Managing Counsel, Commercial

Waabi

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

Waabi is a leader in Physical AI, developing technology for autonomous transportation, including commercial autonomous trucks and robotaxis. The company is backed by leaders in AI, automotive, logistics, and deep tech, with offices in Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas, and Pittsburgh. As Managing Counsel, Commercial, you will be responsible for Waabi's commercial contracting function and serve as the senior legal advisor on key business deals. This includes managing the full contract portfolio, from routine NDAs and vendor agreements to critical supply chain contracts and high-stakes strategic partnerships. You will own the entire contract process, including intake, drafting, negotiation, execution, and post-signature compliance. Additionally, you will build the necessary templates, playbooks, and processes to enable efficient contracting as Waabi scales.

Requirements

• 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 between a real issue and a paper tiger, and you spend your credibility on the things that actually matter.
• Experience building or maintaining a forms library, templates, or contracting playbooks, and the process instincts to make contracting more scalable without adding unnecessary overhead.
• The range to handle any contract type independently, at any level of complexity or stakes, without handoffs.
• J.D. and active bar membership in a relevant jurisdiction (US or Canada).

Nice To Haves

• In-house experience at an automotive OEM, Tier 1 supplier, or autonomous vehicle company
• Familiarity with automotive supply standards (e.g., IATF, AIAG, APQP/PPAP)
• Experience with applying AI tools to improve legal workflows and contracting efficiency
• Familiarity with open-source licensing, export control, or data privacy issues in the AV or hardware space

Responsibilities

• 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.

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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree