About the role
Aktyvus Photonics develops advanced laser and electro-optical solutions for defense applications. Our technologies are already being integrated into UAV, handheld, and other mission-critical platforms across Europe. We build systems that are designed to perform in real operational environments.
We are looking for a Business Development Manager who can help grow strategic accounts, move active opportunities forward, and strengthen day-to-day commercial execution. This is a hands-on role for someone who can build trust, navigate complex stakeholder landscapes, and represent technically advanced solutions with confidence.
Success in this role is not about high-volume transactional selling. It is about building credibility, understanding customer context, and steadily progressing high-value opportunities across long and often complex sales cycles. The right person will be able to work across different customer groups, including OEMs, integrators, platform manufacturers, and government-related stakeholders.
This role offers the chance to contribute directly to technologies that strengthen European and allied defense capability.
What you will do
- Identify, develop, and move forward new business opportunities across defense and related high-tech markets
- Manage active opportunities and support the development of strategic accounts
- Build and maintain trusted relationships with OEMs, integrators, platform manufacturers, defense companies, and government stakeholders
- Support both outbound business development and qualification of inbound opportunities
- Represent Aktyvus Photonics in meetings, exhibitions, trade shows, partner discussions, and customer visits
- Work closely with leadership, engineering, and other internal teams to align customer needs with technical capabilities and delivery reality
- Support proposals, tenders, commercial offers, and negotiation processes
- Help track, prioritize, and advance opportunities across different customer segments and sales stages
- Contribute market insight on customer needs, competitor activity, and emerging opportunities
What we are looking for
- Experience (at least 3+ years) in business development, sales, or key account management in defense, aerospace, deep tech, industrial technology, or another complex technical B2B environment
- Ability to build trust and credibility with senior stakeholders
- Strong ownership mindset and ability to work independently
- Comfortable operating in a technically complex environment and learning quickly
- Strong communication, relationship-building, and commercial judgment
- Ability to manage a limited number of high-value opportunities with discipline and persistence
- Experience with long-cycle sales, tenders, or complex stakeholder environments is an advantage
- Excellent communication skills in English
- Willingness to travel internationally on a regular basis
Strong advantages
- Experience in defense or defense-adjacent industries
- Exposure to photonics, lasers, electro-optics, UAVs, or other advanced hardware categories
- Experience working with OEMs, integrators, or government-linked customers
- Additional European languages
What we offer
- A meaningful commercial role in a fast-growing defense technology company
- The opportunity to work with advanced products that solve real operational problems
- International exposure across customers, partners, and defense industry events
- A direct and collaborative working culture with fast decision-making
- A role with room to grow as the commercial function evolves
- Competitive compensation with fixed salary and performance-based bonus