as a Regulatory Counsel at Wayve, we’re looking for the following skills and experience.
Essential
Qualified lawyer with 6–7+ years of post-qualification legal experience. E&W qualified preferred but other relevant qualifications will be considered
Significant in-house legal experience within a highly regulated industry
Strong experience advising on regulatory matters in complex, consumer-facing or technology-driven sectors
Excellent legal analysis, drafting, communication, and stakeholder management skills
Strong commercial judgement and ability to assess legal and regulatory risk in the context of broader business objectives
Ability to work autonomously, take initiative, and operate effectively in a fast-paced and evolving environment
Experience partnering cross-functionally with senior business stakeholders
Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously
Interest in helping to build and scale a new regulatory legal function within a high-growth technology company
Willingness and ability to manage and mentor team members as the function expands internationally
Desirable
Experience in one or more of the following areas will be a major plus:
Regulatory experience within the automotive or mobility sector, particularly at an OEM or similarly complex engineering-led organisation
Experience working within industries undergoing rapid regulatory evolution, such as FinTech, social media, telecommunications, or other emerging technology sectors
Familiarity with autonomous vehicle, AI, or product safety regulatory frameworks
Experience engaging directly with regulators, policymakers, or industry bodies
Cross-border regulatory advisory experience across the UK, Europe, or the United States
Experience helping to establish or scale legal or regulatory functions within growing businesses
This is a full-time role based in our office in London. At Wayve we want the best of all worlds so we operate a hybrid working policy that combines time together in our offices and workshops to fuel innovation, culture, relationships and learning, and time spent working from home.