Director, Commercial Business Development - EMEA

Loftorbital; Toulouse; Sur place; EUR 120 000 - 180 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Equity

Up to 35 days PTO and flexible hours

Health and life insurance

Lunch vouchers

Cross‑office travel (SF, CO, Toulouse)

Off-sites and events

Relocation assistance to Toulouse

Résumé du poste

Loft Orbital is seeking a commercially driven Business Development Lead to own and grow our European business, with France as a primary focus and Toulouse as a potential base. You will drive revenue across Europe, manage a full sales cycle from prospecting to close, and build trusted relationships with satellite operators, space companies, and defense primes.

You will lead proposals, navigate complex negotiations, and coordinate across technical and commercial teams to deliver compelling offers.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in commercial sales & business development in space/aerospace.
• Existing commercial network in the European space or aerospace ecosystem.
• Track record of closing deals with real commercial customers.
• Experience managing long, complex sales cycles with multiple stakeholders.
• Sharp commercial instincts for fast qualification and creative deals.
• Space systems or satellite technology fluency for credible technical talks.
• Strong proposal and negotiation experience.
• Bilingual – English and one or more European languages.
• Based in Europe.
• Experience in startup or NewSpace environments.
• Familiarity with satellite systems, mission operations, or space software.

Responsabilités

• Drive revenue across Europe with full commercial sales cycle from prospecting to close.
• Hunt and develop new business with satellite operators, space companies, and defense primes.
• Build and manage a high-quality pipeline and prioritize opportunities.
• Engage customers early and position Loft as the preferred partner.
• Lead commercial proposals and bid responses across teams.
• Negotiate contracts with pricing and terms.
• Engage institutional customers and expand Loft’s footprint.
• Represent Loft at industry events and customer meetings.
• Gather market intelligence to inform strategy.

Connaissances

European space network

Deal closing

Long-cycle sales

Space systems fluency

English + multilingual

Based in Europe

NewSpace startup experience

Commercial & institutional experience

Negotiation

Description du poste

Wanna join the adventure?

Loft Orbital is hiring a commercially driven Business Development Lead to own and grow our European business. This is a senior individual contributor role built for someone who knows how to find opportunities, build trust with the right people, and close deals — in an industry that's moving faster than ever.

You’ll be Loft’s commercial engine in Europe. That means building a real pipeline, running complex sales cycles, and landing the kinds of contracts that matter. You’re not coordinating from the sidelines — you’re the one making it happen.

France is our primary focus, and deep fluency in that market — the language, the players, the culture — will set you apart. Toulouse is the center of European space, and ideally, you’re already in it.

Responsibilities

• Drive revenue. Own the full commercial sales cycle across Europe — from prospecting and pipeline development through negotiation and close.
• Hunt and develop new business with commercial satellite operators, emerging space companies, defense primes, and technology integrators across Western Europe.
• Build and manage a healthy, high-quality pipeline — knowing which opportunities to prioritize, when to push, and when to walk.
• Get in early with customers — understand their programs and roadmaps before RFPs drop, and position Loft as the obvious partner.
• Lead commercial proposals and bid responses, coordinating across technical and commercial teams to put our best offer forward.
• Negotiate contracts with confidence — handling pricing, terms, and deal structure without losing momentum.
• Engage institutional customers (CNES, DLR, UKSA, etc.) where they intersect with commercial opportunities — leveraging these relationships to expand Loft’s footprint rather than treating them as the primary sales motion.
• Represent Loft at industry events, trade shows, and customer meetings — building our brand and your network simultaneously.
• Bring market intelligence back into the business — what customers need, what competitors are doing, where the market is heading.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in commercial sales & business development in space/aerospace.
• Existing commercial network in the European space or aerospace ecosystem — you already know who’s buying and what they need.
• A track record of closing deals. Not just pipeline building — actual signed contracts with real commercial customers.
• Experience managing long, complex sales cycles with multiple stakeholders on the customer side.
• Sharp commercial instincts — you can qualify fast, structure creative deals, and know when to elevate versus push forward independently.
• Enough technical fluency in space systems or satellite technology to speak credibly with engineers and win the confidence of technical buyers.
• Strong proposal and negotiation experience — you’ve handled pricing, terms, and contract structures without needing a lawyer in every meeting.
• Bilingual – fluency in English and one or more European languages.
• Based in Europe.
• Experience in a startup or NewSpace company — you’re comfortable building process and pipeline without a lot of infrastructure behind you.
• Familiarity with satellite systems, mission operations, or space software — enough to have real conversations, not just read from a slide.
• You’ve worked both sides of the table — commercial and institutional — and know how to navigate each.

Benefits

• Equity — we want you to have an active role in our success.
• Up to 35 days of Paid Time Off (vacations & RTT) and flexible working hours.
• Health and life insurance.
• Lunch vouchers.
• Cross‑office travel opportunities between San Francisco, Colorado, and Toulouse.
• Company and team off‑sites and many other events to work & celebrate together.
• Relocation assistance to Toulouse when applicable.

Diversity & Inclusion

Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60 % of the criteria, women and other underrepresented people tend to only apply when they meet 100 % of the qualifications. At Loft, we value respectful debate and people who aren’t afraid to challenge assumptions. We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t check all the boxes.

Who We Are

Loft: Space Made Simple.

Founded in 2017, Loft provides governments, companies, and research institutions with a fast, reliable, and simple way to deploy missions in orbit.

We integrate, launch, and operate spacecraft, offering end‑to‑end missions as a service across Earth observation, IoT connectivity, on‑orbit AI, national security missions, and more. Leveraging our existing space infrastructure and an extensive inventory of satellite buses, Loft is reducing years‑long integration and launch timelines to months. With more than 30 missions flown, Loft’s flight heritage and proven technologies enable customers to focus on their mission objectives.

With a growing fleet on track to reach 30 satellites by 2027, we are scaling up quickly across our offices in San Francisco, CA | Golden, CO | and Toulouse, France to meet accelerating demand for space infrastructure.

As an international company your resume will be reviewed by people across our offices so please attach a copy in English.