Business Development Manager

Cerebras; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading space technology firm in the United Arab Emirates seeks a Business Development Manager to support commercial growth by identifying and nurturing new business opportunities. The position is hands-on and requires 3-6 years of experience in business development, along with excellent communication and relationship-building skills. The role includes managing customer proposals, engaging in negotiations, and monitoring market trends to shape business strategies. A commitment to teamwork and a passion for the aerospace sector is essential.

Qualifications

• 3-6 years of experience in business development, sales, partnerships, or commercial roles.
• Proven ability to build relationships and progress opportunities from discussions to closure.
• Experience working on proposals, bids, or RFPs coordinating multiple stakeholders.
• Strong commercial judgement and ability to prioritise opportunities.
• Experience with international customers or cross-cultural teams.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a pipeline of new business opportunities across priority markets.
• Engage prospective customers through outreach, networking, and inbound leads.
• Lead customer conversations to understand needs and decision-making processes.
• Drive proposal development, coordinating inputs across teams.
• Support contract discussions and commercial negotiations.

Skills

Business development

Sales

Relationship building

Proposal development

Negotiations

Commercial judgement

Communication skills

Job description

Wanna join the adventure?

The Business Development Manager will play a key role in supporting Orbitworks’ commercial growth by identifying, developing, and progressing new business opportunities. This is a hands-on, mid-level role suited for someone who enjoys building relationships, shaping opportunities, and working closely with internal teams to convert leads into real outcomes.

You’ll be responsible for managing opportunities end-to-end - from early conversations and pipeline building, through proposal development and customer engagement, to supporting negotiations and long-term partnerships. This role requires strong commercial judgement, structure, and follow-through in a fast-moving environment.

About the Role:

• Build and manage a pipeline of new business opportunities across priority markets and customers.
• Proactively engage prospective customers through outreach, networking, and inbound leads.
• Lead and support customer conversations to understand needs, priorities, and decision-making processes.
• Own and drive proposal development, coordinating inputs across engineering, finance, and operations.
• Prepare customer-facing materials, including proposals, presentations, and commercial summaries.
• Support contract discussions and commercial negotiations alongside leadership.
• Maintain ongoing relationships with customers and partners, identifying upsell and follow-on opportunities.
• Track opportunities, pipeline status, and customer interactions using internal tools.
• Monitor market activity, competitors, and customer trends to inform BD strategy.
• Represent Orbitworks in meetings, events, and external discussions as needed.

Must Haves:

• 3-6 years of experience in business development, sales, partnerships, or commercial roles.
• Proven ability to build relationships and progress opportunities from early discussions through to closure.
• Experience working on proposals, bids, or RFPs and coordinating inputs from multiple stakeholders.
• Strong commercial judgement and ability to prioritise opportunities.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment with evolving processes.
• Clear, confident communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to engage with technical teams and translate customer needs into commercial opportunities.
• Organised, detail-oriented, and reliable with strong follow-through.
• Experience working with international customers or cross-cultural teams.
• Willingness to travel occasionally as needed.

Nice to Haves:

• Experience in aerospace, space, defence, or advanced technology sectors.
• Exposure to government or enterprise customers.
• Familiarity with CRM tools and structured pipeline management.

Orbitworks' mission is to make space simple for organizations that want to deploy physical and virtual missions to space. Building on Loft Orbital's heritage, Orbitworks will be the first commercial firm in the United Arab Emirates to mass-manufacture satellites. Orbitworks aims to manufacture tens of satellites annually and operates out of a 50,000-square-foot facility in Abu Dhabi.