Photonics Business Development

Key Responsibilities

Business Growth & Strategy

• Develop and execute the commercial growth strategy for the advanced technology foundry business.

• Build and manage a strong pipeline of commercial, government and strategic opportunities.

• Drive bookings, revenue growth and new customer acquisition.

• Develop account strategies for customers across quantum technologies, photonics, superconducting electronics and other advanced technology markets.

Customer Acquisition & Strategic Partnerships

• Lead major customer pursuits and engage senior executive decision-makers.

• Build relationships with investors, government agencies, national laboratories, universities and industry partners.

• Position the organisation as a strategic technology partner rather than a transactional manufacturing supplier.

• Establish partnerships and alliances that accelerate customer acquisition and adoption of manufacturing platforms.

Market Development & Commercial Strategy

• Identify target markets, customer segments and opportunities for business expansion.

• Provide market intelligence and customer insights to inform technology investment decisions and product roadmaps.

• Assess competitive positioning, market trends, funding opportunities and emerging customer requirements.

• Identify opportunities to expand into adjacent advanced technology markets.

Opportunity Development & Capture

• Lead commercial strategies for major customer programmes and strategic technology initiatives.

• Oversee proposal development, pricing, commercial positioning and contract negotiations.

• Collaborate with engineering, technology development, product management and sales teams to develop compelling customer proposals.

• Support government-funded programmes and customer-sponsored technology development opportunities.

Executive Engagement & Industry Leadership

• Act as executive sponsor for strategic customer relationships.

• Represent the business at industry conferences, consortiums and executive-level customer meetings.

• Strengthen the organisation’s position within the wider quantum and advanced technology ecosystem.

• Develop long-term relationships across commercial, government and academic communities.

Essential Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Physics, Business, Materials Science or a related discipline.

Experience

• 15+ years of progressive experience in business development, strategic sales, technology commercialisation, product management or semiconductor industry leadership.

• 10+ years of experience within semiconductor foundries, quantum technologies, photonics, superconducting electronics, advanced packaging or adjacent advanced technology markets.

• Demonstrated success developing and closing complex, multi-million-dollar customer engagements.

• Proven track record of building strategic partnerships and developing market ecosystems.

Skills & Expertise

• Established relationships within the quantum technology ecosystem.

• Demonstrated impact on revenue growth, bookings and business expansion.

• Strong executive presence and the ability to influence C-suite, government and investor stakeholders.

• Ability to translate complex technical capabilities into compelling commercial value propositions.

• Strong negotiation, strategic planning and customer relationship management skills.

• Experience leading cross-functional teams without direct reporting authority.

• Strong financial acumen and business case development capabilities.

Desirable Experience

• MBA or advanced technical degree.

• Direct experience in quantum computing, quantum networking, quantum sensing, superconducting electronics, photonics or advanced semiconductor technologies.

• Experience engaging with government contracting organisations, defence and energy agencies, research funding bodies or national laboratories.

• Experience launching or scaling new technology businesses.

• Experience managing strategic partnerships and ecosystem development initiatives.

• Executive-level presentation and communication skills.

• Track record of influencing technology roadmaps through market intelligence and customer feedback.

• Experience supporting platform commercialisation and go-to-market strategies.

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Oliver Logan