Director, Business Development (Germany, Netherlands or Austria)

Niron Magnetics, Inc. • Minneapolis, MN

12d

About The Position

We’re hiring for a Director of Business Development to serve as Niron’s commercial lead in Europe, responsible for establishing and scaling strategic, long-term partnerships that accelerate adoption of a transformational deep technology platform across key European markets. This role will play a key part in establishing and scaling Niron’s long-term presence in Europe.
This role focuses on closing high impact enterprise agreements and building durable relationships with European OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, particularly in automotive, industrial automation, energy systems, and advanced manufacturing. You will operate at the intersection of technologies underpinning electric vehicles, robotics, industrial motors, HVAC, defense adjacent systems, and acoustic applications—introducing a new magnetic material that enables fundamentally new system designs.
The successful candidate will act as the commercial owner for major opportunities, coordinating engineering, quality, operations, legal, and executive teams to guide complex, highly technical engagements through structured evaluation, negotiation, and execution. This role is supported by Customer Enablement and Applications Engineering teams, enabling strong focus on partnership strategy, deal architecture, and executive engagement.
This position plays a vital role in executing Niron’s growth plans and is expected to originate and lead eight digit plus strategic opportunities, serving as a core contributor to the company’s European expansion.

Requirements

• 10–20 years in business development, strategic partnerships, or commercial leadership.
• Proven experience closing multi-million-dollar enterprise agreements with global OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers.
• Background selling technical components, materials, or hardware platforms into engineering-driven organizations.
• Experience negotiating global commercial agreements, joint development frameworks, and long‑term supply partnerships.
• Technical Fluency
• Electromagnetic systems
• Electric motors and generators
• Magnetic materials
• Sensors and actuators
• Advanced manufacturing technologies
• Primarily based in Europe (Germany, Austria, or the Netherlands), with flexibility for customer engagement and collaboration across time zones.
• Candidates must have the legal right to work in the country of hire.
• Travel up to 50%, primarily within Europe, with periodic travel to the United States and other global regions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working within European industrial ecosystems (e.g., automotive, industrial manufacturing, regulated supply chains) strongly preferred.
• Typical backgrounds include senior roles within:
• Advanced materials companies
• Electric motor or generator manufacturers
• Power electronics or electrification platforms
• Automotive or industrial OEM supply chains
• Deep-technology hardware startups scaling across global markets

Responsibilities

• Lead Strategic Commercial Engagements
• Lead development and closure of major commercial agreements with European OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
• Guide opportunities from early technical and executive alignment through structured negotiation and contract execution.
• Manage complex, multi‑stakeholder sales cycles involving engineering, procurement, legal, finance, sustainability, and executive leadership.
• Navigate environments where close customer–supplier collaboration is required to allocate future production capacity, recognizing that Niron is currently operating a pilot production site and building its first high‑volume manufacturing facility.
• Balance extended qualification, validation, and industrialization cycles typical of European manufacturing organizations with near‑term pilots and long‑term supply commitments.
• Architect Transformational Partnerships
• Structure commercial frameworks including:
• Long-term supply agreements
• Joint development agreements (JDAs)
• Licensing and royalty arrangements
• Strategic technology partnerships
• Creative, win‑win solutions that align early‑stage technology adoption with customer product roadmaps, regulatory requirements, and sustainability objectives
• Ensure agreements align with both near-term commercialization and long-term strategic positioning in Europe.
• Executive-Level Relationship Development
• Develop trusted relationships with senior engineering leaders, procurement executives, sustainability leaders, and C‑suite stakeholders at major European industrial companies.
• Represent Niron in strategic discussions related to technology adoption, platform integration, supply‑chain resilience, and decarbonization initiatives.
• Cross-Functional Deal Leadership
• Act as the central orchestrator for strategic opportunities, coordinating internal stakeholders including:
• Engineering and product leadership
• Manufacturing and operations
• Finance and legal teams
• Executive leadership
• Provide clear structure and discipline to advance complex negotiations toward closure while maintaining operational rigor and partnership credibility.
• Influence Go-To-Market Strategy
• Provide insight from customer and industry engagement to refine Niron’s European commercial positioning and partnership strategy.
• Identify high‑impact opportunities where the technology delivers system‑level performance, sustainability, or supply‑chain advantages aligned with European regulatory and market priorities.

Benefits

• This role offers a competitive, market-aligned total compensation package benchmarked to senior commercial leadership roles in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. Compensation includes a strong base salary consistent with local market norms, along with meaningful long-term equity participation. Niron’s equity program is designed to reward leaders who help build enduring enterprise value through long-term partnerships and global scale-up.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees