Buisness Development Lead

Dragonfly Aerospace is a vertically integrated manufacturer of high-performance, ITAR-free Earth observation imaging payloads and satellites. The company designs and builds the full optical stack - from its compact Gecko-class imagers to the high-resolution Raptor family - alongside satellite buses in the 50–150 kg class and complete turnkey imaging satellites. Dragonfly gets strategic EO assets into orbit with minimal time, cost, and risk; its hardware is already flying, including the imaging payload aboard EOS SAT-1, the first of a planned agricultural EO constellation. Free from US ITAR constraints, Dragonfly is positioned as a trusted, European-friendly supplier for commercial, civil, and sovereign customers worldwide.

Role Summary

Run the commercial development of Dragonfly's optical payload portfolio across Europe, with a primary mandate on the German market and secondary coverage of France and Italy. The role pairs deep technical fluency in EO optical payloads with a hunter's commercial instinct: identifying primes, integrators, and constellation operators that need imaging payloads, translating their mission requirements into Dragonfly configurations, and closing payload and payload-plus-bus deals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build and own the European optical-payload pipeline (lead gen → qualification → technical proposal → close).
• Engage at the systems-engineering level: GSD, swath, MTF, SNR, spectral bands, focal plane, pointing/stability budgets, data rate, SWaP, radiation, lead time - and map customer mission needs to the Gecko-to-Raptor range.
• Position Dragonfly's ITAR-free / European-friendly supply chain as a differentiator against US-ITAR-constrained competitors in sovereign and defence contexts.
• Develop relationships with EO primes, smallsat integrators, constellation operators, national space agencies, and defence/intelligence end-users across DE/FR/IT.
• Lead technical proposals and pricing in coordination with engineering in Stellenbosch; manage the bid-to-contract cycle.
• Represent Dragonfly at European trade shows (Space Tech Expo Bremen, SmallSat Europe, WSBW, IAC, Paris Air Show) and ESA/agency events.
• Feed market intelligence (competitor specs, pricing, programme timelines) back into product strategy.
• Support the broader full-payload positioning narrative where optical and SAR offerings converge.

Required Qualifications (must-have)

Technical foundation

• Degree in aerospace/optical/electronics/physics engineering, or equivalent hands-on EO experience.
• Working knowledge of EO optical payload performance parameters and the ability to discuss them credibly with a customer's engineers.
• Understanding of the smallsat / EO mission lifecycle (mission concept → payload selection → integration → operations).

Commercial

• 5+ years in business development/sales/technical sales of space hardware - ideally optical payloads, EO instruments, or satellite subsystems.
• Demonstrable track record of closing technical hardware deals in the European space sector.
• Existing network among European EO primes, integrators, agencies, and/or defence end-users.

Market & language

• Proven commercial experience in the German space market (relationships, programme awareness, agency/BDLI ecosystem).
• English: fluent (mandatory).
• German: native or fully fluent - strong advantage
• French and/or Italian - strong advantage.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Existing relationships across the French and/or Italian space markets.
• Experience selling into defence & intelligence EO programmes (sovereign customers).
• Familiarity with ESA procurement, geo-return, and EU-funded programme constraints (e.g. ESA-origin scrutiny).
• Exposure to full SAR/optical payload sales or payload-plus-bus offerings.
• Experience working with a non-EU manufacturer selling into Europe (export, logistics, local-content dynamics)

The Company Offers:

• Remote work format.
• Competitive compensation with a performance-based bonus structure.
• Dedicated business development budget, including travel and participation in industry events and conferences.
• Long-term growth and career development opportunities.