Business Development Manager

**Please note: in order to be considered, you must apply via the Google Survey and answer the handful of questions so we can understand more about you and your experience (please copy and past the below URL). **Deadline: The application will be open until February 14th. Applications will be evaluated and interviews will be offered on a rolling basis, so please apply at your earliest convenience. About Arda Biomaterials Arda Biomaterials is a materials innovation company focused on replacing animal- and petrochemical-derived materials. Our first material innovation, New Grain, is a sustainable leather-like material made from the protein extracted from spent brewery and whisky grains. By using plant-based proteins, manipulated in a way to mimic collagen, New Grain is able to mimic the properties of leather all whilst remaining completely free of plastics or petrochemical additives.  By blending the disciplines of chemistry, design, and materials science, Arda is creating materials that have dramatically lower environmental impact than humanity's current choices. Furthermore, due to the abundance & low-cost of waste grain, the materials can remain cost competitive without compromising on performance, enabling Arda’s next-gen materials to become default for manufacturers, brands, and consumers.  Arda is based in central London, in an aptly named building called the Leather Market, just 10 minutes south of London Bridge. About the Role Arda is seeking a Business Development Manager or Business Development Associate (depending on experience) to commercialise New Grain and help revolutionize industries such as fashion, footwear, and more.  You will be working directly with the CEO to build and manage a pipeline of exciting stakeholders, stemming from luxury fashion brands to the world's best known automotive companies. This will broadly involve bringing them through the steps of initial conversations and sampling tests, to formalized projects (proof of concept showpieces, capsule collections), joint development agreements, and finally offtake agreements.  We are looking for a team member with 3-10+ years of experience who is an effective communicator, knows how to gather information, can navigate the needs of different clients, and will ultimately win business for the betterment of the planet. You are someone who is able to find your way to the highest potential leads and manage a growing number of relationships as we continuously improve our material and start to scale up production.  The role comes with a competitive compensation package (salary and equity options). The location is preferably in London if based in the UK, or in Paris or Milan if based elsewhere in Europe. Other remote or hybrid working arrangements will be considered.  We look to hire great people, not just to fill a role. If you think you would excel in the position and as a team member at Arda, even if you haven’t worked in fashion before for example, then we encourage you to apply. All applications are through this URL: Responsibilities 

1. Inbound/Outbound – manage outreach and inbounds to find and prioritize potential partners and customers. 
2. Conversion through the funnel – manage relationships to convert high priority leads into collaborations such as paid sampling, showpieces, limited collections, joint development agreements, and offtake agreements.
3. Contracts – review and edit contracts such as Non-disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs).
4. Internal team communication – liaise with members of Arda (e.g. R&D and Design teams) to coordinate delivery of samples, projects, and more.
5. External communication – decide how Arda will appear at and represent Arda at conferences and events throughout the year to continue growing Arda’s brand and capture new leads (also helping organize occasional Arda events). 
6. Market research and applications – conduct market research to help guide Arda’s strategy across stakeholders and market segments, as well as to find and apply to opportunities (e.g. awards, accelerators) that will benefit the company’s commercial traction.
7. Quantitative – keep track of metrics so that the Arda sales process is always improving, as well as collect metrics for use by the CEO at meetings with key stakeholders (e.g. board meetings).

Required Skills and Experience 

1. Selling – you will use your know-how from your 3-10+ years of sales, business development, or account management experience to win business and hit revenue targets.
2. External relationships and partnerships – from cold outreach to warm intros, you know how to engage, prioritize, and deepen important relationships that result in strategic partnerships and contracts.
3. Internal relationships – you work well with a mission- and science-driven team, effectively collaborating with colleagues across departments to deliver commercial milestones on time.
4. Organized – you know how to manage a CRM, including balancing many relationships at the same time, responding timely to emails, keeping leads warm, and taking charge for sales processes of the contacts you are responsible for. 
5. Detail-oriented – whether in writing, in person, or remotely by video call, you pay close attention to your communications with stakeholders and colleagues while also gathering data that will help inform Arda’s commercial strategy both quantitatively and qualitatively.
6. Comfort with ambiguity – you can easily self-direct in an ever-changing, fast-paced environment of uncertainty, and you are a true problem solver. 

Desired Skills, Experience, and Logistical Details The following are nice-to-haves, but not necessities, that would be beneficial for a successful applicant.

1. Existing knowledge of the fashion/footwear or the furniture/automotive upholstery industries. Perhaps even from a design or product background.
2. Fluency in an additional language – preferably in French or Italian.
3. The right to work in the UK with an ability to be present with the team in London (which can be discussed depending on personal circumstances). 
4. Already have demonstrated interests in researching and ideating about biodesign, biomaterials, fashion, circular economy, climate-tech, and other topics. 

Benefits and Next Steps We offer a competitive compensation package of salary, pension, and equity options, as well as flexible working hours.  If you think you’d be a great fit, please apply by answering the short questions in the Google form in this URL, where you can attach your CV as well: