Business Development Manager, Retail Channel (Starlink Growth)

SpaceX•Redmond, WA

17h

About The Position

SpaceX’s North America Business Development team is seeking a Business Development Manager to own and scale the Starlink retail channel across the United States and Canada. The role manages relationships with big box and specialty retailers, leads distributor partnerships, and drives the operational and commercial work needed to grow retail distribution, activations, and sell-through. It calls for retail channel management experience, analytical rigor, and disciplined execution across forecasting, inventory, promotions, and channel operations. The manager will collaborate with internal teams and external partners to grow the channel, improve service activations for kits sold through retail, and report progress, insights, risks, and recommendations to Starlink leadership. The position requires availability for extended hours and weekends as needed and travel up to 50% to partner locations, distributor sites, and other SpaceX locations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
At least 5 years of experience in business development, channel management, retail sales, account management, or complex commercial partnerships.
At least 3 years of experience managing retail or distribution channels, including forecasting, inventory, promotions, and performance tracking for revenue- or growth-oriented programs.
Availability to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
Willingness to travel up to 50% of the time to retail partner locations, distributor sites, and other SpaceX locations.
Must meet U.S. Government export-control eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, or be eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, marketing, engineering, or a related field.
Proven background in retail channel management, business development, or partnerships supporting high-growth or commercial teams in technology, telecommunications, consumer electronics, or subscription-based services.
Direct experience working with big box retailers, specialty retailers, and/or distributors, including account management, negotiations, and joint business planning.
Strong analytical, forecasting, and data fluency, including inventory allocation, KPI design, sell-through analysis, and leadership reporting.
Demonstrated success driving retail channel growth, activations, or distribution expansion from concept through execution and scale.
Self-motivation and a track record of project ownership, prioritization under ambiguity, and delivery of measurable results.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to work effectively with technical and commercial stakeholders and external retail partners.
MBA or master’s degree with a business or technical focus.

Responsibilities

Manage day-to-day communication and commercial relationships with big box and specialty retailers, serving as the primary partner contact and aligning on assortment, pricing, promotions, and performance goals.
Lead distributor relationships, including account planning, performance management, logistics, inventory flow, and go-to-market execution.
Assist with inventory allocation across retailers and distributors, balancing demand, sell-through, and supply constraints to optimize availability and minimize stockouts or excess inventory.
Develop and execute retail promotions with marketing, pricing, and retail partners, and measure their impact on activations and sell-through.
Support quarterly and annual channel forecasting by building bottom-up demand forecasts, tracking performance against plan, and identifying risks and opportunities for leadership.
Streamline sales and distribution data processes and reporting to inform channel strategy, assortment, inventory, and growth investments.
Lead store expansion and optimization, identify high-potential locations and partners, support new store openings, and drive in-store merchandising and activation.
Improve Starlink service activation rates for new kits sold through retail in partnership with operations, customer support, and retail partners.
Partner with product, marketing, engineering, finance, supply chain, and legal to establish ownership, ensure timely execution, and coordinate handoffs from opportunity through launch.
Report on retail channel initiatives, including progress, insights, risks, and recommendations, directly to Starlink leadership.
Continuously improve team processes, tools, and operating rhythms to increase throughput, clarity, and accountability.