Business Development & Key Accounts
Business Development Manager (all genders)
Full-time · Part-time
Akilaris develops AI-enabled space intelligence and collision-avoidance capabilities for safer satellite operations. We are a Bremen-based European team working at the intersection of software, AI, aerospace engineering and operations. We describe the work as it is: priorities can evolve, safety and evidence come before hype, and no contribution is used operationally without the appropriate review.
In this role, you connect satellite operators, institutions and industry partners with Akilaris. You lead evidence-based discovery and commercial execution without overselling technical readiness, and you bring structured market insight back to product and engineering.
Your Mission
- Build and maintain a qualified pipeline, initially focused on European satellite operators, institutions and industry partners
- Lead the commercial opportunity cycle from research and discovery through proposal, negotiation and handover
- Create account plans that reflect buying centres, procurement routes, budgets, timelines and decision risks
- Shape pilots and proposals with engineering, including clear scope, success criteria, assumptions and ownership
- Maintain accurate CRM data, forecasts and written next steps; surface uncertainty early rather than inflating the pipeline
- Represent Akilaris at selected European industry events and follow through on relevant conversations
What You Bring
- Evidence of owning complex B2B opportunities for a technical product or service; equivalent practical experience matters more than a particular degree
- Strong discovery, value-framing, written proposal and negotiation skills
- Professional English and the ability to communicate credibly with both technical and commercial stakeholders
- Sound judgement: you distinguish verified capability, roadmap and hypothesis when speaking with customers
Helpful, Not Required
- Experience in space, aerospace, critical infrastructure or another deep-tech market
- Knowledge of European institutional procurement, ESA or national space programmes
- Experience with pricing, pilot agreements, partnerships or public tenders
- German or another European working language
Practical Details
- Travel within Europe and occasionally beyond, expected to average around 20%
- The role is based in Germany. You must be entitled to work in Germany by the agreed start date; any support with permits or relocation is assessed individually and is not guaranteed.
- Some project assignments may be subject to German or EU export-control and security requirements. Any restriction relevant to this role is assessed case by case and explained transparently; we do not apply a blanket nationality requirement.
What to Expect
- Purposeful work on safer and more sustainable satellite operations
- A small, cross-functional European team with short feedback loops and direct access to the context needed for your work
- Responsibility matched to experience, with review and support rather than unverified autonomy
- The role-specific work model stated in this posting; student schedules are planned around agreed university commitments
- Candid feedback, room to learn across disciplines and respect for well-reasoned disagreement
Our Hiring Process
The exact process depends on the role and is explained at the start. It typically includes:
- a structured first review against the published core criteria,
- a role-related conversation and, where useful, a short time-boxed work sample — never unpaid customer or production work,
- a mutual alignment discussion covering mission, collaboration, work model and terms.
Pay Transparency
We discuss the specific pay and objective criteria transparently before making an offer. Where the law requires earlier or additional information, we follow those requirements. We do not ask about salary history.
How to Apply
Email your CV or current profile and three to five sentences about your role-related contribution to info@akilaris.com with the subject line “Application: Business Development Manager (all genders)”. For technical or creative roles, you may link one relevant work sample.
Please do not send a photo, date of birth, marital status, salary history, nationality, health information or unrelated certificates. We do not need them for the first review.
We assess applications fairly and without discrimination, based on the role requirements and each person’s potential. We discuss reasonable adjustments to the application process confidentially.
Applicant Data Notice
We process only the data you send for assessing your application and communicating during the hiring process. The controller is Akilaris UG (haftungsbeschränkt), c/o Clockwise, Martinistraße 62–66, 28195 Bremen, info@akilaris.com. The legal bases are section 26 BDSG and Article 6(1)(b) GDPR; where data is retained temporarily for legal defence, Article 6(1)(f) GDPR applies.
After an unsuccessful process, we generally delete application data after six months unless a legal duty or your explicit consent permits longer storage. Access is limited to people and instructed service providers who need it for the process.
Your rights include access, rectification, erasure, restriction and complaint to a data-protection authority. More information is available in our privacy policy.
Location
Bremen, Germany, Hybrid, with regular time in Bremen.