Senior Business Development Manager, L4 Autonomous Driving

To support the continued growth of Hesai’s autonomous driving business in North America, we are looking for an experienced and commercially driven Senior Business Development Manager, L4 Autonomous Driving. This role will focus primarily on L4 autonomous driving and robotaxi programs, including autonomous mobility companies, autonomous driving technology companies, and selected automotive OEMs developing highly automated passenger vehicle platforms. The successful candidate will be responsible for identifying and developing new customers and programs, building senior-level relationships, positioning Hesai early in customer development cycles, and converting opportunities into design wins, production programs, and revenue. We are looking for someone with a strong hunter mindset , high energy, urgency, and a proven track record of winning new business. The ideal candidate has direct experience within the L4 autonomous driving ecosystem, understands how autonomous vehicle companies evaluate and select perception and sensing technologies, and has an established network across the industry. This is a highly customer-facing, hands-on role. It is not primarily an account-management position. The successful candidate will be expected to proactively open doors, create new opportunities, build new relationships, and drive complex opportunities from early engagement through commercial closure and production. Key Responsibilities Drive new business development and LiDAR sales across strategic North American L4 autonomous driving and robotaxi customers. Identify, develop, and convert new opportunities for current and future autonomous vehicle platforms and programs. Expand Hesai’s leadership position in the global robotaxi market and strengthen its position across emerging L4 autonomous driving applications. Build and maintain strong relationships with technical, engineering, product, procurement, business, and executive stakeholders at customer organizations. Develop a deep understanding of customers’ autonomous driving roadmaps, vehicle platforms, sensing architectures, perception strategies, deployment plans, and sourcing decisions. Position Hesai early in customer development cycles to influence sensor architecture, product requirements, technology selection, and sourcing strategy. Own the full business development and sales cycle from opportunity identification and initial engagement through technical evaluation, proof of concept, RFI/RFQ, commercial negotiation, nomination, contracting, and production ramp. Take ownership of pipeline, design-win, revenue, and account-growth targets. Proactively identify new customers, platforms, programs, and opportunities rather than relying on established accounts or inbound demand. Develop clear account strategies, stakeholder maps, pursuit plans, and commercial strategies for priority customers. Work closely with Product, Engineering, Field Application Engineering, Program Management, Operations, and company leadership to develop competitive solutions and secure customer design wins. Coordinate internal resources to support customer demonstrations, vehicle integrations, technical evaluations, proof-of-concept projects, and production programs. Maintain a strong understanding of the competitive landscape, including customer sensor strategies, competitor positioning, technology trends, and evolving market requirements. Provide actionable customer and market feedback to Product and Engineering teams regarding product requirements, competitive positioning, and future platform needs. Lead commercial discussions including pricing, business models, development agreements, contracts, and long-term supply agreements. Maintain accurate opportunity pipelines, revenue forecasts, account plans, and short- and long-term business projections. Represent Hesai at customer meetings, industry events, conferences, and other strategic engagements across North America. Desired Qualifications 8+ years of experience in business development, sales, strategic accounts, applications engineering, program management, or another customer-facing role within autonomous driving, LiDAR, sensing, robotics, automotive technology, semiconductors, or a related field. Demonstrated success developing and winning new business with robotaxi, autonomous driving, or L4 vehicle programs. Direct experience within the North American autonomous driving ecosystem strongly preferred. Strong existing network within autonomous driving companies, robotaxi operators, technology companies, or automotive OEM autonomous driving organizations. Established relationships across autonomous driving engineering, perception, sensor architecture, vehicle platforms, product, procurement, business development, or executive leadership are highly valued. Proven ability to create new customers and opportunities rather than primarily managing established accounts. Strong hunter mentality with high energy, initiative, persistence, urgency, and personal ownership. Demonstrated ability to convert customer engagement into technical evaluations, design wins, commercial agreements, and revenue. Strong understanding of L4 autonomous driving systems, perception technologies, sensor architectures, and autonomous vehicle development cycles. Experience with LiDAR, camera, radar, semiconductors, optoelectronics, sensing, or other advanced perception technologies strongly preferred. Experience driving complex opportunities through technical evaluation, RFI/RFQ, sourcing, commercial negotiation, nomination, contracting, and production launch. Strong commercial judgment and experience with pricing, contracts, strategic account planning, and long‑term customer development. Ability to understand complex technical products and communicate effectively with both engineering teams and senior business decision-makers. Excellent communication, presentation, relationship-building, negotiation, and cross‑functional leadership skills. Ability to operate effectively in a fast‑paced, international organization and work closely with teams across North America and Asia. Willingness to travel regularly within North America and internationally as required. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Computer Science, or another relevant technical field preferred. What Success Looks Like Success in this role will be measured by the ability to: Build a strong pipeline of new L4 autonomous driving and robotaxi opportunities. Open and develop strategic new customer relationships. Win new design nominations and production programs. Expand Hesai’s position with leading autonomous driving customers. Build strong relationships with key technical, commercial, and executive decision-makers. Convert customer engagement into measurable design wins and revenue growth. Consistently identify and pursue new opportunities with speed, urgency, and ownership. #J-18808-Ljbffr Hesai Technology