Vice President, Business Development

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in California.

📋 Description

• Lead Aclima’s business development initiatives and drive commercial priorities, execution, and outcomes.

• Act as a trusted commercial representative in significant discussions with customers and partners.

• Occasionally provide updates to the board on commercial performance, pipeline forecasts, and strategic suggestions.

• Oversee opportunities from qualification and customer discovery to proposal development, commercial negotiations, contracting, and transition to delivery.

• Coordinate with internal specialists and maintain momentum among customer stakeholders.

• Conduct outreach, lead customer meetings, draft proposals, negotiate terms, and manage the sales pipeline personally.

• Take ownership of selected strategic accounts and opportunities from qualification through to signed agreements and delivery handoff.

• Identify customer needs, executive sponsors, budget owners, decision processes, purchasing requirements, and paths to closure.

• Create viable commercial avenues when no established buying process exists.

• Develop business cases, secure internal sponsorship, identify potential funding sources, and shape approvable engagements.

• Lead the development of proposals, scopes, pricing, and commercial terms in collaboration with product, engineering, science, finance, and legal teams.

• Ensure commitments align with delivery capacity and sound economic principles.

• Address pipeline challenges and provide recommendations requiring executive approval.

• Structure initial engagements to support ongoing services, additional locations, and repeatable offerings.

• Cultivate relationships with customers, industry leaders, and decision-makers in key markets.

• Advise on where to focus efforts or discontinue activities.

• Collaborate with external lobbyists and government affairs teams to promote market priorities.

• Link customer needs and community demands with clear offerings and funded deployments.

• Uphold disciplined CRM processes and accurate pipeline forecasts.

• Provide succinct updates on progress, risks, decisions required, and expected timelines.

• Utilize AI tools to enhance research, preparation, proposal development, and commercial execution.

• Initially function as a hands-on individual contributor without direct reports.

⛳️ Requirements

• Proven track record of independently leading business development or a comparable commercial role, successfully closing complex B2B or institutional sales, including paid pilots, technical services, software, data products, or similar offerings.

• Experience in selling an emerging product or service within a startup or similarly resource-limited environment.

• Capability to build and maintain strong relationships with customers, industry leaders, and decision-makers.

• Ability to independently manage strategic accounts through discovery, proposal development, negotiation, procurement, and contracting.

• Experience in expanding initial engagements into repeat business, recurring services, or broader deployments.

• Excellent commercial writing and executive communication skills.

• Ability to relate scientific and technical capabilities to customer decision-making.

• Demonstrated experience in leading negotiations with senior decision-makers independently.

• Ability to make significant commercial decisions that balance revenue opportunities, pricing, scope, delivery commitments, and the company's reputation.

• Strong political insight and confidence in working with external lobbyists and government affairs teams.

• High proficiency in utilizing AI tools for commercial activities.

• Alignment with the mission and sensitivity to stakeholder concerns regarding environmental and community outcomes.

• Strong plus: experience selling environmental solutions, geospatial analytics, climate technology, enterprise software and services, digital transformation, or other complex technical products, projects, and services.

• Must be open to a 90-day independent contractor arrangement.

• Resume required.

• Must be prepared to discuss complex deals personally closed, obstacles overcome, and commercial results achieved.

🏝️ Benefits

• Potential for conversion to a full-time position at Aclima’s discretion.

• If converted to FTE: competitive compensation.

• If converted to FTE: equity options.

• If converted to FTE: medical, dental, and vision insurance.

• If converted to FTE: life, AD&D, and LTD insurance.

• If converted to FTE: 401(k) plan.

• If converted to FTE: wellness credits.

• If converted to FTE: participation in company events.