The Role
Define and elevate Waabi’s visual brand identity and translate its Physical AI narrative into compelling digital and physical experiences. Develop breakthrough creative concepts, produce video, design presentations and social content, oversee brand consistency, manage external agencies and production budgets, and partner with executive leadership. The role is hands-on initially and will eventually build and lead an in-house creative team.
Summary Generated by Built In
Waabi, founded by AI visionary Raquel Urtasun, is the leader in Physical AI. With a world-class team, we're unlocking the next era of autonomous transportation with technology that's powering commercial autonomous trucks and robotaxis. Waabi is backed by and partners with world leaders in AI, automotive, logistics, and deep tech.
With offices in Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas, and Pittsburgh, Waabi is growing quickly and looking for diverse, innovative and collaborative candidates who want to impact the world in a positive way. To learn more visit: www.waabi.ai
About the Role
We're looking for a Creative Director to define and elevate Waabi's creative and visual brand identity, translating our Physical AI narrative into work that builds mind share across digital and physical surfaces.
You will...
- Develop breakthrough creative ideas that translate Waabi's Physical AI narrative into work that builds mind share with customers, policymakers & regulators, investors, talent, and the general public.
- Steward Waabi's visual identity across every digital and physical surface, ensuring consistency and quality wherever Waabi shows up.
- Partner directly with senior leadership, including our CEO Raquel Urtasun and our COO Lior Ron, to shape how Waabi's brand and creative direction show up at the highest-visibility moments.
- Produce short and long-form video, from social-length cuts to longer brand and product films, shooting, directing, or editing hands-on as needed.
- Design keynote presentations, social content, website pages, and other core brand assets, working hands-on in the early stage of this role.
- Direct a network of creative, design, and production agencies, briefing them, reviewing output against a consistent creative bar, and managing a production budget that will grow substantially post-Series C.
- Build the case for, and eventually lead, an in-house creative team as scope grows.
Qualifications:
- 10+ years in a creative leadership role (Creative Director, Design Director, or similar), ideally including time at a deep-tech, AI, robotics, or other technically complex company.
- A portfolio demonstrating breakthrough brand ideas, not just polished execution, but concepts that changed how an audience thought about a company or product.
- Experience taking a nascent brand and making it feel fully realized everywhere it shows up.
- Hands-on proficiency in design (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite, Figma), video editing (e.g. Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro), and AI (Midjourney, Runway, Google Veo) tools. Comfortable being the primary executor early on, not just directing others.
- Experience managing external creative, design, or production agencies, including briefing, budget, and quality accountability.
- Experience partnering directly with C-suite or founder-level leadership on brand and creative decisions.
- Strong visual design sensibility across web, presentations, social, and video.
- Comfortable operating in a small team, hands-on environment, with the expectation of building toward leading a team over time.
- Open-minded and collaborative team player with the willingness to help others.
- Passionate about self-driving technologies, solving hard problems, and creating innovative solutions.
Bonus/nice to have:
- Experience translating complex technical or scientific work into visually compelling brand storytelling.
- Experience managing a production budget that scaled significantly as a company grew.
- Familiarity with end-to-end video production workflows, from concept through final cut.
- Experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or physical AI specifically.
- Experience building an in-house creative team from the ground up.
The US yearly salary range for this role is: $138,000 - $198,000 USD in addition to competitive perks & benefits. Waabi US Inc.’s yearly salary ranges are determined based on several factors in accordance with the Company’s compensation practices. The salary base range is reflective of the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Note: The Company provides additional compensation for employees in this role, including equity incentive awards and an annual performance bonus.
Perks/Benefits:
- Competitive compensation and equity awards
- Health and Wellness benefits encompassing Medical, Dental and Vision coverage
- Unlimited Vacation
- Flexible hours and Work from Home support
- Daily drinks, snacks and catered meals (when in office)
- Regularly scheduled team building activities and social events both on-site, off-site & virtually
- As we grow, this list continues to evolve!
Waabi is a technology start-up building technologies to transform the way the world moves. Join our talented team to be a part of the future and to make an impact!
Waabi is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a supportive, inclusive, and accessible workplace for all our employees. We seek applicants of all backgrounds and identities, across race, color, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, age, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military or veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or parental status, caregiver status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. We make workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process please let our recruiting team know.
Skills Required
- 10+ years in a creative leadership role such as Creative Director or Design Director
- Portfolio demonstrating breakthrough brand ideas and concepts that changed audience perceptions
- Experience developing a nascent brand into a fully realized brand identity
- Hands-on proficiency with design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
- Hands-on proficiency with video editing tools such as Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro
- Hands-on proficiency with AI tools such as Midjourney, Runway, and Google Veo
- Experience managing external creative, design, or production agencies, including briefing, budget, and quality accountability
- Experience partnering directly with C-suite or founder-level leadership
- Strong visual design sensibility across web, presentations, social, and video
- Ability to work hands-on in a small team and build toward leading a team
- Collaborative mindset and willingness to help others
- Passion for self-driving technologies, hard problems, and innovative solutions
- Experience at a deep-tech, AI, robotics, or technically complex company
- Experience translating complex technical or scientific work into compelling brand storytelling
- Experience managing production budgets that scaled significantly as a company grew
- Familiarity with end-to-end video production workflows from concept through final cut
- Experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or Physical AI
- Experience building an in-house creative team from the ground up
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The Company
What We Do
Waabi, founded by AI pioneer and visionary Raquel Urtasun, is an AI company building the next generation of self-driving technology. With a world class team and an innovative approach that unleashes the power of AI to “drive” safely in the real world, Waabi is bringing the promise of self-driving closer to commercialization than ever before. Waabi is backed by best-in-class investors across the technology, logistics and the Canadian innovation ecosystem, including Khosla Ventures, Uber, 8VC, Radical Ventures, OMERS Ventures and BDC Capital’s Women in Technology Venture Fund. To learn more visit: waabi.ai Press: [email protected] Business: [email protected]
