Business Development Representative

Position: Business Development Representative

Location: Midwest, USA (Remote, based near North Sioux City, SD)

Our Company

NextBeam is a startup company founded with the vision of improving how contract irradiation & sterilization gets done. We're on a mission to bring sustainable sterilization / irradiation services to a range of different industries, helping customers to deliver safer products while minimizing environmental impact.

At NextBeam, we value teammates that are honest, detail- and customer-oriented problem solvers. Together, we cultivate a startup mentality and culture that encourages our team to take calculated risks, work collaboratively, and take the initiative to identify and solve problems across our business.

We are seeking a driven, personable, and organized individual to join our team as our first dedicated Business Development Representative. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys understanding customers and their industries and has a talent for turning that knowledge into productive conversations with the right prospects. You'll be the engine behind our sales pipeline — identifying who we should be talking to, understanding their world, and setting up our sales team for success.

Key Responsibilities

• Research and identify prospective companies across target industries (medical device, consumer, packaging, food, and others) that are strong-fit candidates for NextBeam's services.
• Build and maintain a target account list, prioritizing prospects based on fit, likely need, and timing.
• Track trends, regulatory developments, and market shifts within contract irradiation, sterilization, and related industries.
• Develop subject matter expertise on radiation processing and sterilization services — full training provided — and use that knowledge to speak credibly with technical and non-technical stakeholders alike.
• Conduct proactive outreach to prospective customers through a mix of channels (calls, email, LinkedIn, and others) to generate interest and kickoff conversations.
• Qualify inbound and outbound leads to determine genuine fit, need, and timing before passing them to the sales team.
• Schedule and coordinate qualified meetings between prospects and the NextBeam sales team, ensuring smooth handoffs with the right context.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records of prospecting activity, contact history, and pipeline status in our CRM.
• Collaborate with marketing to refine inbound lead follow-up and messaging based on what's resonating with prospects.
• Work closely with the sales team to continuously refine our ideal customer profile and targeting strategy.
• Represent NextBeam at industry events, conferences, and workshops as opportunities arise to build network and pipeline.

Requirements

• A 4-year degree from an accredited institution, or equivalent professional experience.
• 1-3+ years of experience in business development, sales development, lead generation, or a related research/customer-facing role.
• Strong research skills and comfort navigating unfamiliar, technical industries.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Self-motivated, organized, and persistent — comfortable owning outbound prospecting activity independently.
• Ability and willingness to learn technical subject matter (radiation processing, sterilization standards) and translate it into a clear, compelling narrative for prospects.
• Familiarity with CRM software and prospecting tools (e.g., LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Hubspot, outreach/email, and AI tools).

Desired Attributes

• Prior experience or interest in the medical device, life sciences, packaging, or food industries.
• Exposure to sterilization, quality, or regulatory functions.
• Familiarity with ISO 11137 / 13485 is a plus, but not required.
• Interest in growing into a full sales or account management role as NextBeam scales.

What We Offer

• A competitive salary complemented by a performance-driven bonus tied to qualified meetings and pipeline generated.
• The chance to help shape NextBeam's sales development function from the ground up, with a clear path toward advancement as the team grows.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development within a mission-driven company.
• A collaborative work environment utterly focused on how radiation processing can positively impact our customers.
• Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k match, mobile phone reimbursement, and more.

Location & Travel

NextBeam is located in North Sioux City, SD. This position can be remote but focused on accounts within 500mi of the facility, with travel as needed for industry events, conferences, and in-person client meetings.