Director, Business Development

ClearSpace seeks a Director of Business Development to lead bid management and pipeline growth across institutional, defense, and commercial space sectors in Switzerland.

ClearSpace, a company dedicated to sustainable and affordable space operations through reusability and in-orbit servicing, is looking for a strategic leader to drive its business acquisition efforts. This role is responsible for managing the entire bid lifecycle, from identifying opportunities to final execution, ensuring alignment across the group’s entities while navigating the complex institutional, defense, and commercial space ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and track potential bid opportunities from key sources including ESA, EU bodies, UKSA, defense agencies, and commercial satellite operators.
• Maintain a comprehensive database of future projects to identify suitable bid types and strategic opportunities.
• Ensure consistent capture strategies and coherence across all ClearSpace entities.
• Provide strategic business insights regarding customer needs and competitive landscape.
• Oversee and coordinate the end-to-end bid process through the Business Acquisition framework.
• Collaborate with internal teams for large-scale bids and independently manage smaller opportunities.
• Guarantee that all bid executions adhere to the company’s Product and Quality Assurance standards.
• Manage bid financials in collaboration with finance teams, national managing directors, and external partners.
• Coordinate partner inputs, including scope and financials, with procurement for multi-partner or consortium bids.
• Support business development events, conferences, and customer-facing engagements.
• Assist account management efforts with institutional agencies, defense clients, and commercial operators.
• Collaborate with the Product Development team to define new or iterative products and services.

Requirements

• Proven track record in bid management within the space industry.
• Deep understanding of institutional, defense, and commercial space ecosystems.
• Extensive experience working with institutional agencies, defense customers, or commercial operators on space programs.
• Strong commercial awareness with expertise in risk and opportunity management.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and capable of taking initiative.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and written/verbal communication skills.
• Strong knowledge of the space industry, particularly In-Orbit Servicing (IOS) and Active Debris Removal (ADR).

Nice to have

• Technical knowledge of spacecraft systems, preferably upstream and space segment.
• Familiarity with EU funding instruments like the EIC Accelerator or Horizon Europe.
• Understanding of defense procurement processes and export control regulations.
• Existing relationships with commercial satellite operators or in-orbit servicing customers.
• Experience bidding in domains such as in-orbit servicing, active debris removal, and space situational awareness.
• Experience delivering key bid volumes: technical, commercial, financial, implementation, management, contractual, and risk.
• Understanding of project management for space programs or past experience in this area.
• Experience with ESA bid financials, including PSS form generation.
• Background in satellite business development or satellite sales.

About the company

ClearSpace operates across the UK and Europe, collaborating with world-leading institutions and companies. The organization is guided by an expert engineering team focused on addressing in-orbit servicing and space debris removal challenges.

• Operates across the UK and Europe with a global perspective.
• Collaborates with world-leading institutions and companies.
• Led by an expert engineering team.