Business Development & Partnerships Manager

About the role

We are seeking a proactive, entrepreneurial Business Development & Partnerships Manager to build strategic partnerships, develop funded research opportunities, and expand WSL's impact across priority industries.

Responsibilities

• Establish and grow WSL partnerships across Energy, Finance, and an emerging frontier sector (e.g., U.S. Federal Government, National Laboratories, or Cryptography).
• Build relationships with corporations, startups, research institutions, and government organizations to identify collaboration opportunities.
• Translate partner challenges into funded research projects, proof-of-concepts, and commercialization initiatives.
• Develop project scopes, milestones, deliverables, budgets, and partnership proposals.
• Identify grant and funding opportunities (DOE, NSF, DARPA, ARPA-E, EU Horizon, and others) and coordinate competitive proposal development.
• Monitor industry trends, market needs, and emerging quantum applications to identify new strategic opportunities.
• Work closely with technical teams to ensure partner engagements align with organizational capabilities and research priorities.
• Travel extensively to meet with partners, customers, government agencies, and research organizations to establish and strengthen strategic relationships.
• Represent WSL at major quantum, science, innovation, and industry conferences, workshops, and networking events.
• Develop long-term partnerships through regular in-person engagement with executives, technical leaders, funding agencies, and research institutions.
• Organize and facilitate partnership meetings, workshops, and collaborative planning sessions with stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's or PhD preferred in Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Business, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of the quantum technology.
• 5+ years of experience in business development, partnerships, technology commercialization, innovation programs, or research management.
• Experience working with government funding agencies, grants, or R&D partnerships is highly desirable.
• Excellent relationship-building, communication, and proposal writing skills.
• Willing and able to travel 30–50% (or more, depending on business needs), including domestic and occasional international travel.
• Exceptional interpersonal, networking, and executive communication skills.

Qualifications

• Exceptional interpersonal, networking, and executive communication skills.

Skills

• Exceptional interpersonal, networking, and executive communication skills.

Benefits

• Flexible work schedule.
• Professional development opportunities.
• Competitive compensation package.

Pay

• $80,000 - $120,000 annually.

Schedule

• Full-time position.