Lead Commercial Sales

The Exploration Company; Bordeaux; Sur place; EUR 90 000 - 160 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

The Exploration Company seeks a Lead Commercial Sales & Business Development professional to drive B2B success across Nyx technologies and future programmes. You will work closely with the Chief Commercial Officer to expand government business outside Europe, while building a strong pipeline with satellites operators, launch providers, and defense primes.

In this role you will craft proposals, negotiate terms, and lead the go‑to‑market strategy for the Space Store.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of B2B sales or business development experience in aerospace/space/defense or high- tech industries.
• Proven track record of closing complex, high‑value commercial B2B deals and technical sales.
• Experience selling to government agencies or prime contractors, including international markets.
• Fluency in English; additional languages (German/French/Italian) are a strong advantage.

Responsabilités

• Own the sales pipeline for key technologies and Space Store offerings.
• Develop customer relationships across satellite operators, launch providers, defense, and primes.
• Build technical and commercial proposals with engineering teams and negotiate contract terms.
• Define go‑to‑market approach for Space Store and propulsion services in Europe and beyond.
• Lead commercial sales for Nyx cargo and crew services, including station and payload opportunities.
• Develop commercial strategies for future programs including lunar/launcher offerings.
• Manage full sales cycle from prospecting to contract signature and handover.

Description du poste

Here at The Exploration Company, we are building spacecrafts for humanity.

We want you as a talented Lead Commercial Sales & Business Development professional to help us in our mission by driving commercial B2B success across our key technologies, Nyx, and future programmes, while supporting our Chief Commercial Officer in expanding our government business outside Europe.

Key Responsibilities

In your capacity as a Lead Commercial Sales & Business Development professional, your role will be continuously evolving, but day to day your duties will include B2B sales responsibilities:

• Owning the sales pipeline for key technologies e.g. Additive Manufacturing, Thermal Protection, and Propulsion technologies offered through the "Space Store" as well as supporting the commercialization and expansion plan for European Astrotech (EAL) propulsion services.
• Identifying, qualifying, and developing customers across satellite operators, launch providers, defense and prime contractors
• Building technical and commercial proposals with our engineering teams and negotiating contract terms
• Defining the Space Store go-to-market approach, including positioning, pricing, and sales enablement
• Leading commercial sales for Nyx cargo and crew services, including commercial station (CLD) and payload opportunities.
• Developing commercial strategies for future programs, including lunar and launcher offerings
• Developing a qualified pipeline of future clients for future programs to support bid and fundraising efforts.
• Managing the full sales cycle, from prospecting and bid preparation to contract signature and handover to programme teams
• Supporting the Chief Commercial Officer in developing and executing the sales strategy for government customers outside Europe.
• Supporting the European and USA Government teams where needed.
• Preparing responses, capability presentations, and pitch materials
• Representing the company at trade shows, conferences, and customer meetings

What We Would Love To See From You

In the role of Lead Commercial Sales & Business Development professional, ideally, you will have the following:

• 8+ years of B2B sales or business development experience, ideally in aerospace, space, defence, or other high-technology industries
• A proven track record of closing complex, high-value commercial B2B deals and technical sales, such as hardware, engineering services, or systems
• Experience selling to government agencies or prime contractors, including international government markets
• An understanding of technical products such as additive manufacturing, thermal protection, propulsion, or spacecraft systems, and the ability to translate them into customer value
• Strong negotiation, presentation, and proposal-writing skills
• Fluency in English; additional fluency in German, French, or Italian is a strong advantage, depending on your location
• Experience in a fast-growing startup or scale-up environment (preferred

Why you should join us!

What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:

• We're Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind
• We're Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them
• We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It's a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?

The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.

All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible.

If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.