Head of Business Development (Future CRO)
The Opportunity
Stax is excited to represent an early-stage Deeptech company developing next-generation battery technologies born out of 15 years of research at the University of Cambridge. Backed by top-tier venture capital investors, they are at a critical stage of growth following the successful close of a major fundraising round and the receipt of initial purchase orders.
Based in Cambridge, our client develops cutting-edge, highly technical products tailored for a small, known universe of national security, defence, and strategic industrial customers. Operating with immediate access to the CEO, this role is designed for a high-octane operator who wants to own the entire commercial lifecycle and scale a business from early traction to a category-defining enterprise.
The Mission
You will lead day-to-day discovery, needs analysis, solution shaping, and deal execution with a dedicated universe of government buyers, primes, and OEMs. You will treat early customers as true design partners, bridging the gap between sophisticated operational requirements and internal engineering teams to secure 6-to-7+ figure, long-cycle contracts.
Key Responsibilities:
- End-to-End Account Ownership: Drive deals through qualification, negotiation, and closing post-CEO introduction.
- Ecosystem Mapping: Engage key decision-makers and influencers within MOD units, government buyers, integrators, and strategic primes.
- Technical Value Selling: Host structured technical workshops and product demonstrations alongside the engineering team.
- Commercial Cadence: Build a clean, rigorous CRM pipeline and establish a lightweight commercial operating system from scratch.
Ideal Candidate Profile
- Defence Domain Credibility: Deep familiarity with UK/European defence procurement, rank structures, and complex buying dynamics. (An ex-military, ex-civil service, or deep-tech defence sales background is highly desirable).
- B2B Deal Execution: Proven track record of independently driving high-value, multi-stakeholder technical sales cycles.
- Technical Fluency: Ability to comfortably translate complex concepts between deep-tech engineers and non-technical stakeholders.
- Startup Mindset: A self-starting, execution-focused approach. This is a hands-on operator role, not an advisory position.