The Director — IP Licensing & Strategic Partnerships will own end-to-end IP licensing deals and strategic partnerships for Meeami's Audio Block portfolio. This is a hunter-closer role requiring a rare combination of technical depth in audio/SoC ecosystems and commercial acumen to structure and close multi-million-dollar agreements with OEMs, ODMs, SoC vendors, and platform partners across India, APAC, and EMEA.
You bring a reverse-engineered perspective — having worked on the licensing or vendor side, you understand how technology providers price, package, and pitch IP, and you use that insight to position Meeami's Audio Blocks compellingly and close deals faster.
Key Responsibilities
IP Licensing & Deal Origination
- Identify, prospect, and close IP licensing agreements for Meeami's Audio Blocks with OEMs, ODMs, SoC vendors, and Independent Design Houses (IDHs).
- Structure commercial agreements covering royalties, per-unit licensing, bundled SoC deals, and enterprise SaaS-style arrangements.
- Negotiate contract terms including SLAs, deliverable milestones, payment schedules, maintenance clauses, and risk mitigation provisions.
- Build and manage a healthy pipeline across India, APAC, and EMEA.
Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Development
- Develop and nurture strategic alliances with SoC platform partners (e.g. Qualcomm, MediaTek, Realtek, ESWIN), audio chipset vendors, and OEM product teams.
- Engage with IDHs and ODMs to embed Meeami Audio Blocks in their reference designs and product roadmaps.
- Represent Meeami at industry events, trade shows, and partner summits (CES, NEPCON, India Electronics Week).
Technical & Commercial Alignment
- Conduct technical vendor validation in collaboration with Meeami's engineering team to qualify integration partners.
- Evaluate SoC integration requirements (audio DSP pipelines, codec compatibility, MIPI/I2S interfaces) and translate them into commercial opportunities.
- Build Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models and ROI narratives for prospective licensees.
- Provide Voice of Customer (VoC) feedback to the product team to influence Audio Block roadmap and pricing strategy.
Go-to-Market & Revenue Ownership
- Own P&L accountability for the IP licensing business unit in your region.
- Develop go-to-market playbooks, collateral, and pricing frameworks for Meeami Audio Blocks.
- Collaborate with marketing on thought leadership, case studies, and partner co-marketing programs.
- Deliver accurate revenue forecasts and pipeline reporting to leadership on a weekly/monthly cadence.
Qualifications
- 8–15 years of experience in IP licensing, strategic partnerships, or technology business development in semiconductor, audio, consumer electronics, or related sectors.
- Demonstrated track record of closing multi-million-dollar licensing or technology partnership deals.
- Deep familiarity with SoC ecosystems: audio processing pipelines, DSP integration, codec stacks, or connectivity IP (USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, MIPI).
- Experience engaging with OEMs, ODMs, SoC vendors, and IDHs at both technical and executive levels.
- Strong contract negotiation skills — royalty structures, NRE fees, milestone-based payments, IP indemnification.
- Established relationships with companies in India, APAC (Taiwan, China, South Korea, Japan), and/or EMEA.
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior experience on the vendor/licensor side of IP licensing (e.g. at Dolby, DTS, Qualcomm, ARM, CEVA, or similar) — gives the inside track perspective we value highly.
- Understanding of audio AI/ML technologies: noise suppression, acoustic echo cancellation, voice enhancement, spatial audio.
- Experience with TWS earbuds, OWS headphones, smart speakers, hearables, or automotive audio products.
- MBA or equivalent business qualification is a plus.
- Comfort with international travel across APAC/EMEA (30–40%).
