Director, Business Development

Job description

At ClearSpace, we believe in reusability, in affordability driving disruption, and that no progress is real unless it is sustainable. Our company was founded in 2018 out of the realization that in-orbit servicing and space debris removal are vital services for the future of space exploration and operations. Today ClearSpace has assembled an expert engineering team and is leading the way toward sustainable space operations. From a garage in Switzerland, we now operate across UK and Europe, and are working with world-leading institutions and companies to bring our dream of a sustainable space ecosystem to life. We are looking for a Business Development Director to join our team who will work on both our current missions and future projects. The Role ClearSpace is recruiting a Business Development Director lead pipeline development across the Group. This includes institutional, defence, and commercial opportunities. The successful candidate will develop and foster relationships with current and new customers, develop bids and secure new work.. They will be responsible for cross cutting BD-related areas that include proposal production, capture management and hand off projects to delivery teams. The successful candidates will work with national ClearSpace leadership to maintain close relationships with customers. Key responsibilities Capture Management Keep track of bid opportunities from sources such as the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Union (EU) including the European Innovation Council (EIC), the UK Space Agency (UKSA), national and international defense agencies, and commercial satellite operators, and make propositions as to which future projects fit which opportunities. Maintain a database of future projects suitable for different bid types and opportunities, and work with the business team to support prioritisation of projects and R&D, feeding into service and capability strategy. Be responsible for the successful coherence of captures across ClearSpace entities. Bring business insights regarding the customer and the competition. Bid Production Responsible for managing and coordinating bids through the Business Acquisition Process, Draw on other relevant teams in ClearSpace (as needed for larger bids), including projects, engineering, procurement & contractual, finance, and business analysis teams, and independently take initiative for smaller bids. Ensure bid execution according to the bid Product Assurance/Quality Assurance philosophy; conduct bid/no-bid reviews and later-stage bid reviews (e.g. gold/red team) as appropriate, and conduct win-theme analysis. Control bid finances, working with the finance team, national managing directors and external partners on multi-partner/consortium-style bids to assign and control finances. Coordinate partner inputs (scope, finances), with the procurement team as needed, for multi-partner/consortium-style bids. BD/Commercial Activities Support BD events and conferences, customer facing engagements (commercial or institutional), and partner engagement for key partners. Support account management efforts with institutional agencies (e.g. UKSA, ESA, EIC), defence customers, and commercial satellite operators as directed, specifically around In-Orbit Servicing (IOS) and Active Debris Removal (ADR) activities. Support policy-style engagements that the BD team is involved in. Support the Product Development team in defining new and/or iterative products and services. Must Have Significant experience in bid management in the space industry, with a preference for experience across institutional (e.g. ESA, UKSA, EIC), defence, or commercial bids, e.g. Space Safety, Space Transportation, ARTES, GSTP, ITTs, EIC Accelerator, defense procurement frameworks, or direct commercial sales of products and services. Excellent understanding of institutional, defense, and commercial space ecosystems, including relevant member state or stakeholder discussions and negotiations. Significant experience working with institutional agencies, defence customers, or commercial operators on space programmes. Strong commercial awareness and risk and opportunity management Self-motivated, proactive, and willing to take initiative. Excellent interpersonal, organisational, and written/verbal communication skills, including to both technical and non-technical audiences. Strong understanding of the space industry and ecosystem, specifically around In-Orbit Servicing (IOS) and Active Debris Removal (ADR) activities. Nice to Have Technical knowledge of spacecraft systems (upstream and space segment preferable). Familiarity with EU funding instruments such as the EIC Accelerator or Horizon Europe. Understanding of defence procurement processes and export control considerations (e.g. ITAR, dual-use export licensing). Existing relationships with commercial satellite operators or in-orbit servicing customers. Experience bidding into domains such as in-orbit servicing, active debris removal, and space situational awareness; space segment bid capacity desirable, ground segment bid capacity also useful but not essential. Experience delivering/compiling key bid volumes: technical, commercial, financial, implementation, management, contractual, risk. Understanding of project management of space programmes, or some past experience in this area. Experience of ESA bid financials, including Procedures, Specification and Standards (PSS) form generation. Experience working in a satellite business development or satellite sales environment. Information about our data processing is set out in our candidate data privacy notice.