Communications Lead (UK & EU)

Join Wayve, a leading technology company in the autonomous driving industry, as the Communications Lead for the UK and Europe. In this role, you will be responsible for shaping and executing Wayve's PR strategy across various functions, including corporate, policy, and product communications. You will work closely with multiple teams, including Marketing, Policy, Product, Partnerships, and Executive Leadership, to build trusted relationships with media and other stakeholders. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in the field of autonomous driving and AI technology.

• Lead Wayve’s communications strategy and execution across the UK and Europe, helping to sustain and grow Wayve’s reputation as a leading technology company.
• Build, maintain and deepen relationships with key UK and European media through regular engagement, including briefings, ridealongs, and events.
• Work with policy product, and commercial teams to translate complex technical, regulatory, and commercial milestones into clear, compelling narratives.
• This is a high-ownership role for someone who is comfortable operating as a player-coach and who is motivated by strategic impact, autonomy, and breadth
• You do not need to have worked in autonomous driving before, but you should be excited by frontier technology and able to understand complex technical, policy, and product issues quickly
• You should be comfortable working across a broad communications mix, including corporate, product, policy, executive, and crisis communications. You will likely have built communications strategies in a technology company, startup, scale-up or agency environment, and you should understand what it takes to build awareness, manage reputation and shape perception in new technology, especially within competitive industries.
• We are looking for an experienced communications professional with strong judgement, excellent media instincts, and the ability to operate autonomously in a fast-moving environment
• The strongest candidates will combine strategic communications experience with the ability to go deep on specific topics within a highly technical space. You should be able to handle ambiguity, work at pace, effectively partner with senior stakeholders, and calmly manage sensitive or high-stakes communications issues
• Experience working closely with senior executives or company spokespeople, including preparing them for media, events, and other external engagements
• Strong judgement in complex, sensitive or high-stakes communications environments
• Experience working with policy teams on regulation, public affairs, safety, trust or market readiness
• Significant experience in communications at a fast-paced technology company, ideally in mobility, AI, automotive, deep tech, transport, policy, or another complex regulated sector
• Strong understanding of and relationships with the UK media landscape, including business, technology, policy, and national media
• Track record of building or strengthening a company’s brand, reputation and market position
• Experience managing external communications agencies and driving efficient and strong outcomes
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to operate independently in-market while collaborating closely with global and cross-functional teams
• Willingness to travel across Europe and other markets as required
• Experience in crisis communications or incident response, particularly in safety-critical, regulated or highly scrutinised industries
• Experience working across multiple European markets and adapting communications strategies country by country
• We understand that everyone has a unique set of skills and experiences and that not everyone will meet all of the requirements listed above. If you’re passionate about self-driving cars and think you have what it takes to make a positive impact on the world, we encourage you to apply
• Experience in autonomous vehicles, mobility, automotive, AI, robotics, transport, public policy or emerging technology
• Passion for helping build public understanding and trust in transformative technology