Strategic Partnership Manager

At Wayve we're committed to creating a diverse, fair and respectful culture that is inclusive of everyone based on their unique skills and perspectives, and regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, pregnancy or related condition  (including breastfeeding) or any other basis as protected by applicable law.  

About us   

Founded in 2017, Wayve is the leading developer of Embodied AI technology.  Our advanced AI software and foundation models enable vehicles to perceive, understand, and navigate any complex environment, enhancing the usability and safety of automated driving systems.

Our vision is to create autonomy that propels the world forward.  Our intelligent, mapless, and hardware-agnostic AI products are designed for automakers, accelerating the transition from assisted to automated driving.  

At Wayve, big problems ignite us—we embrace uncertainty, leaning into complex challenges to unlock groundbreaking solutions. We aim high and stay humble in our pursuit of excellence, constantly learning and evolving as we pave the way for a smarter, safer future.

At Wayve, your contributions matter.  We value diversity, embrace new perspectives, and foster an inclusive work environment; we back each other to deliver impact.  

Make Wayve the experience that defines your career!  

The role 

We’re looking for an experienced Strategic Partnership Manager to negotiate and execute advanced development programs and series production agreements with major global automakers and Tier 1s, working with cross-functional teams across the organization. 

Key responsibilities:

• Structure, negotiate, draft, close, and manage commercial agreements with global automakers and Tier 1 suppliers for integration of Wayve’s driving automation software
• Aggressively manage diverse and constantly evolving deal pipeline, leveraging Wayve’s demonstrated leadership in E2E AI to build demand and maximize negotiation leverage
• Bring creative, solutions-oriented mindset to complex and challenging negotiation points, navigating deals to a timely closure 
• Cultivate strong, trusted relationships with cross-functional counterparts throughout the organization including Product, Software, Science, Finance, Policy, and Legal, and maintain regular communications as opportunities move through the funnel
• Perform financial modeling and analysis of various pricing strategies to understand the long-term revenue implications of different deal structures
• Stay abreast of the developing regulatory frameworks governing automated driving and understand how they impact commercialization opportunities in different regions
• Represent Wayve thought leadership at industry events  

About you

In order to set you up for success as a Strategic Partnership Manager at Wayve, we’re looking for the following skills and experience.

Essential:

• 7+ years experience working on automotive OEM procurement and strategic partnership deals (either on OEM or supplier side), with a particular emphasis on complex integrated solutions, silicon, sensors, and software 
• Experience with first-of-kind deals with fast-evolving, cutting-edge technologies 
• Strong understanding of the OEM sourcing, procurement, and strategic partnership negotiating playbook, with a nuanced judgment about the realistic bargaining range across a variety of deal points
• Thorough familiarity with major OEM-supplier deal structures on issues such as licensing, payment, rev share, bonus, earn-out, NRE, IP, warranties, risk allocation, termination, exclusivity, governance, dispute resolution, etc.
• Deep expertise of the global ADAS/AD market, understanding the opportunities and challenges faced by potential customers 
• Strong technical understanding of both artificial intelligence and driving automation systems   
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and an ability to explain complex matters in clear, accessible language
• Comfortable managing through ambiguity and making decisions with imperfect information 
• Strategic thinker with strong commercial/business acumen and judgment 
• Strong emotional intelligence and ability to collaborate with counterparts across teams, time zones, and business cultures
• Great colleague - open, optimistic, humble, and non-political team player

This is a full-time role that can be based in a number of different locations, including  Sunnyvale, Detroit, London, or Germany. 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 f