Associate Director, Business Development

Manage the deal process as part of the leadership team from initial contact strategy through closing.

• Profile, qualify and identify potential opportunities for robotics R&D projects within large market sectors and accounts in both industry and government. This includes conducting market research to understand trends, unmet needs and identifying key players. 
• Contact key players in these markets to promote NREC’s capabilities and generate interest.
• Qualify each opportunity to ensure that the potential project would be a good fit for NREC and the company has sufficient financial resources and interest in funding a R&D project. This includes understanding the financial benefits and/or savings that a robotic solution would bring and making sure the return on “investment” for the company is sound and can justify the cost of the project.
• Approach different types of industry players such as manufacturers and end-users to formulate the most favorable approach to funding projects that address the needs of the industry sector.
• Support contract structuring, negotiation and closing.

Assist in setting the strategic direction of NREC.

• Collaborate with NREC management and technical leadership to formulate strategic plans for growth and to secure new sources of revenue.
• Lead and execute the strategic plan in collaboration with NREC management.
• Document NREC’s business development pipeline and activities.
  • Work with NREC’s Customer Relationship Management system to collect information about potential opportunities and potential sponsors.
  • Provide weekly updates to NREC’s Associate Director on the pipeline of opportunities.
  • Work closely with the Associate Director to
    prepare quarterly reports on opportunities.

Manage NREC’s externally facing communications. 

• Support NREC’s marketing and branding efforts. 
• Coordinate and attend trade shows in targeted markets to generate new leads.
• Host potential clients and other visitors and lead discussion in meetings related to potential opportunities. This includes hosting special groups and visitors from the University from time to time. This requires becoming familiar with previous projects, especially the ones displayed in our high-bay and/or labs. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in business, engineering or science, or related field from an accredited university
• 15+ years of successful business development experience with an engineering, R&D, or technology services organization
• Consistent track record of closing multi-million-dollar projects
• Capability to lead and handle complex business development process to closure
• Ability to negotiate complex agreements
• Ability to reach C-level executives and VP-level decision makers within Fortune 500 Companies
• Understanding of intellectual property terms as well as other fundamental contractual terms
• Familiarity with government proposal process (RFP, BAA), contracting process and the different agreements (FAR/DFAR contacts, OTA, cooperative agreements)
• Ability to profile and qualify companies
• Ability to evaluate opportunities from the basis of the business case and potential return on investment
• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills (both verbal and written)
• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Ability to quickly learn market needs and robotics technology
• Ability to prioritize opportunities based on the balance of customer needs, NREC interests, and technological feasibility
• Availability to travel both in the U.S. and internationally (5-15% of time)
• Good knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)