Business Development Associate

Why this role is exciting

Vay is redefining mobility through teledriving technology. We are seeking a highly motivated Business Development Associate to join Vay’s B2B and partnership team. This role is designed to directly support the Director of Business Development on Vay’s most strategic and high-stakes partnerships. This role sits at the intersection of deep technology, commercial strategy, and complex negotiations. 

You will play a critical role in helping scale Vay’s partnerships with mobility platform companies, OEM integrations, technology partners and public sector stakeholders. The ideal candidate is a strong project manager and communicator who thrives in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment, with the ability to qualify new engagements, perform business modelling, and navigate the technical and regulatory constraints of a deep-tech product to make strategic engagements a success.

What you'll be driving

Strategic Partnership Development & Deal Execution 

• Own and prioritize the early-stage partnership pipeline across mobility platforms, OEMs, autonomy players, and public-sector stakeholders.
• Structure new opportunities: define use cases, economics, regulatory feasibility, and technical requirements.
• Support and co-drive high-profile negotiations (MoUs, term sheets, pilots, contracts), including drafting redlines and counterproposals, working closely with Vay’s Engineering, Legal, and Finance teams.
• Coordinate feasibility assessments and translate deep-tech constraints into commercially viable deal structures.

Commercial Strategy & Business Modelling

• Build and maintain partnership business models to evaluate opportunities and support negotiations.
• Conduct structured market research and competitor analysis in autonomous driving, teleoperations, ride-hailing, and OEM ecosystems. 
• Support city and country expansion projects, including preparation of tenders, regulatory applications, and C-level materials.

Executive Enablement & Cross-Functional Alignment

• Prepare executive-level decks, briefing notes, negotiation summaries, and decision proposal
• Act as interface between BD, Engineering, Legal, Finance and external stakeholders, ensuring smooth alignment and delivery of partnership projects 
• Support preparation for high-level partner meetings 

Governance & Confidentiality 

• Maintain discretion and confidentiality when handling sensitive negotiations and regulatory matters.

What are we looking for

Experience

• At least 3-5 years shaping growth and strategy in business development, top-tier consulting, corporate strategy, investment banking, or a high-growth deep-tech / mobility startup.
• Academic grounding in Business Administration, Business Engineering & Management (Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen), Economics, Finance, or related field (Master’s degree is a plus).
• Exposure to autonomous driving, mobility, automotive, or tech industries is a strong advantage.

Skills & Capabilities

• Structured Strategic Thinker: able to decompose ambiguous problems into clear frameworks and strategic scenarios. 
• Confident project driver: able to juggle multiple workstreams, prioritize effectively, and deliver under pressure. 
• Sharp Communicator: you can create crisp and professional documents, pitch ideas, and support partner negotiations with clarity and impact.
• Analytical mindset: Skilled in partnership business modelling, financial analysis, and scenario planning to support high-stakes decisions.
• Ability to understand and incorporate technical and regulatory constraints of a deep-tech mobility product into commercial work.
• Comfortable working across tools and systems: Google / PowerPoint Slides, Sheets / Excel,  contracts and CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) .

Mindset & Approach

• High-agency operator who takes ownership rather than waiting for instruction.
• Calm under pressure and comfortable in high-stakes environments.
• Detail-oriented but able to think strategically.
• Discreet, trustworthy, and professional in sensitive situations.
• Entrepreneurial, intellectually curious, and motivated to help build a new category in mobility.

Why choose Vay

💪 A global team of smart, motivated people from 30+ countries who love tackling hard problems and turning bold ideas into reality

🌍 Huge scope for impact in a fast paced environment

💰 ESOP stock options: A stake in Vay’s future - not just a salary

🌴 Unlimited Paid Vacation Days

🎫 Subsidised Deutschland ticket (Berlin)

🏋️‍♂️ Subsidised Urban Sports Club or FitX Membership 

🚗 All Vay team members receive 30% off their Vay rides

🛍️ Exclusive external discounts

💼 €350 Home Office Set-up 

✈️ Relocation financial assistance when relocating to Berlin 

📚 Fully funded German Lessons 

🎊 Regular team events throughout the year