[Hiring] European Business Development Lead @Aether Biomachines

Role Description

Aether Biomachines is hiring an experienced, strategic EU Business Development Lead to build Aether’s presence in the FDM 3D printing and Advanced Materials space across the European aerospace, defense, and industrial ecosystem. This is our first dedicated EU commercial hire.

Your role is a mix of creating strategic partnerships, deep technical engagement, and long-cycle relationship building in highly regulated, engineering-led environments. This is a high-autonomy, high-judgment role requiring someone who has already navigated complex industrial procurement cycles and knows how to build trust with conservative technical buyers.

Core Responsibilities

• Market Development across multiple markets
• Develop a strategic plan to expand Aether’s presence in European military/defense, transportation, and industrial markets.
• Map the EU ecosystem: primes, Tier 1/Tier 2 suppliers, additive manufacturing OEMs, service bureaus, research agencies, defense innovation units, industrial conglomerates.
• Identify early commercial pathways where Aether’s materials capabilities drive step-change performance.

• Strategic Partnerships & Complex Technical Sales
• Lead partner engagements across R&D, advanced materials groups, CTO offices, innovation labs, and engineering teams.
• Navigate long procurement cycles, qualification processes, and multi-layered stakeholder environments.
• Structure collaborations, pilot projects, PoCs, joint development agreements, and multi-year technical partnerships.

• Technical Scoping & Solution Framing
• Work closely with Aether’s scientists to define technical workstreams and project scopes.
• Translate customer engineering challenges into internal problem statements.
• Assess feasibility, risks, and potential paths from prototype > qualification > deployment.

• Government & Ecosystem Engagement
• Engage with EU and national agencies (e.g. ESA, DLR, CNES, ONERA, UK DSTL, Fraunhofer, etc.) to identify strategic partnership opportunities.
• Represent Aether in dual-use and advanced materials consortiums and industry events.
• Track funding mechanisms, pilot programs, and government-backed innovation pathways.

• Pipeline Ownership & Internal Alignment
• Build and manage a robust pipeline across priority verticals.
• Provide structured feedback to leadership to guide the product development roadmap and technical investment areas.
• Work collaboratively with the BD and Product Development Teams.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in business development, application development, strategic partnerships, or commercial roles in the 3D printing materials space selling into:
• Military OEMs and tier one suppliers
• Defense primes or subcontractors
• Transportation OEMs and tier one suppliers
• Industrial applications
• The 3D printing ecosystem - Printer OEMs, service bureaus, etc.
• Demonstrated success in complex, multi-stakeholder technical sales (12-36+ month cycles).
• Strong familiarity with the EU military/defense procurement and supplier ecosystem.
• Ability to credibly engage with engineering teams, R&D leadership, CTO offices, and technical program managers.
• Proven ability to build a market from ground zero and operate with high autonomy.
• Experience operating in regulated or security-conscious environments with high expectations around rigor, documentation, and risk mitigation.

Exceptional Candidates might have

• Background in materials science, chemical engineering, industrial biotech, or related applied sciences (degree helpful but not required).
• Experience with EU government, military, R&D or innovation programs (Horizon, ESA, DLR, BMVg/AID, etc.).
• Multilingual (English, German, French, Dutch, or Nordic languages).
• Experience at deeptech startups or dual-use technology companies.

Benefits

• The pay range for this role is €95,000 - €125,000 for base salary and €140,000 - €185,000 on target earnings with final compensation based on skills and experience.