Business Development Director; f​/m​/d), Automotive Europe

To support the continued growth of Hesai's automotive business in Europe, we are looking for an experienced and commercially driven Business Development Director (f/m/d), Automotive Europe.

The primary objective of this role is to create and win new automotive business across Europe, with a strong focus on major German OEMs. The successful candidate will identify opportunities before formal sourcing processes begin, build trusted relationships with senior technical and commercial decision-makers, position Hesai early in future vehicle programs, and drive opportunities from initial engagement through RFQ, nomination, and commercial closure.

We are looking for a true business builder and hunter (f/m/d) with a strong understanding of the European automotive ecosystem and an established senior-level network within major OEMs. A background in ADAS, autonomous driving, vehicle architecture, sensors, or other advanced automotive technologies would be particularly valuable.

This is a highly customer-facing and hands-on role requiring strong commercial ownership, sufficient technical depth to engage sophisticated automotive customers, and the ability to operate effectively across an international and cross-functional organization.

• Lead automotive business development activities across Europe, with primary focus on major German OEMs.
• Proactively identify, create, and develop new business opportunities rather than relying primarily on incoming RFQs.
• Leverage an established senior-level OEM network to open doors, develop new relationships, and position Hesai early in future vehicle and technology programs.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers across ADAS and autonomous driving; engineering and R&D; vehicle architecture and platform development; purchasing and sourcing; program management; and executive management.
• Understand customer technology roadmaps, sourcing strategies, organizational dynamics, and future vehicle platforms to identify opportunities before formal sourcing processes begin.
• Drive opportunities end-to-end, from early customer engagement and technical evaluation through RFQ, commercial negotiation, nomination, and deal closure.
• Deliver measurable new design wins, nominations, and a long-term revenue pipeline.
• Expand Hesai's footprint within existing OEM accounts by identifying new vehicle programs, platforms, applications, and decision-makers.
• Develop and execute business development and account strategies for priority European OEMs.
• Lead commercial discussions covering pricing, NRE, development agreements, volume expectations, contracts, and other key commercial terms.
• Build and maintain a strong multi-year opportunity pipeline with clear assumptions around probability, timing, volume, revenue, competitive position, and key decision milestones.
• Develop competitive strategies for major opportunities and maintain strong awareness of competing technologies, suppliers, and market trends.
• Coordinate closely with product, engineering, application engineering, program management, and headquarters teams to support customer evaluations and secure design wins.
• Represent customer and market requirements internally and provide commercial input into product positioning, product strategy, and roadmap discussions.
• Lead or coordinate a small European commercial team as required, setting clear priorities and ensuring strong execution and accountability.
• Represent Hesai in strategic customer meetings, technical workshops, industry events, and other relevant automotive forums.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• 12+ years of relevant automotive business development, sales, or commercial experience preferred. Candidates with 10+ years and an exceptional track record of winning complex OEM business will also be considered.
• Established senior-level network within major German and European automotive OEMs.
• Strong existing relationships within ADAS, autonomous driving, vehicle architecture, engineering, purchasing, or other relevant advanced automotive organizations are strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated track record of personally creating and winning new automotive business with European OEMs.
• Proven experience developing opportunities from initial engagement through technical evaluation, RFQ, nomination, and production.
• Strong commercial and negotiation capabilities,…