Director, Business Development - Americas

About this role:

Market Development: Identify high-potential companies, emerging constellations, and new mission opportunities across the Americas. Build relationships early and develop a deep understanding of customer strategy, funding, technical roadmaps, and mission plans.
New Business Creation: Proactively originate opportunities rather than relying primarily on inbound leads or established accounts. Identify where Loft's infrastructure can solve a customer problem before a formal requirement or RFP exists.
Strategic Selling: Build relationships with founders, CEOs, CTOs, engineering leaders, mission owners, and other senior decision-makers. Understand their objectives and shape solutions that align Loft's capabilities with their broader business and technical strategy.
Program Development: Lead opportunities from an initial concept through pathfinder missions, demonstrations, first missions, and ultimately repeat or constellation-scale programs.
Full-Cycle Business Development: Own opportunities through qualification, solution development, proposal, commercial negotiation, contracting, and close, partnering with the appropriate internal teams throughout the process.
Strategic Partnerships: Develop relationships with spacecraft manufacturers, launch providers, data and analytics companies, systems integrators, and other ecosystem partners that can create new customer opportunities or expand Loft's reach.
Account Expansion: Turn successful initial missions into long-term customer relationships. Identify opportunities for additional spacecraft, missions, payloads, services, or constellation deployments.
Market Intelligence: Maintain a strong understanding of the commercial space ecosystem, including emerging companies, funding activity, new mission architectures, competitive dynamics, and evolving customer needs.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Bring together technical, commercial, and operational stakeholders to turn ambiguous customer needs into executable programs.

Must Haves:

8+ years of experience in business development, strategic sales, partnerships, or an equivalent customer-facing role, with a strong track record of originating and closing complex opportunities.
Deep understanding of the space industry and commercial space ecosystem, including satellite operators, spacecraft manufacturers, launch providers, space data companies, and related technology and infrastructure providers.
Demonstrated success as a net-new business developer and hunter—someone who has created opportunities and opened new customers rather than primarily managing an established book of business.
Experience selling complex technical products, services, or infrastructure through a consultative or solutions-oriented approach.
Ability to build credibility with senior executive and technical stakeholders, from founders and CEOs to CTOs, engineering leaders, and program owners.
Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, early-stage opportunities where the customer need, solution, or buying process may not yet be fully defined.
Experience owning complex opportunities through the full business development and sales cycle, including solution development, proposals, commercial negotiations, and contracting.
Strong commercial judgment and the ability to prioritize opportunities based on strategic value, probability of success, and long-term potential.
Excellent communication, relationship-building, and negotiation skills.
Willingness to travel regularly to meet customers and partners across the Americas.

Nice to Haves:

• Existing relationships with commercial constellation companies, emerging space companies, or strategic players in the Americas space ecosystem.
• Experience selling satellite, spacecraft, mission, launch, data, connectivity, or other space infrastructure services.
• Experience developing strategic partnerships or channel relationships that generate measurable commercial opportunities.
• Technical background in aerospace, space systems, engineering, or a related field.
• Experience working with venture-backed or rapidly scaling companies.
• Experience across multiple segments of the space ecosystem rather than a single product or customer category.
• Experience with mission-as-a-service, satellite-as-a-service, hosted payloads, or other infrastructure-based space business models.

Some of Our Awesome Benefits:

• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents
• 100% company-paid Basic Life (1x salary, up to $300K), AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with an employer contribution, plus Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and pre-tax commuter benefits
• Carrot Fertility, which provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support
• One Medical membership for telemedicine and primary care
• Free, confidential Employee Assistance Program through MetLife and TELUS Health
• Fully paid parental leave: 16 weeks for birthing parents and 10 weeks for non-birthing parents (including adoption and surrogacy), plus an optional 2-week part-time return
• Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
• 401(k) plan and equity options
• Daily catered lunches and snacks in office
• International exposure to our team in France
• Annual company off-sites and many social events and celebrations
• Relocation assistance when applicable