Business Development Manager

Steneg; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Steneg in Cambridge, UK, seeks a Business Development Manager to lead customer-facing growth initiatives and bridge customer requirements with technical capabilities. You will drive opportunity identification and pipeline management in a fast-growing photonics environment.

The role demands strong communication, deep customer understanding, and the ability to convert complex technical needs into commercial value.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher degree in a related technical or business field.
• Proven ability to manage B2B sales cycles across multiple stages.
• Experience explaining complex photonics or technical products to diverse stakeholders.
• Strong communication and relationship-building capabilities.
• Fluent professional English.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer-facing business development activities and identify new opportunities.
• Build a structured pipeline and account strategies to grow revenue.
• Translate customer requirements into viable photonics solutions with internal teams.
• Coordinate with technical teams to align offerings with customer needs.
• Maintain visibility of pipeline, interactions, and forecasts.

Skills

Business development

Technical sales

Account development

Customer-facing

Stakeholder management

English fluency

B2B sales experience

Education

University degree in Engineering/Physics/Photonics/Business

Job description

Our client is a technology-oriented company developing advanced photonic integrated circuit solutions for high-performance optical applications. The organization combines specialist photonics expertise with proprietary design technology to accelerate the development and commercialization of integrated photonic systems across technically demanding markets.

Its activities rely on close collaboration between customers and multidisciplinary technical teams, translating complex application requirements into viable photonic solutions. The company combines deep technical expertise with a fast-paced, growth-driven environment, offering professionals the opportunity to play a central role in customer development, commercial expansion, and the adoption of advanced photonics technologies.

Mission

The Business Development Manager will be responsible for leading customer-facing business development activities, identifying and developing new commercial opportunities while building strong relationships with prospective and existing customers. The role will act as a key interface between customer requirements and internal technical capabilities, helping translate complex photonics needs into structured commercial opportunities and supporting their progression throughout the sales cycle.

Responsibilities

Business Development and Market Expansion

• Identify, qualify, and develop new business opportunities across relevant photonics markets and applications.
• Build and manage a structured pipeline of prospective customers and commercial opportunities.
• Develop targeted account strategies to expand the company's customer base and support sustainable revenue growth.

Customer Development and Relationships

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with technical, commercial, and decision-making stakeholders within customer organizations.
• Understand customer applications, technical requirements, development priorities, and business drivers.
• Act as a trusted commercial interface throughout the customer lifecycle, ensuring consistent communication and effective follow-up.

Commercial Process and Opportunity Management

• Manage opportunities from initial engagement and qualification through technical discussions, proposal development, negotiation, and commercial closure.
• Coordinate closely with internal technical teams to translate customer needs into viable solutions and value propositions.
• Maintain accurate visibility of pipeline status, customer interactions, next steps, and commercial forecasts.

Market Intelligence and Internal Collaboration

• Gather structured market and customer intelligence to identify emerging applications, opportunities, and commercial priorities.
• Provide customer feedback to technical and leadership teams to support product, technology, and go-to-market decisions.
• Contribute to commercial processes, documentation, reporting, and continuous improvement as the organization scales.

Required Qualifications

• University degree in Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Business, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrable experience in business development, technical sales, account development, or customer-facing commercial roles within a technology-driven environment.
• Proven ability to develop new customer relationships and manage complex B2B opportunities through multiple stages of the sales cycle.
• Ability to understand sophisticated technical products and communicate their value effectively to both technical and business stakeholders.
• Strong commercial judgment, customer orientation, and opportunity qualification skills.
• Experience managing sales pipelines, customer interactions, and commercial follow-up in a structured manner.
• Strong communication, presentation, and relationship-building capabilities.
• Fluent professional English.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in photonics, semiconductors, integrated optics, telecommunications, or another deep-tech environment.
• Exposure to photonic integrated circuits or technically complex semiconductor design and development processes.
• Experience selling engineering-intensive solutions involving close collaboration between customers and technical teams.
• Experience working in a fast-growing technology organization with international customers.