Senior Business Development Specialist

ADASTEC Corp.; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

ADASTEC Corp. is seeking a Senior Business Development Specialist to grow ADASTEC's presence in North America.

You will build relationships with transit agencies, government stakeholders, and partners, translating needs into deployments while collaborating with engineering and deployment teams. The role requires strong proposal support, grant applications, and the ability to move deals from award to execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or STEM field or equivalent hands-on technical experience.
• 5+ years in business development, commerce, or partnerships.
• Knowledge of public transportation operations and procurement.
• Ability to translate transit routes into deployment opportunities.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication.
• Willingness to travel up to 50–60% within the U.S.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage North America sales pipeline with transit agencies, government stakeholders, economic development organizations, and OEM partners.
• Analyze transit networks to identify deployment opportunities.
• Lead proposals, tender responses, and federal/state funding applications.
• Support commercial negotiations and contract reviews with legal team.
• Coordinate with deployment and engineering to align commercial commitments with operations.
• Track market trends, funding opportunities, and competitor activity.
• Report pipeline outcomes to leadership.

Skills

Business development

Proposal writing

Stakeholder engagement

Public speaking

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or STEM

Job description

ADASTEC delivers SAE Level-4 Automated Driving Software Platform for commercial vehicles to enable OEMs to develop modern, automated, shared, and connected commercial vehicles. ADASTEC flowride.ai SAE Level-4 Automated Driving Software Platform integrated buses are on public roads in 14 countries in Europe & North America.

flowride.ai is designed with the fusion of different high-precision sensors available in the global market and complies with safety standards and regulations.

ADASTEC has an HQ and operation office in Michigan, USA, an EU Operations office in the Netherlands, Germany, and an R&D Office in Türkiye. For more information, visit www.adastec.com

We're looking for a Senior Business Development Specialist to contribute ADASTEC's commercial growth across North America. Your primary focus is business development, building relationships with transit agencies, government stakeholders, and partners, and turning those relationships into deployments.

Because our deals sit close to the technology and to live field operations, this role works across teams more than a typical BD position. You'll support proposals and grant applications, stay involved as projects move from award into deployment, and help make sure what we commit to commercially is something we can deliver operationally. A genuine understanding of public transportation matters here. You should be able to look at an agency's network, understand what they actually need, and form a view on which routes and service patterns make sense for autonomous deployment. An engineering background and prior project management experience are strong advantages, since much of the work involves moving between commercial conversations and technical detail.

This role involves significant travel, at times up to 50-60%, across project sites, agency meetings, and industry events in the U.S.

You'll report directly to the North America Operations Director and work closely with the CEO, engineering, and deployment teams.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and manage ADASTEC's North America sales pipeline, building relationships with transit agencies, government stakeholders, economic development organizations, and OEM partners
• Analyze transit agency networks, service needs, and route characteristics to identify where autonomous transit deployment makes operational and commercial sense
• Lead proposals, tender responses, and federal and state funding applications
• Support commercial negotiations from first conversation through signature, including review of contracts, scopes of work, and partner agreements alongside our legal team
• Stay engaged with projects after award, coordinating with deployment and engineering teams so commercial commitments align with operational realityTrack market trends, funding opportunities, and competitor activity to identify new business
• Report on pipeline, proposal outcomes, and market feedback to leadership

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a STEM field, or equivalent hands-on technical experience
• 5+ years of business development, commercial, or partnership experience, ideally in transportation, mobility, automotive, or a related technical sector
• Working knowledge of public transportation, including how transit agencies operate, plan service, and make procurement decisions
• Ability to assess transit routes and service needs and translate them into deployment opportunities
• Strong written communication, with experience producing proposals, technical documents, or formal reports
• Ability to engage credibly with both technical teams and external stakeholders
• Excellent spoken English and confidence representing the company to agency, government, and partner audiences
• Willingness to travel frequently within the U.S., at times up to 50-60%
• Legally authorized to work in the United States

Nice to have

• Project or program management experience
• Startup or early-stage company experience, and comfort working in a fast-moving environment with evolving priorities
• Direct experience with public transit agencies, state DOTs, or transportation-focused public sector organizations
• Experience writing or contributing to federal grant applications
• Familiarity with autonomous vehicle, ADAS, or advanced mobility technology
• Experience supporting contract negotiation or vendor management