Senior Business Developer – Manufacturing & Industrial Automation

About the role

A Moving Experience. Agentic voice AI is reshaping how work gets done on the industrial frontline, and we are responding to a deep unmet need: giving frontline workers — and the machines and systems they run — a voice that holds up in the tough, noisy, connectivity-poor conditions of the factory floor, warehouse, and field. This is about opening new markets from the ground up.

To do it, we are bringing together a team that combines top commercial and technical talent with the domain expertise these markets demand. The pace is fast, the technology is new and exciting, and your work moves the business.

Responsibilities

• Engage senior decision-makers across the manufacturing and industrial automation ecosystem — rugged device and wearable makers, connected-worker and MES/MOM platforms, voice-picking and WMS vendors, and SCADA/HMI and EAM/CMMS software leaders — from fast-moving startups to established global names.
• Qualify, size, and close opportunities, leveraging the company’s technical, commercial, and partnership resources to increase win rates and accelerate deal closure.
• Bring the experience and judgment to prioritize opportunities with the greatest commercial potential.
• Drive co-sell partnerships and customer deals from first contact through to close, owning the full cycle — across device and platform OEMs, systems integrators, and ISVs.
• Operate as a standalone commercial engine inside a small, entrepreneurial team, with enough technical fluency to hold your own on how manufacturing operations, industrial automation, and edge voice AI for frontline work.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of quota-carrying sales, business development, or partnership experience selling technology into or alongside manufacturing, industrial automation, or enterprise/OT software markets.
• Demonstrated track record of sourcing, qualifying, and closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals and partnerships.
• Working fluency in the manufacturing and industrial automation landscape (Industry 4.0, MES/MOM, SCADA/HMI, IIoT, connected-worker, or OT/IT).
• Willingness and ability to travel to customer sites, plants, and industry events (approximately 30%).
• Authorized to work in the country of hire without current or future employer sponsorship.

Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications:

• MBA or equivalent advanced degree.
• Experience selling embedded, edge, or voice/conversational AI, or building SaaS/platform partnerships through an ISV or co-sell motion.
• An existing network across rugged-device, wearable, connected-worker, WMS, MES/SCADA/HMI, or EAM/CMMS vendors and systems integrators.
• Experience standing up a new market, product line, or territory from the ground up in a start-up or intrapreneurial environment.
• Proficiency with CRM and pipeline tools and a structured sales methodology.
• Additional language capability for global, multilingual markets.
• Familiarity with Microsoft and NVIDIA partner ecosystem and motions.

Skills

• A track record in sales, business development, or venture capital — ideally selling into or alongside manufacturing, industrial automation, or enterprise/OT software. You know how to find, qualify, and win.
• Fluency in manufacturing and industrial automation — Industry 4.0 / smart manufacturing, MES/MOM, SCADA/HMI, IIoT, connected-worker platforms, or the OT/IT stack — ideally on the software or software-integration side; experience with voice, conversational, or edge AI is a strong plus.
• Structured, professional, and immediately credible in front of founders and senior leaders.
• An entrepreneurial instinct, comfortable with ambiguity, speed, and full ownership of outcomes.

Benefits

• Annual bonus opportunity.
• Insurance coverage (medical, dental, vision, life, and disability).
• Paid time off.
• Paid holidays.
• Company contribution to the RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan).
• Equity awards for certain positions and levels.
• Remote and/or hybrid work available depending on the position.

Pay

Salary range $129,400.00 USD - $207,100.00 USD. It is not typical for offers to be made at or near the top of the range. The actual salary will be determined based on experience and other job-related factors.

Schedule

Location: Remote — United States, Canada. Travel: approximately 30% to customer sites, plants, and industry events.

About the company

Cerence is a global leader in conversational AI and voice technologies, expanding innovations beyond automotive into robotics and physical AI. Spun out from Nuance in October 2019, Cerence is an independent company that has quickly gained traction as a leader in the automotive voice assistant space, working with leading automakers to transform how a car feels, responds, and learns. Its track record is built on more than 20 years of industry experience and leadership, with more than 500 million cars on the road today across more than 70 languages.