Director, Corporate Development at SoundHound AI

Your Career, our Future—Together.

Ready to join something big? At SoundHound AI, we bring voice, generative, and conversational AI together to transform how people interact with products and services. From voice-enabled vehicles to food ordering and customer support, our multilingual, omnichannel technology already impacts hundreds of millions worldwide.

The Opportunity

This is a pivotal moment to join SoundHound AI. As a key leader on the Strategy & Corporate Development team, you will be the engine of our inorganic growth story. Reporting to the VP, Strategy & Corporate Development, you will have a unique opportunity to shape SoundHound's future by leading the M&A and strategic investment activities that accelerate our roadmap and expand our market leadership. This is a high-visibility role for a proven dealmaker looking to build a world-class M&A function at the forefront of conversational AI.

What You'll Do

As the Director, Corporate Development, you will lead the full lifecycle of M&A and investment activity. You will build trusted relationships internally and externally , drive executive decisions, and be the central hub for all deal-related execution.

• Partner with the Corporate Strategy to translate our long-term vision into actionable investment themes and target universes across priority markets.
• Build and actively manage a high-quality pipeline of M&A and investment opportunities through your network of founders, bankers, investors, and advisors.
• Maintain a forward view of category dynamics, competitor moves, and build/buy/partner trade-offs to inform our inorganic strategy.
• Lead transactions end-to-end, from sourcing and diligence through valuation, structuring, negotiation, and close.
• Drive comprehensive diligence efforts across all workstreams, including commercial, finance, tax, legal, people, product/tech, and IT/infosec.
• Own all valuation and scenario modeling (e.g., synergy, accretion/dilution) and synthesize findings into clear, data-driven recommendations for senior leadership.
• Partner with Legal to structure and negotiate key deal terms, including price, earn-outs, and reps & warranties.
• Manage data rooms, external advisors, and the internal approval process through the Investment Committee and Board.
• Coordinate with counsel and Compliance on regulatory considerations, purchase accounting, and closing mechanics to ensure compliance and readiness.
• Define synergy hypotheses, key performance indicators, and Day-1 readiness plans for each transaction pre-sign.
• Support and guide M&A Integrations teams post-close, serving as a key advisor to ensure long-term value creation.
• Create Board-ready materials, including deal memos, risk analyses, and the strategic rationale for each transaction.
• Build and institutionalize our M&A playbook, refining diligence checklists, valuation frameworks, and governance processes.
• Mentor and develop other team members on process excellence and M&A best practices.
  
  

What You'll Bring

• At least 8 years of professional experience in corporate development/M&A within the technology sector, or complementary experience in investment banking, strategy consulting, or venture/growth/PE investing with a Bachelor's, or preferred MBA or advanced degree.
• A proven track record of leading deals from thesis and sourcing through close, including personally negotiating key terms.
• Advanced financial acumen, with deep expertise in valuation, scenario/sensitivity analysis, and synergy modeling.
• Unquestionable integrity and discretion in handling highly sensitive and confidential information.
• Strong product and GTM literacy for software/AI businesses and an ability to connect technology capabilities to commercial impact.
• Executive-caliber communication and presentation skills, with experience creating Board-ready materials and facilitating high-stakes discussions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams under pressure and influence without direct authority.
  
  

Workplace & Compensation

This position is available for remote work across the United States. Employees within a 60-mile radius of a SoundHound AI office are expected to work from the office on three pre-scheduled, company-wide “core days” per month to encourage in-person cross-team collaboration.

The estimated salary for this position is $170,000 - $205,000 plus equity. In addition to salary and equity, you will receive comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and other benefits. Our recruiting team will provide a specific salary range based on location and years of experience.

Let's Start the Conversation

Join SoundHound AI and collaborate with colleagues worldwide who are shaping the future of voice AI. Guided by our values—supportive, open, undaunted, nimble, and determined to win—we strive to build breakthrough AI experiences together.

We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities throughout the hiring process and employment. To view our job applicant privacy policy, please visit https://static.soundhound.com/corpus/ta/applicantprivacynotice.html.

Discover more about our philosophy, benefits, and culture at https://www.soundhound.com/careers.

• Please beware of agency recruiters falsely stating that they represent SoundHound AI on job posts. Our job post above will note if we are utilizing a specific agency to assist with the search. Our recruiters use @soundhound.com email addresses exclusively.