Technical Business Development Manager

Wayve; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Wayve is seeking a Technical Business Development Manager (OEM / Tier-1 / Technology Partners) to drive European OEM partnerships. You will lead RFQ/RFI activities, shape how we present autonomous software capabilities, and work with product and engineering to create compelling customer narratives.

The role reports to senior stakeholders across a matrix organisation and requires close collaboration with cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Automotive and/or automotive software background is must-have.
• Strong understanding of OEM processes: RFQ/RFI and pre-nomination workflows.
• Ability to translate technical materials for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proven cross-functional execution in a matrix organisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead Europe-focused early-stage OEM engagements and drive opportunity strategy from first touch through pre-nomination phases.
• Own RFQ/RFI and bid responses end-to-end: clarify requirements, coordinate inputs, manage timelines, and deliver high-quality submissions.
• Partner with product, engineering, and technical leads to develop customer narratives, proposals, and supporting materials (decks, business cases, GTM content).
• Present confidently to both working-level engineering teams and executive (C-level) stakeholders, tailoring messaging to audience needs.
• Operate effectively in a matrix organisation: align internal stakeholders on positioning, feasibility, and priorities to move opportunities forward.

Skills

Automotive background

OEM processes understanding

Technical storytelling

Cross-functional leadership

Executive stakeholder communication

Willingness to travel

Job description

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.
In our fast-paced environment 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

As a Technical Business Development Manager at Wayve, you’ll play a pivotal role in scaling strategic OEM partnerships across Europe. You’ll own the front-end of major RFQ/RFI and pre-nomination activity—shaping how we position our autonomy and automotive software capabilities with customers. This is a highly cross-functional role, working closely with product and engineering to turn complex technical value into compelling customer outcomes. You’ll have direct exposure to senior customer stakeholders and the chance to materially influence commercial momentum in one of our priority geographies.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead Europe-focused early-stage OEM engagements and drive opportunity strategy from first touch through pre-nomination phases
• Own RFQ/RFI and bid responses end-to-end: clarify requirements, coordinate inputs, manage timelines, and deliver high-quality submissions
• Partner with product, engineering, and technical leads to develop customer narratives, proposals, and supporting materials (decks, business cases, GTM content)
• Present confidently to both working-level engineering teams and executive (C-level) stakeholders, tailoring messaging to audience needs
• Operate effectively in a matrix organisation: align internal stakeholders on positioning, feasibility, and priorities to move opportunities forward

About you

In order to set you up for success as a Technical Business Development Manager (OEM / Tier-1 / Technology Partners) at Wayve, we’re looking for someone who can sit confidently at the intersection of deep automotive autonomy technology and complex commercial partnering. You’re as comfortable running a technical deep-dive with engineering teams as you are aligning executives on strategy, risk, and deal structure. You bring the judgement to translate product and engineering realities into clear customer commitments—and the drive to push opportunities from early discovery through PoC planning and ultimately toward nomination.

Essential

• Automotive and/or automotive software background (must-have)
• Strong understanding of OEM processes and commercial motion: RFQ/RFI, Tier 1/OEM dynamics, bidding, and pre-nomination workflows
• Ability to understand, translate, and present technical materials credibly to technical and non-technical audiences
• Proven ability to drive cross-functional execution in a matrix organisation (aligning product/engineering/commercial stakeholders)

Desirable

• Experience working directly with European OEMs and navigating complex enterprise procurement and decision-making environments
• Background in adjacent roles (e.g., solutions architecture, technical sales, or consulting) with demonstrated willingness to operate hands-on at detail level
• Exposure to autonomy/ADAS, software-defined vehicles, or related domains (helpful, not required)
• Act as a force multiplier across teams, orchestrating the right stakeholders to align on priorities, build conviction around outcomes, and accelerate execution against critical goals.
• Highly adaptable, with the flexibility to travel and attend onsite meetings and events as business needs require.

Wayve is committed to creating an inclusive interview experience. If you require any accommodations or adjustments to participate fully in our interview process, please let us know.

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.

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.

For more information visit Careers at Wayve.

To learn more about what drives us, visit Values at Wayve

For US candidates only, please visit E-Verify Notice and Participation and Right to Work

DISCLAIMER: We will not ask about marriage or pregnancy, care responsibilities or disabilities in any of our job adverts or interviews. However, we do look to capture information about care responsibilities, and disabilities among other diversity information as part of an optional DEI Monitoring form to help us identify areas of improvement in our hiring process and ensure that the process is inclusive and non-discriminatory.