Business Development Director

The Role

We're hiring a Business Developer — Advanced Manufacturing — a commercially elite, network-driven operator who already has a seat at the table with the VP of Operations, General Manager, and Head of Smart Manufacturing at the facilities we're targeting.

This is not a traditional sales role. The BD is Formant's Connector: the person whose first call to a VP Ops at a semiconductor fab or pharma plant gets picked up — because they've already earned that trust over years of working in these environments. Their network is the asset.

You'll be supported by Forward Deployed Engineers for technical delivery and a founding team that leads deals alongside you. What we need from you is the credibility, the relationships, and the hunger to activate them.

What You'll Do

Pipeline Generation & Network Activation

• Map your network to Formant's target account list — semiconductors, pharma, energy, chemicals, automotive — and identify the fastest paths to qualified conversations.
• Open warm doors with VP Operations, General Managers of Fabs and Facilities, and Heads of Smart Manufacturing at Tier 1 and Tier 2 accounts. Your relationships are how we get in the room.
• Run executive-level discovery — articulate Formant's value proposition with confidence, translate customer pain into a compelling case, and qualify opportunities with precision.

Deal Development & Closing

• Own the full sales cycle from first conversation through signed contract — qualification, discovery, demo coordination (with our Forward Deployed Engineers), proposal, negotiation, close.
• Build multi-threaded account relationships — engaging operations, OT/IT architecture, and economic buyers simultaneously so deals don't hinge on a single champion.
• Hit quarterly pipeline and bookings targets. 12-month goal: $200K+ in new ARR, 3–5 signed deals, 20+ qualified opportunities in CRM.

Market Intelligence & GTM Collaboration

• Bring the field back to the team — your ground-level read on buyer priorities, objections, and competitive dynamics directly informs how we build the product and sharpen the message.
• Identify and pursue speaking and presence opportunities at SEMI, ARC Industry Forum, Automation Fair, and vertical trade shows where your credibility opens doors that booths don't.
• Partner with Forward Deployed Engineers on seamless handoffs from sale to implementation — you own the relationship, they own the delivery.

Partner & Ecosystem Development

• Cultivate referral relationships with SCADA integrators, OT consultancies, and ecosystem partners inside Rockwell, Honeywell, AVEVA, and Emerson — people who call you when their customers have the problem we solve.
• Co-develop go-to-market materials with key integration partners and represent Formant at partner events.

Who You Are

Required Experience

• 7–15 years of enterprise sales or business development in industrial / OT software — at companies such as Rockwell Automation, Honeywell, Emerson, AVEVA, ABB, Siemens, AspenTech, PTC, GE Digital, or OSIsoft.
• Proven, active relationships with VP Operations, Plant Directors, GMs of Fabs, or Heads of Smart Manufacturing at mid-to-large manufacturing companies. Not historical contacts — people who take your call.
• Direct experience selling into at least one of Formant's Tier 1 verticals: semiconductors & electronics, pharmaceuticals & biotech, or energy & utilities.
• Track record of closing six-figure enterprise software or SaaS deals with 3–9 month sales cycles.
• Genuine comfort — and genuine excitement — about working in a fast-moving startup where you build the playbook rather than follow one.

Nice to Have

• Experience selling AI, predictive maintenance, alarm management, MES, historian, or operational analytics solutions into OT environments.
• Existing relationships with SCADA system integrators or OT consulting firms who could become channel partners.
• Familiarity with OT protocols (OPC UA, Modbus, MQTT) and the SCADA/DCS/PLC landscape — enough to speak credibly without an engineer in every meeting.
• Network in manufacturing hubs: Detroit, Houston, Austin/Phoenix (semiconductor), Pittsburgh (steel & materials), Research Triangle (pharma).
• Startup experience — especially in a role with high autonomy, low process, and big upside.

Who Will Thrive in This Role

• Hunters, not farmers — people who find energy in finding and closing new business, not managing existing accounts.
• Operator-empathetic closers — you've spent enough time with operations teams to earn credibility in the first 10 minutes of a conversation, and you know that the VP Ops doesn't want a pitch deck — they want someone who gets it.
• Change-embracers — you thrive when the product, the pitch, and the go-to-market are all evolving simultaneously, and you bring clarity rather than anxiety to that ambiguity.
• Mission-driven people who believe that better AI in manufacturing operations prevents accidents, reduces waste, and makes factories safer for the people who work in them.

Compensation range: $150,000–$200,000, based on experience and geographical location.

This position is fully remote. Formant currently hires in: AZ, CA, CO, IL, MA, MI, NC, NY, OH, PA, TX.