Senior Manager/Director, Corporate Strategy & Development – Physical AI/Robotics

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

Senior Manager/Director, Corporate Strategy & Development – Physical AI/Robotics

Location: San Jose, CA

Role Summary

We’re seeking a corporate strategy leader who blends strategic acuity with hands‑on technical depth to accelerate our momentum in Physical AI and robotics. You will shape corporate growth strategies and spearhead inorganic initiatives—including M&A, direct investments, and LP commitments—while orchestrating cross‑functional execution with Product, R&D, Finance, Legal, and GTM. This is a high‑visibility role for a builder–strategist who loves diving into markets, technology stacks, and deal processes—then crafting executive‑ready narratives that inspire action.

Description

•                          Create and refine corporate growth strategies with a dedicated focus on Physical AI/robotics—market maps, product–market fit analyses, and executive storylines that turn insights into decisions.

•                          Develop investment thesis on the Physical AI stack (robots, middleware, simulation, training, deployment) and quantify where and how Cadence can create differentiated value.

•                          Build a high‑quality pipeline of direct investment targets and LP opportunities; run thesis‑driven sourcing and diligence, and prepare investment memos for leadership.

•                          Partner with product and engineering to assess buy/build/partner options—including co‑development, strategic partnerships, minority investments, and acquisitions.

•                          Lead end‑to‑end corporate development execution: source, evaluate, negotiate, and close transactions; partner with integration team to drive plans that realize strategic and financial value.

•                          Establish mechanisms for fast‑turn competitive intelligence, annual market sizing/forecasting, and executive dashboards that inform capital allocation and portfolio bets.

Expected Impact in 6–12 Months

•              Stand up an operating cadence for executive reporting on the Physical AI landscape.
•              Deliver investment thesis on Physical AI/robotics for executive review.

•              Close 3-4 partnerships/investments/acquisitions.

Minimum Qualifications

•              BS in Engineering (minimum) and 6+ years of relevant experience spanning corporate strategy, corporate development, venture investing, or product/engineering roles in robotics.

•      Familiarity with the entire physical AI/robotics policy training and validation pipeline, including hands-on experience with modern simulation environments (e.g. Isaac Sim, Gazebo, Drake), deep understanding of physics-based simulation tools and engines (e.g. PhysX, MuJoCo), and proficiency in development frameworks and middleware (e.g. ROS/ROS2).

•              Proven end‑to‑end M&A execution experience: sourcing, diligence, valuation/modeling, negotiation, close, and integration planning.

•              Investment acumen: skilled at building theses, conducting technical/market/product diligence, drafting memos, and recommending direct investments and LP commitments.

•              Executive communication: ability to distill complex technical and market insights into crisp narratives, visuals, and decision‑ready materials.

Preferred Qualifications

•              Advanced degree (MS, MBA) or equivalent; publications or demonstrated thought leadership in robotics/AI.

•              Familiarity with reinforcement learning, imitation learning, and sim‑to‑real transfer; practical exposure to datasets, synthetic data generation, and evaluation protocols.

•              Track record of cross‑functional leadership with Product, R&D, Finance, Legal, and GTM; comfort operating in ambiguous, fast‑moving environments.

Ways of Working

•              Builder–operator mindset: strategic rigor matched with willingness to get into the technical and financial details.

•              Data‑to‑narrative craftsmanship: turn analysis into compelling executive materials and operating mechanisms.

•              Bias for partnership: co‑create outcomes with engineering, product, and external innovators.

The annual salary range for California is $144,200 to $267,800. You may also be eligible to receive incentive compensation: bonus, equity, and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the salary range is a guideline and compensation may vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies and work location. Our benefits programs include: paid vacation and paid holidays, 401(k) plan with employer match, employee stock purchase plan, a variety of medical, dental and vision plan options, and more.

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