Director of Commercial Business Development

Katalyst Space Technologies; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 199,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options & equity

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k)

Unlimited PTO

Catered lunches

Job summary

Katalyst Space Technologies in Washington, DC seeks a Director of Commercial Business Development to build and manage strategic relationships across the commercial space ecosystem, shape market strategies, and translate customer needs into funded opportunities.

You will lead cross-functional teams, guide proposals and negotiations, ensure technical and commercial alignment, and scale growth while navigating export controls and ITAR requirements in a fast-paced, high-ambition environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience in commercial business development or partnerships for space tech.
• Experience at a high-growth space/aerospace company with ambiguity.
• Proven ability to convert market needs into funded opportunities.
• Strong understanding of commercial space markets and procurement processes.
• Ability to lead BD from qualification through contract.

Responsibilities

• Build, maintain, and own strategic relationships across the commercial space ecosystem.
• Develop account and market strategies for priority segments and identify buyers.
• Connect customer pain points to Katalyst solutions with clear value propositions.
• Own or lead BD strategy from opportunity qualification through contract and negotiation.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Programs, and Leadership to ensure alignment.
• Support and lead customer briefings, proposals, and executive meetings; communicate value with precision.

Skills

Executive communication

Strategic partnerships

Market analysis

Sales cycle leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Customer relationship building

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Job description

Director of Commercial Business Development

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Katalyst Description

Katalyst is an American technology company focused on d ynamic space operations . We are building a fleet of dual-use multipurpose robotic space vehicles to creat e the future where maneuvering, upgrading, refueling, resupply and exploration are as routine as they are on Earth. Getting to space and overcoming the gravity well is only half the story. What you do there is the future. We are not building the trains. We are building the machines that lay down the tracks. By developing the foundational capabilities that make sustained, responsive operations possible, we enable a new era of space exploration that strengthens national security and ensures freedom of action in an increasingly contested domain.

Katalyst Culture

Working at Katalyst is intense, hands-on, and deeply rewarding. You’ll take real ownership and see your work move from concept to operations in an environment where the problems are hard and the impact is real. We value humility, craftsmanship, and doing things the right way, even when it’s harder. You’ll work closely with thoughtful, driven teammates who push each other to do their best. Oh, and we're dog friendly!

• Stock options & equity
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k)
• Unlimited PTO
• Catered lunches

What You’ll Do

• Build, maintain, and own strategic relationships across the commercial space ecosystem, including satellite operators, spacecraft manufacturers, mission providers, logistics and infrastructure companies, insurers, investors, and other partners relevant to Katalyst’s mission portfolio.
• Develop account and market strategies for priority commercial segments, identifying economic buyers, technical influencers, operators, procurement stakeholders, budget owners, decision timelines, buying criteria, and barriers to adoption.
• Shape opportunities early by connecting commercial customer pain points and business objectives to credible Katalyst solutions, developing clear value propositions, business cases, and mission concepts, and creating the internal alignment needed before formal proposals or purchasing decisions.
• Own or lead business development strategy from opportunity qualification through contract, including customer engagement plans, competitive positioning, partnership strategy, pricing inputs, negotiation support, executive actions, and post-signature follow-through.
• Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Programs, Mission Operations, Finance, Contracts, and executive leadership to ensure external commitments are technically feasible, properly scoped, commercially sound, resourced, and aligned with company strategy.
• Support and lead customer briefings, capability demonstrations, proposals, statements of work, commercial negotiations, industry engagements, conferences, and executive-level meetings; communicate Katalyst’s technical, operational, and economic value with precision and credibility.
• Create repeatable business development and partnership mechanisms that allow Katalyst to scale commercial growth without becoming dependent on informal relationships or individual heroics.

What We’re Looking For

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience. Technical, aerospace, engineering, business, finance, or related degrees are all relevant if paired with strong commercial and mission fluency.
• Prior experience in commercial business development, sales, partnerships, strategy, space technology, aerospace, satellite services, or a closely related role.
• Prior experience at a high-growth commercial space, aerospace, robotics, or deep-technology company where business development, product, engineering, and program execution had to operate closely with limited process and high ambiguity.
• Demonstrated experience developing senior customer relationships and converting market needs into funded opportunities, contract awards, strategic partnerships, revenue, or measurable advancement toward a commercial objective.
• Strong understanding of commercial space markets and the practical differences between user need, economic buyer, budget availability, procurement process, technical evaluation, business case, contracting structure, and signed revenue.
• Ability to lead business development activities from ambiguous early-stage opportunity through qualification, strategy, internal alignment, proposal, pricing, negotiation, contract, and transition into execution.
• High technical and mission fluency: able to understand complex spacecraft, autonomy, RPOD, mission operations, software, robotics, or on-orbit services well enough to ask credible questions, identify constraints, and communicate value without misrepresenting engineering reality.
• Excellent executive communication and writing skills, including customer briefings, proposals, account plans, business cases, meeting preparation, commercial negotiations, and clear internal synthesis of external information.
• Ability to comply with applicable export-control, customer-access, confidentiality, and contracting requirements.

Preferred

• Experience structuring and negotiating strategic partnerships, commercial contracts, joint go-to-market arrangements, anchor-customer agreements, or other complex business relationships.
• Understanding of commercial contracting fundamentals including scope, statements of work, pricing, payment milestones, intellectual property, data rights, liability, insurance, export controls, and transition from business development into program execution.

Additional Requirements: Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.

Compensation and Benefits

Your base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. The anticipated salary range for this role is $199,000 - $250,000 annually.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Katalyst. You will also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of the Employee Stock Option and Equity Plan, as well as a relocation bonus and other discretionary bonuses. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, and unlimited Paid Time Off.

At Katalyst our work on projects involving the U.S. Department of Defense requires adherence to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 C.F.R. Parts 120-130, which requires compliance with U.S. export laws before allowing employees to perform certain positions. Currently, our available roles necessitate access to ITAR-controlled information, and as a result, Katalyst would have to ensure any non-US person is authorized access to ITAR information before the commencement of employment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

Due to contractual requirements associated with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.