Director, OEM & Strategic Partnerships
Waabi
Sales & Business Development
San Francisco, CA, USA
USD 250k-300k / year + Equity
Posted on Dec 5, 2025
Waabi, founded by AI pioneer and visionary Raquel Urtasun, is an AI company building the next generation of self-driving technology. With a world class team and an innovative approach that unleashes the power of AI to “drive” safely in the real world, Waabi is bringing the promise of self-driving closer to commercialization than ever before. Waabi is backed by best-in-class investors across the technology, logistics and the Canadian innovation ecosystem.
With offices in Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas, and Pittsburgh, Waabi is growing quickly and looking for diverse, innovative and collaborative candidates who want to impact the world in a positive way. To learn more visit: www.waabi.ai
You will...
- Develop and execute a detailed automotive and partnership strategy aligned with Waabi’s goals.
- Be a key business interface between Waabi and OEM partners and drive negotiations.
- Work cross-functionally with Waabi’s engineering, product, finance, and legal teams to negotiate new deals and execute upon existing contracts.
- Build, manage and evolve strong partnerships to support Waabi’s business objectives.
- Structure and negotiate partnership agreements with win-win incentives and balanced terms.
- Evaluate and maintain partner engagement by building trusted relationships with partners and developing a thorough understanding of their priorities and challenges.
- Convey business & product requirements in collaboration with technical stakeholders, taking into consideration Waabi’s overall strategy and objectives.
Qualifications:
- MS/MBA or Bachelors degree in management, technical, or engineering field with a minimum 10+ years of work experience in business development or strategic partnerships or a similar partner-facing role in the automotive or relevant fields.
- Automotive experiences and expertise leading and/or partnering with OEM’s - bringing new products to market.
- Solid understanding of business processes and best practices in product strategy and positioning.
- Experience developing new product strategy and the ability to manage multiple products from end to end.
- Proven track record of developing strategic partnerships and negotiating agreement terms from initial discussions and relationship management through agreement closing and partner management.
- Excellent verbal and writing skills by setting the right level of context to internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to communicate directly with senior executives while in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.
- Strong interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate, influence, build trust and develop meaningful relationships with internal and partner contacts.
- Experience with financial models, negotiations, and creating strategic partnerships.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to break-down complex technical, contractual and financial issues.
- Open-minded and collaborative team player with the willingness to help others.
- Passionate about self-driving technologies, building partnerships, and driving results.
The US yearly salary range for this role is: $250,000 - $300,000 USD in addition to competitive perks & benefits. Waabi (US) Inc.’s yearly salary ranges are determined based on several factors in accordance with the Company’s compensation practices. Note: The Company provides additional compensation for employees in this role, including equity incentive awards and an annual performance bonus.
Perks/Benefits:
- Competitive compensation and equity awards.
- Health and Wellness benefits encompassing Medical, Dental and Vision coverage (for full-time employees only).
- Unlimited Vacation.
- Flexible hours and Work from Home support.
- Daily drinks, snacks and catered meals (when in office).
- Regularly scheduled team building activities and social events both on-site, off-site & virtually.
- As we grow, this list continues to evolve!
Waabi is a technology start-up building technologies to transform the way the world moves. Join our talented team to be a part of the future and to make an impact!
Waabi is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a supportive, inclusive, and accessible workplace for all our employees. We seek applicants of all backgrounds and identities, across race, color, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, age, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military or veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or parental status, caregiver status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. We make workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process please let our recruiting team know.