Director of Business Development

Smart4 Energy; United States; On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Annual performance-based bonus

Equity participation

Employer-sponsored medical, dental and

Vision insurance

401(k) with employer contribution

Generous paid time off

Job summary

Smart4 Energy is seeking a Director of Business Development to drive the North American commercial pipeline from base in North America. You will identify, cultivate and advance customer, partner and strategic opportunities across the region, working with commercial, development and project execution teams to move opportunities from initial engagement to financing and construction.

The role requires a senior, externally focused leader with deep NA energy market networks among utilities, IPPs and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years in business/development or project origination in energy or infrastructure.
• Experience with IPPs, utilities, developers or large-scale energy organisations.
• Strong understanding of large-scale power projects and development, financing and execution.
• North American energy market knowledge across storage, generation, renewables, oil & gas infra.
• Fluency in English; excellent communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Initiate and manage commercial relationships with utilities, developers and strategic partners.
• Develop customer and project strategies, identify barriers, risks and opportunities.
• Support structuring and negotiation of commercial arrangements including supply agreements and joint ventures.
• Identify and evaluate new market opportunities and potential customers across North America.
• Collaborate with regional leadership and cross-functional teams to deliver growth objectives.
• Lead customer engagements from initial discussions through advanced negotiations.
• Act as senior commercial point of contact for customers and stakeholders.
• Coordinate internal stakeholders to progress opportunities on timelines and milestones.
• Maintain documentation and reporting across the regional project pipeline.
• Work with HQ and cross-functional teams in development, engineering, finance and legal.
• Support development of the NA team and cross-functional processes.
• Represent the company at industry conferences and customer meetings.

Skills

Senior stakeholder relations

Strategic partnerships

Negotiation

Commercial development

Opportunity assessment

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

A rapidly growing energy infrastructure company developing and delivering utility-scale solutions to support the global energy transition. The company has moved beyond the technology-development stage and is now focused on scaling its commercial pipeline, delivering projects, commissioning assets, and expanding its presence across key international markets. With operations spanning engineering, project delivery, commercial development, operations and corporate functions, the business offers the opportunity to join a growing organisation at an important stage of its expansion.

We are looking for a Director of Business Development to lead the growth of the company's North American commercial pipeline. Based in North America and reporting to the regional leadership team, this individual will be responsible for identifying, developing and advancing customer, partner and strategic opportunities across the region. The role will work closely with the broader commercial, development and project execution teams to progress opportunities from initial engagement through commercial agreement and into project development. The successful candidate will build relationships with utilities, developers, strategic partners and other relevant stakeholders, while helping to structure commercial arrangements that enable projects to progress toward development, financing and construction.

This is a senior, externally focused position requiring strong knowledge of the North American energy market and an established network across the utility, IPP, development or broader energy infrastructure ecosystem. The individual will also represent the company at industry events and in meetings with customers, partners and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Initiate, develop and manage commercial relationships with utilities, developers, strategic partners and other organisations that can support the growth of the company's project pipeline.
• Develop and manage customer and project strategies, identifying commercial requirements, potential barriers, risks and opportunities.
• Support the structuring and negotiation of commercial arrangements, including equipment supply agreements, offtake/tolling structures, development partnerships and joint ventures.
• Identify and evaluate new market opportunities and potential customers across North America.
• Work closely with regional leadership and the wider commercial team to deliver business development and growth objectives.
• Lead customer engagements from initial discussions through advanced commercial negotiations and contracting.
• Act as a senior commercial point of contact for customers, partners and strategic stakeholders.
• Coordinate internal stakeholders to ensure commercial opportunities progress against agreed timelines and milestones.
• Maintain accurate documentation and reporting across the regional project pipeline.
• Work closely with international headquarters and cross-functional teams across development, engineering, project execution, finance and legal.
• Support the continued development of the North American team and contribute to building effective cross-functional processes.
• Represent the company at industry conferences, customer meetings and relevant external events.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• 10+ years of experience in business development, commercial development or project origination within the energy or infrastructure sector.
• Experience working with IPPs, utilities, energy developers or other large-scale energy infrastructure organisations.
• Strong understanding of large-scale power projects and the requirements associated with project development, financing and execution.
• Experience in the North American energy market, ideally across one or more of the following areas: Energy storage; Power generation; Renewables; Oil & gas infrastructure; Energy infrastructure or related technologies
• Strong knowledge of North American energy markets, market structures and key industry stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain senior-level customer and partner relationships.
• Experience progressing commercial opportunities from early-stage discussions through contracting and project development.
• Strong commercial judgement, negotiation and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating effectively across multiple internal functions and international teams.
• Experience working within a fast-growing or entrepreneurial organisation is advantageous.
• Professional fluency in English.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be commercially driven, organised and proactive, with the ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving environment. We are looking for someone who is comfortable taking ownership, making decisions, building relationships and progressing opportunities with a high degree of autonomy. Curiosity, adaptability, entrepreneurial thinking and a collaborative approach are highly valued.

Growth & Culture

This is an opportunity to join a growing energy infrastructure business at a significant stage of its North American expansion. The successful candidate will have meaningful responsibility for developing the regional commercial pipeline and will work closely with senior leadership and cross-functional teams. As the organisation continues to grow, there will be opportunities to take on broader commercial, strategic and leadership responsibilities. The company values ambitious, motivated and collaborative individuals who are passionate about the energy transition and want to contribute directly to the development and delivery of major energy infrastructure projects.

• Competitive base salary dependent on experience and qualifications.
• Annual performance-based bonus.
• Equity participation.
• Employer-sponsored medical, dental and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer contribution.
• Generous paid time off and company holidays.