Head of Business Development

Foundational Industries • New York, NY

3d

About The Position

Foundational is building a network of AI-native, autonomous factories for modern contract manufacturing. We’re reshoring critical supply chains so companies can produce high‑quality products domestically, quickly, and at competitive cost.
Foundational exists to make reindustrialization practical. Our factories are autonomy-first, reconfigurable by design, and orchestrated by a unified, AI-native factory operating layer that connects design through production.
Recent breakthroughs in robotics and physical AI have shifted autonomous manufacturing from a theoretical promise to a deployable capability, triggering a global race to operationalize these systems at scale. The challenge is no longer whether autonomy works, but who can integrate AI-native robotics into real production environments.
The ability to manufacture advanced products domestically is now central to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security. Foundational is focused on deploying these capabilities at scale during a decisive decade for American industrial leadership.
Foundational was built by executive leadership from Google’s physical AI platform and America’s two largest contract manufacturers.
Manufacturing critical products requires trust. The Foundational team has deployed AI systems at multi-billion-dollar scale and delivered thousands of products across hundreds of manufacturing facilities.
We are hiring a Head of Business Development to lead Foundational’s go-to-market strategy and commercial execution. This role will be responsible for identifying and prioritizing high-value manufacturing opportunities, developing and stewarding strategic customer relationships, and establishing partnerships with leading AI-native robotics and automation companies.
This role requires both strategic leadership and hands-on execution. You will set the commercial direction while personally leading key engagements from first conversation through negotiation and close. Working closely with engineering, factory operations, and finance, you will ensure that what we commit to customers can be delivered reliably at production scale.

Requirements

• 8+ years in business development, partnerships, or GTM leadership, ideally in manufacturing, industrial tech, deep tech, robotics, defense/aerospace, energy, or supply chain.
• Proven track record in securing high-value deals with OEMs or Tier-1 clients, with a high-trust, high-ownership style.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes (PCBA, box build, mechanical assembly, supply chain management).
• Familiarity with CRM tools and sales reporting systems
• Comfort working cross-functionally with technical teams and translating complex capabilities into clear business value (quality, lead time, resilience, cost, scaling).
• A builder mindset: you can operate in ambiguity, create structure, and drive outcomes in a fast-moving environment.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead go-to-market strategy for Foundational’s autonomous contract manufacturing offering, with a focus on customers building complex, high-reliability products.
• Map priority markets and accounts (e.g., defense, aerospace, energy, robotics, industrial systems, AI infrastructure, medical/regulated manufacturing) and build an actionable target list.
• Build and qualify a pipeline of customers and strategic partners— moving from outreach to technical diligence, quoting, and commercial terms.
• Lead deals end-to-end: discovery, value proposition, facility and capability reviews, proposal/SoW development, negotiation, and closing.
• Translate customer requirements into internal plans by partnering with engineering, factory ops, and quality on feasibility, timelines, launch readiness, and ongoing performance metrics.
• Develop commercial frameworks (MSAs, pricing models, capacity commitments, launch/NPI structures, quality and delivery SLAs) that accelerate adoption while protecting operational execution.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed