Senior Business Developer – Robotics & Voice
Location: California Bay Area
Voice AI is reshaping how robots work in the real world, and we are responding to a deep unmet need: giving mobile service robots a voice that works in the tough, messy conditions of real life. This is about opening new markets from the ground up. To do it, we are bringing together a team that combines the top commercial and technical talent, with the domain expertise these markets demand. The pace is fast, the technology is new and exciting, and your work moves the business.
Your Impact
- Engage senior decision-makers at robotics companies building the next generation of physical AI in mobile and service robotics, from startups to mid-sized players to established names.
- Qualify, size, and close opportunities, leveraging the company’s technical, commercial, and partnership resources to increase win rates and accelerate deal closure.
- Bring the experience and judgment to prioritize opportunities with the greatest commercial potential.
- Drive partnerships and deals from first contact through to close, owning the full deal cycle.
- Operate as a standalone commercial engine inside a small, entrepreneurial team, with enough technical fluency to hold your own on how robotics works.
Why Join the Team
- You get in early on a market about to scale and help define how voice for mobile service robots is won.
- This is a new business, so you shape the commercial playbook rather than inherit one. How we sell and partner is still being written, in large part by you.
- You bring the autonomy of a start-up and the credibility of an established company to every conversation, with the capital, customer relationships, technology, and brand behind you.
- Decisions come fast, obstacles get cleared, and you hold real authority over your part of the business.
What You Bring
- A track record in sales, business development, or venture capital. You know how to find, qualify, and win.
- Fluency in robotics, ideally on the software / software-integration side; experience with voice or conversational AI is a strong plus.
- Structured, professional, and immediately credible in front of founders and senior leaders.
- An entrepreneurial instinct, comfortable with ambiguity, speed, and full ownership of outcomes.
- Willingness to travel.
Education & Qualifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Software Engineering, AI, or a related discipline.
What we offer
- We offer a generous compensation and benefits package (in addition to the base salary), including:
- Salary range $119,350.00 - $190,650.00 USD It is not typical for offers to be made at or near the top of the range. The actual salary will be determined based on experience and other job-related factors.
- Annual bonus opportunity
- Insurance coverage (medical, dental, vision, life, and disability)
- Paid time off
- Paid holidays
- Company contribution to the RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan)
- Equity awards for certain positions and levels
- Remote and/or hybrid work available depending on the position All compensation and benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of the underlying plans or programs, as applicable, and may be amended, terminated, or replaced from time to time.
About Cerence
Cerence is a global leader in conversational AI and voice technologies. We are expanding our innovations beyond automotive into robotics and physical AI, creating intelligent systems that interact naturally with people across industries and environments.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Cerence is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Cerence Inc. (Nasdaq: CRNC and www.cerence.com) is the global industry leader in creating unique, moving experiences for the automotive world. Spun out from Nuance in October 2019, Cerence is a new, independent company that has quickly gained traction as a leader in the automotive voice assistant space, working with all of the world’s leading automakers – from Ford and Fiat Chrysler to Daimler, Audi and BMW to Geely and SAIC – to transform how a car feels, responds and learns. Its track record is built on more than 20 years of industry experience and leadership and more than 500 million cars on the road today across more than 70 languages.
As Cerence looks to the future and continues an ambitious growth agenda, we need someone to join the team and help build the future of voice and AI in cars. This is an exciting opportunity to join Cerence’s passionate, dedicated, global team and be a part of meaningful innovation in a rapidly growing industry.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERCerence is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sex, sex stereotyping, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, protected military or veteran status, genetic information and other protected classifications. Cerence Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.
All prospective and current Employees need to remain vigilant when it comes to executing security policies in the workplace. This includes:
- Following workplace security protocols and training programs to familiarize with the ways to maintain a safe workplace.
- Following security procedures to report any suspicious activity.
- Having respect for corporate security procedures to allow those procedures to be effective.
- Adhering to company's compliance and regulations.
- Encouraging to follow a zero tolerance for workplace violence.
- Basic knowledge of information security and data privacy requirements (e.g., how to protect data & how to be handling this data).
- Demonstrative knowledge of information security through internal training programs.
Similar Jobs
What you need to know about the San Francisco Tech Scene
Key Facts About San Francisco Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 365,500; 13.9% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Google, Apple, Salesforce, Meta
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fintech, consumer technology, software
- Funding Landscape: $50.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Greylock Partners, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins
- Research Centers and Universities: Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; University of San Francisco; Santa Clara University; Ames Research Center; Center for AI Safety; California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
