Director of Business Development - Materials / Semiconductor

Director of Business Development – Materials / Semiconductor
Our client is building advanced scientific data and simulation capabilities designed to help R&D teams understand how materials behave under demanding real-world operating conditions. As the organization moves from technical development into commercial adoption, it is seeking a senior business development leader who can turn highly differentiated research assets into strategic customer programs. This is an opportunity to shape the commercial strategy at an early stage, work directly with scientific and technical leadership, and build relationships with some of the world's most sophisticated semiconductor and advanced-materials organizations.

This Role Offers:

Meaningful equity participation with the opportunity to join during a formative stage of company growth.

A differentiated offering at the intersection of materials science, computational modeling, simulation, and machine learning.

Opportunity to build strategic programs with leading semiconductor and advanced-technology R&D organizations.

Remote flexibility for a professional based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the ability to meet customers and industry contacts throughout the region.

Focus:

Build and convert a senior-level pipeline across semiconductor R&D, computational materials, simulation, and AI-for-science organizations.

Lead commercialization of research-grade datasets, model evaluation capabilities, simulation environments, and customized scientific programs.

Own complex opportunities from initial discovery through technical validation, commercial scoping, negotiation, and contract execution.

Develop relationships with technical and executive buyers responsible for materials modeling, simulation, advanced technology, and scientific machine learning.

Structure commercial agreements involving program milestones, intellectual property, data usage rights, and defined exclusivity periods.

Partner with scientific teams to translate advanced simulation and experimental capabilities into compelling customer-specific applications.

Guide prospective customers through internal benchmarking and technical evaluation processes while addressing scientific and commercial requirements.

Prioritize semiconductor opportunities while selectively developing business within adjacent advanced-materials markets, including energy storage, photovoltaics, and nuclear technologies.

Skill Set:

Demonstrated success personally closing commercial agreements for technical datasets, recurring data access, model evaluation, reinforcement-learning environments, or comparable data products with R&D or simulation teams at two or more relevant enterprise accounts.

Active relationships with senior R&D or computational-materials stakeholders across at least two relevant industry segments, with the network and credibility to generate substantive customer conversations within approximately 60 days.

Experience selling sponsored research, co-development, or other funded technical programs where milestones, intellectual property, data-use rights, and exclusivity periods were negotiated.

Proven ability to move a technical data, modeling, or simulation asset through a customer's internal evaluation or benchmarking process and into a commercial agreement.

Practical understanding of density functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamics, machine-learning interatomic potentials, and the challenges of obtaining representative data under applied fields and other non-equilibrium conditions.

Strong semiconductor commercial experience is preferred, particularly relationships spanning device manufacturers, equipment providers, materials companies, EDA organizations, or advanced computing teams.

Ability to substantiate relevant closed business during the screening process through appropriate documentation, public evidence, or professional references.

Currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area and comfortable operating remotely while engaging customers and partners across the region.

About Blue Signal:
Blue Signal is an award-winning, executive search firm specializing in sales & business development recruiting. We have a strong track record of finding top-performing talent in areas such as sales leadership, account management, and business development strategy. Learn more at

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