Head of ADAS and AD Software

We are recruiting for a Head of ADAS & AD Software to join our Autonomous, Connected Mobility and AI team in Woking. As the Head of ADAS & AD Software, you will own the end-to-end (E2E) autonomous driving software stack, and lead the development, integration, validation, and optimisation of ADAS/AD software stacks into McLaren Automotive embedded vehicle compute platforms. This role will define the real-time behaviour, safety envelope, and learning loop of the AI models that power our next-generation autonomous features across multiple global markets. You will be responsible for translating high-level autonomy objectives into scalable, safe, and high-performance in-vehicle AI execution.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the development of McLaren’s end-to-end multimodal foundation AI stack for autonomy.
• Define and optimize real-time AI inference pipelines for efficient, low-latency edge execution on embedded compute.
• Architect stack modularity at the motion interface to support portability, explainability, and safety validation.
• Integrate runtime behaviour modulation, confidence tracking, and safety-bound enforcement into the driving policy.
• Collaborate with Cloud and Connectivity teams to implement continuous learning feedback loops, model update ingestion, and OTA deployment compatibility.
• Oversee simulation and validation stack coverage (SIL, HIL, VIL) with clear traceability across model behaviour, safety case, and vehicle programs.
• Ensure compliance with functional safety, cybersecurity, and regulatory frameworks.

What You’ll Bring

• Proven track record of ADAS/AD software engineering, spatial AI, and embedded system development.
• Deep expertise in real-time sensor fusion, multi-modal E2E stack, and motion planning for autonomous driving.
• Experience integrating in-house and external AV software stacks into production vehicle platforms.
• Extensive experience in software optimization for low-latency AI execution.
• Strong track record in HIL/SIL validation, synthetic data modeling, and real-world autonomous driving test environments.
• Knowledge of functional safety, cybersecurity, and AI fairness/compliance standards.

What We’ll Do for You

• We Offer a Wide – Ranging Benefits Package, Which Includes:
• Structured career development framework.
• 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday.
• Annual buy & sell up to five days.
• Enhanced company pension scheme.
• Discretionary annual bonus award.
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan.
• Life assurance benefit.
• Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service.
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping.
• Generous parental leave policies.
• A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice.

Who Are We?

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars. It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks. McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.