Business Development Manager Energy Systems & Building Construction

VITO; Genk; Hybrid; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

VITO’s EnergyVille team in Genk seeks an experienced Business Development Manager to bring university technologies to market. You will co-develop products/services, manage commercial activities for two technology teams, and broaden exposure to VITO’s portfolio across units.

You will lead valorisation strategy, coordinate with Lead Scientists and the Marketing team, and drive contracts, IP, and market opportunities while maintaining strong client relationships and external networks.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in a relevant domain (engineering, energy, building & construction).
• Fluent in Dutch and English.
• Proven experience in a commercial or related role in innovation.
• Familiar with protection and valorisation of intellectual property.
• Able to translate market/tech trends into innovative solutions.
• Strategic thinker with strong CRM and key account skills.
• Able to turn strategies into concrete goals and actions.
• Excellent communication and networking to foster collaborations.

Responsibilities

• Familiarize with technologies, competencies, and IP within the team.
• Follow up contacts and contracts with industrial partners to prepare follow-up contracts toward market.
• Register interactions with clients in the CRM and monitor key accounts.
• Network to scout new contract research opportunities and applications.
• Lead valorisation strategy and develop commercial roadmaps and action plans.
• Support targeted marketing activities with scientists and Marketing/Communications.
• Coordinate R&D proposals with lead scientists and negotiate contracts.
• Support technology transfer and licensing with IP/Tech Transfer Office.
• Provide status reporting of contracts and valorisation tracks to team and Valorisation Director.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Customer relationship management

Key account management

Networking

Commercial development

Education

Master or PhD in engineering, energy, building & construction

Tools

CRM system

Job description

VITO develops enabling technologies for a more sustainable economy, environment and society. At the EnergyVille campus in Genk, we closely collaborate with various industrial partners and our EnergyVille partners KU Leuven, Imec and UHasselt on, amongst others, heating & cooling systems and building & construction innovation. To support these activities, we are looking for an experience business development manager.

Job Description

As a Business Development Manager in the Water & Energy Transition unit you help to bring technologies being developed at VITO to the market. This is done by co-developing innovative products and services with companies and transferring technology and know-how to companies.

As a member of the Business Development Team you report directly to the Valorisation Director of the unit. You will mainly support the business development and commercial activities of two specific technology teams within the unit. You will gradually broaden your view on the technology portfolio of the unit and across different VITO units to explore synergies and potential R&D collaboration topics.

You will work closely together with the teams specialized in Heat Exchanger Design Optimisation and Building Envelope Design & Construction. You will support these teams by:

• Familiarizing yourself with the key technologies, competences and intellectual property within the team as well as the current application areas and related products and services.
• Following-up contacts and contracts with existing industrial partners together with the Lead Scientists and the team Program Manager to prepare follow-up contracts to bring the technology to a higher technology readiness level and finally to the market.
• Registering interactions with (potential) clients in the customer relationship management system and pro-actively monitoring of selected key accounts.
• Actively participating in in- & external networking activities to scout for new contract research opportunities in existing or new application areas.
• Taking the lead in the team valorisation strategy, defining, executing, and evaluating a valorisation roadmap and commercial action plans.
• Initiating and supporting targeted marketing activities for specific products or services together with the Lead Scientists and the central Marketing and Communications team.
• Coordinating the preparation of R&D proposals together with lead scientists and negotiating R&D contracts.
• Providing support in technology transfer and/or licensing negotiations in close collaboration with the central IP Management and Tech Transfer Office.
• Regular reporting of the status of the contract research portfolio and valorization tracks to the team and the Valorization Director.

Requirements

• You hold a master’s or PhD degree in a relevant domain (e.g. engineering, energy, building & construction).
• You are fluent in both Dutch and English.
• You have proven experience in a commercial (or closely related) role in innovation. Experience in a commercial, business development or valorisation role for R&D is a plus.
• You are familiar with protection and valorization of intellectual property.
• You can analyze market and technology trends and customers’ needs and translate these into innovative solutions (services, products).
• You are a strategic thinker with skills in customer relationship management and key account management.
• You can translate strategies into goals and concrete actions and plans.You enjoy working with colleagues from different fields and can adapt your style and way of working to the situation at hand.
• You have excellent communication and networking skills and are a promoter for internal and external collaborations.

Offer

• You will be part of a growing research organization with an international reputation, known for its cutting-edge technological research and scientific based advice.
• You will contribute directly to sustainable developments at local, national and global level through breakthrough innovative applications. In this way, you help to provide answers to contemporary grand societal challenges.
• A competitive salary supplemented with various extra-legal benefits including allowances, insurances and a modular holiday package.
• Innovation is our most important asset, so it goes without saying that we give our employees the opportunity to learn and further develop themselves both on the job and through training.
• We work ‘activity-based’ within VITO. Your activities determine your work location, with your home office as a possible work location (e.g. 1 day a week). Work location in case of physical presence is mainly in Genk (EnergyVille) and only occasionally in our other offices.
• As a business development manager, you also spent a significant portion of your time (on average 1 to 2 days a week) on external events and company visits.
• At VITO, we place strong importance on maintaining a healthy work-life balance. We actively support this by offering flexibility tailored to your individual needs.