Managing Counsel, Commercial

Waabi, founded by AI visionary Raquel Urtasun, is the leader in Physical AI. With a world-class team, we're unlocking the next era of autonomous transportation with technology that's powering commercial autonomous trucks and robotaxis. Waabi is backed by and partners with world leaders in AI, automotive, logistics, and deep tech.

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

About the role

As Managing Counsel, Commercial, you will be responsible for Waabi's commercial contracting function and serve as the senior legal advisor on the deals that drive the business forward.

Waabi builds autonomous trucks and robotaxis, and the commercial relationships behind that work range from component supply agreements with Tier 1 manufacturers to landmark OEM partnerships that define how Waabi's technology reaches the market. You will manage the full contract portfolio — routine NDAs and vendor agreements alongside critical supply chain contracts and high-stakes strategic partnerships — and own the process end to end: intake, drafting, negotiation, execution, and post-signature compliance. You will also build the templates, playbooks, and processes that allow Waabi to contract more efficiently as it scales.

You will...

Lead Waabi's commercial contracting function, managing agreements across the full portfolio: hardware supply chain, strategic partnerships, software licensing and SaaS, professional services, consulting, testing, NDAs, vendor contracts.

Structure, draft, and negotiate hardware supply chain agreements with Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs.

Lead the legal work on strategic partnerships, including OEM and platform partnerships and corporate development engagements supporting robotaxi and autonomous truck adoption and use.

Advise engineering, supply chain, finance, and business development teams in plain language — translate contract risk into clear, actionable guidance that keeps deals on track.

Work directly alongside technical and business colleagues throughout negotiations — know what we're building and how the business works, know what's worth pushing back on, and help close deals efficiently.

Build and maintain a forms library — templates, fallback positions, and negotiation playbooks across contract types — so the company contracts more consistently and efficiently as it scales.

Own contract compliance company-wide, partnering with other functions to track and enforce obligations after signature.

Apply sound risk judgment across the portfolio — distinguish real exposure from noise. 

Support additional legal workstreams as needed, including IP matters, open-source license review, regulatory questions touching commercial agreements, and data privacy issues arising from commercial deals.

Qualifications

Required:

8+ years of legal experience, with significant time in-house, handling complex commercial transactions in the automotive, hardware, or technology space.

Demonstrated depth in hardware supply chain agreements — you understand automotive supply chain practice, IP ownership and licensing structures, warranty and liability allocation, and quality and change-management terms.

Experience structuring and negotiating strategic partnerships or corp-dev-style agreements — OEM deals or similar transactions where the deal framework required building from scratch.

Effective communicator, with the ability to give legal advice in plain language. You make contract risk understandable to engineers, product managers, and finance leads, and you keep deals moving rather than creating delays.

Comfort working directly alongside technical and business teams throughout a deal — you engage with the substance, build trust as a partner, and help get agreements across the finish line.

Well-calibrated risk judgment — you know the difference bet …